Code Geass: Age of the Chaotic Truth
by CrazyNinjaPenguin
Summary: 20 years after the conclusion of Code Geass, the world is at peace. A young Britannian princess with hopes of restoring her declining homeland to greatness and ridding the world of its lies happens upon the power needed to resurrect chaos. Yuri.
1. Information Page

Introduction: Hello and welcome to my thirty-second fanfiction project. Unlike most of the ones before it, this story will be lengthy, complex, intricate, and feature a number of original characters. As such, I have opted to reserve this first chapter as a spot for profiles of some of the important elements of the story, including the original characters, Knightmare Frames, events, and technologies, all in an effort to help you all keep things straight as you read. In other words, **this is not the first chapter of the story, just an information page to help you if you get lost; if you are just starting the story, please go to the next chapter.**

**Original Characters profiles:**

Characters are listed in order of first appearance (character first to speak listed first in case of multiple characters introduced at once). They are organized into three numerical character classes that will determine how detailed their profiles are. The classes are as follows:

As of Turn 11, I have shifted some character classes around and added a fourth class. I have also given character class ratings to the canon character.

1: very minor characters. Includes character references inconsequential one-time characters, and recurring static characters. Only bare details are given here. Imagine the rest yourself.

2: the majority of the cast. Detailed profiles are given.

3: the main characters of this story who will receive extensive coverage, but aren't necessarily on the level of the key characters.

4: the key characters. Ava, Astrid, Chiharu essentially. I increased Megami to class 4 because she's become that important; Deifilia also gets the rank.

Characters may jump up a class if I suddenly decide to make them more important.

The voice actors listed are just a guide to sort of let you know what I imagine the character sounding like; I have nothing to do with them or the companies they work for. To make it more challenging for myself I tried to pick voice actors who do not already have big parts in Code Geass (this is especially true for the English selections, since pretty much every actor associated with the biggest voice studio, Bang Zoom!, works on the show).

The Japanese name translations are provided by Rabukurafuto, and are very much appreciated.

***UPDATE! Exciting news, guys. You can now find art of the characters of this story at soundsbitchin on deviantART (you can find a link on my profile if you don't know how deviantART works). A big thanks go out to Cary for her work on the art!***

Anyway, let's get started...

**Scott Holman**: スコット・ホルマン "Sukotto Horuma".

Class: 1

First appearance: Chapter 1

Age: 61

Sex: male

Appearance: Holman is a short old man with a stocky build. He's bald on the top of his head and wears thick glasses. He dresses in starched shirts and slacks.

Role: A teacher of Britannian History at Maldini Private Academy.

Creator's comments: Holman is mainly of note as a character because he provides us with our first glimpse at Ava. He is to Ava a prime example of a fool who has lived his whole life in accordance with lies. He was named for one of the intersections at the university which I attend and inspired by any number of teachers and professors I've had over the years.

**Margaret Enneagram**: マーガレット・エニアグラム "Maagaretto Eniaguramu"

Class: 3

First appearance: Chapter 1

Japanese Voice: Ryoka Yuzuki (Haruka in Mai-HiME, Ino in Naruto, Yukino in Candy Boy)

English Voice: Kari Wahlgren (Fuu in Samurai Champloo, Tsuruya in the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzmiya, Anemone in Eureka Seven)

Age: 17 (born October 13, 2021 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'8"

Hair Color: bright red

Eye Color: brown

Likes: attention, praise, expensive foods, clothes, Richter Novak, small animals.

Dislikes: being alone, failure, seafood, big animals.

Appearance: a pretty young girl. She has vibrant red hair down to her shoulders which is well kept and worn simply with straight bangs. She has a slight natural tan.

Personality: spunky, attention-seeking, competitive, insecure, unyielding

Role: A student and member of the Student Council at Maldini Private Academy. Ava's self-appointed rival.

Creator's comments: No, I wasn't trying to make her immediately likable. She's not meant to be hated either. Character's like Margaret are almost stock it seems, but I'm going to try and make her arc at least interesting. In case you don't recognize the name, she is the daughter of Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Nine in Code Geass, a character without one line of dialog the entire series. Why I give such a character a child and make that child important, boils down to a simple reason: I can. Nonette Enneagram might have had no role in the show, but she is never shown dying like most all the other Knights of the Round who are introduced. It also provides me an opportunity to flesh out Nonette as well. I don't know why I settled on the name Margaret. I didn't look up the name meaning, (it means "pearl" it turns out; which kind of does fit her in a rough way). I think I partly decided on it from the Neko Case song, "Margaret vs. Pauline". Mostly, I think I just liked how it sounded with the last name.

**Princess Ava li Britannia**: エヴァ・リ・ブリタニア皇女 (エヴァ・リ・ブリタニアこうじょ)" Eva ri Buritania Koujo"

Class: 4

First appearance: Chapter 1

Japanese Voice: Hitomi Nabatame (Shizuma in Strawberry Panic, Nanao in Bleach, Kan'u in Ikki Tousen)

English Voice: Lisa Ann Beley (Sumeragi in Gundam 00, Halle in Death Note, Eda in Black Lagoon)

Age: 17 (born January 4, 2021 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 6'0"

Hair Color: jet black

Eye Color: deep blue

Likes: power, books, sweets.

Dislikes: lies, stupid people, the elderly, sad things, bitter foods, Zero, the current state of things, feeling powerless.

Appearance: a very beautiful young girl. Her hair is pitch black, straight, simply styled and extends halfway down her back. She is quite pale. She has a quite impressive figure.

Personality: self-assured, opinionated, blunt, power-hungry, distrustful, confident, sentimental.

Role: The main character of our story. Fourth Princess of Britannia and Sixth heir to the throne. A student and member of the Student Council at Maldini Private Academy. Possessor of Geass through a contract with D.D..

Creator's comments: Our main character. An atypical one, I suppose. Not a typical princess either. There are similarities between her and Lelouch for sure (quite intentionally), but they are also very distinct as I see them. She's cold and calculating at first appearance but she has other sides to her personality. Her journey through the truth will see her through a lot. I had a lot of trouble with her name. I decided on Ava because it worked in being both simple and elegant; a perfect name for our princess. Literally hundreds of other names were considered though. Her full name sounds pretty cool together, I think.

**Astrid Weinberg**: アストリッド・ヴァインベルグ "Asutoriddo Vainberugu"

Class: 4

First appearance: Chapter 1

Japanese Voice: Mai Nakahara (Nagisa in Clannad, Nagisa in Strawberry Panic, Mai in Mai-HiME)

English Voice: Monica Rial (Kirika in Noir, Sakura in Tsubasa Chronicle, Lumiere in Kiddy Grade)

Age: 17 (born May 6, 2021 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'10"

Hair Color: golden blonde

Eye Color: pale blue

Likes: Ava, romantic things, pizza, flowers, Knightmare Frames, cats.

Dislikes: too much attention, her own shy nature, scary stuff, green vegetables, others who like Ava.

Appearance: Her hair is very long, extending all the way down her back; it has a definite wave to it. She is even more pale than Ava. She has a very sleek, thin build that is stronger than it appears.

Personality: shy, insecure, romantic, stubborn, courageous, willful.

Role: Knight of Twelve. A student and member of the Student Council at Maldini Private Academy. Has a romantic interest in Ava.

Creator's comments: Astrid's an interesting character. I think she's adorable. A real compliment to Ava. Girls like her aren't exactly new to this sort of story, but next to a character like Ava she seemed natural. She's Gino's daughter, as the last name makes evident. This was sort of a hard decision for me. I had Astrid's character planned out before and she doesn't really have much in common with Gino. I don't even really care for Gino much as a character so it's odd I'd give his daughter such a big part. It mostly boils down to me just wanting Astrid to be the daughter of an established Knight of the Rounds and there not being many other options. Astrid's name was selected partly by it's meaning "fair, beautiful goddess". I also just sort of like the name. It's Norse in origin but I think fits well with the Germanic last name.

**Richter Novak**: リヒター・ノヴァク "Rihitaa Novaku"

Class: 3

First appearance: Chapter 1

Japanese Voice: Mamoru Miyano (Light in Death Note, Setsuna in Gundam 00, Kuro in Kurozuka)

English Voice: Brad Swaile (Light in Death Note, Setsuna in Gundam 00, Rock in Black Lagoon)

Age: 18 (born November 11, 2020 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 5'11"

Hair Color: light brown

Eye Color: blue-gray

Likes: money, power, himself, smoked salmon.

Dislikes: "annoying" people, pizza, failure, chaos.

Appearance: His hair is short, well-combed and split down the center. He is fairly tan and has a very rigid posture. His facial features give him an overall distinguished look.

Personality: vain, controlling, uptight, ambitious, intelligent.

Role: Son of the CEO of Pizza Hut. A student and President of the Student Council at Maldini Private Academy. A young man of prodigal intelligence and sense.

Creator's comments: Richter is an interesting subject. He was one of the last student council members devised. I needed at least one male character on the thing. I considered giving Richter's spot to a son of Rivalz who would likely inherit his fathers uselessness as a character. I scrapped that idea since I didn't just want it to be a copy/paste reincarnation of the Ashford council. At the same time I was considering all that, I was also wondering how to approach the Pizza Hut issue, since for a Code Geass story I totally have to (I mean in the Code geass universe being CEO of Pizza Hut has to be just about as big as being emperor) Thus Richter came about as a solution. His name origin is interesting. Novak is the actual last name of the CEO of the company that owns Pizza Hut. The first name, Richter means "judge" and is overall just a cool name.

**Miya Ashford**: みや・アッシュフォード "Miya Asshufoudo"

Class: 3

First appearance: Chapter 1

Japanese Voice: Aya Hirano (Misa in Death Note, Haruhi in the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Nanael in Queen's Blade)

English Voice: Kelly Sheridan (Louise in Gundam 00, Jane in Black Lagon, Sango in Inuyasha)

Age: 18 (born December 1, 2020 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'7"

Hair Color: black

Eye Color: brown

Likes: blueberry waffles with real maple syrup, animals, plants, people, life, fun things, peaceful things, happy things, laughter.

Dislikes: evil.

Appearance: Miya always wears a smile and holds a radiant energy. Her hair is long and typically worn in a loose, sporty ponytail, with wild bangs in front. She has delicate Asian features and is small and thin.

Personality: carefree, agreeable, well-humored, energetic, relaxed.

Role: A student and member of the Student Council at Maldini Private Academy.

Creator's comments: Miya is fun. She's a quirky character. I of course have to mention her parents; you read right in chapter 1; Milly/Nina happened in this continuity. Of all the Code Geass yuri pairings, this one always seemed the most fluid and natural to me. Milly's talk with Nina in episode 9 of R2 is the turning point of Milly's character arc and is wholly significant to her final decisions. Nina may express that Milly isn't her type in that scene, but she seems quite contented later to see what Milly does with herself. That the two get together afterward actually seems somehow reasonable to me, but perhaps I am just the crazy yuri fan. I was always going to include this pairing; wasn't always going to give them an adopted daughter. When I did decide I was going to, I had to make her Japanese, as it shows an important progression for Nina. The name Miya was not chosen by meaning but rather just by sound. I wanted a name that could fit as both a Japanese and a Western name, and it was one of the first I found. It's a cute name anyway.

**Padriac Princeton**: パドリアック・プリンストン "Padoriakku Purinsuton"

Class: 1

First appearance: Chapter 1

Age: 43

Sex: male

Appearance: A tall, thin middle-aged man in a spotless suit.

Role: Ava's personal chauffeur and manservant.

Creator's comments: There isn't much to note with Ava's servant Padriac. He's served her faithfully for years; she requests he always speaks his mind in her presence yet is still quick to chide him for his comments. His name was derived from the song, "Padraic, My Prince" by the Bright Eyes; the slight variant on the name used intentionally just to make it different.

**Anne Levine:** アン・レヴィーン "An Reviin"

Class: 1

First appearance: Chapter 1

Age: 46

Sex: female

Appearance: A stern looking older woman in a maid's uniform. Has a composed look to her

Role: Head maid at Ava's home. Attendant to her father.

Creator's comments: There's not much to say about Anne either. She's another of the faithful servant type who always does her job. Like Padriac, her name is also derived from an indie rock song about a dead baby, this time "Leslie Anne Levine" by the Decemberists; Anne was uses instead of Leslie because I didn't want both servants to have alliterative names.

**Baron Brighton Ellesmere**: ブライトン・エルズミーア男爵 (ブライトン・エルズミーアだんしゃく) "Buraiton Eruzumiia Danshaku"

Class: 1

First appearance: Chapter 1

Age: 29 at death circa 1800 a.t.b.

Sex: male

Appearance (from the statues in the library): a gallant looking man in a cape and hat with a thick mustache.

Role: Original owner of Ava's home. Had a geass contract with D.D.. Constructed the box that allowed her to sleep for 200 years.

Creator's comments: The history of Baron Ellesmere is pretty interesting I think. A man burned alive for associating with witches, and the mob was actually right. I needed something to get Ava her Geass, and even if it's slightly impractical for a man from the late eighteenth century to have developed the technology to let someone sleep for 200 years (though I suppose immortals are different), I think it works fine. With his name I was just trying for something that sounded British and old fashioned. There's no special meaning to it; it is a pretty cool sounding name though.

**D.D.**: D.D. (ディー・ツー) "Dii Tsuu"

Class: 3

First appearance: Chapter 1

Japanese Voice: Yu Asakawa (Rider in Fate/Stay Night, Cho'un in Ikki Tousen)

English Voice: Maryke Hendrikse (Liu Mei in Gundam 00, Revy in Black Lagoon)

Age: roughly 1000 years (birthdate is not remembered. Likes to celebrate April 2)

Sex: female

Height: 5'6"

Hair Color: radiant blonde

Eye Color: piercing blue

Likes: seeing/experiencing new things, sex, red meat, sleeping, teasing others.

Dislikes: most women, books, shellfish.

Appearance: Flowing blonde hair, down to her knees, has sort of unkempt, wild look to it but in the good sort of way. She is very pale. She has a very seductive, adult figure, highlighted by her large breasts.

Personality: flirty, lazy, apathetic, sexual, curious, adaptive.

Role: An immortal who has lived for centuries, granting countless Geass contracts. Grants one such contract with Ava.

Creator's comments: My goal with D.D. was to make her different from C.C.. They do have similarities; bot hare free-spirited and can tease at times, but I generally tried to go in a very different direction from C.C.. D.D. clings to life; she loves it and never want it to end. She's not really a romantic, but rather just wants to be satisfied sexually by whatever guy currently holds her contract. It was difficult coming up with her origin and how she and Ava would meet, but I like what I came up with. With her "name" I really could have picked any letters...

**Hjalmar the Brutal**: 凶悪のヒャルマル (きょうあくのヒャルマル) "Kyouaku no Hyarumaru"

Class: 1 (Profile filled out and changed with "Image of the Valkyrie")

First appearance: Mentioned chapter 1, seen in "Image of the Valkyrie"

Age: 33 at death circa 1047 a.t.b. (18 at first meeting with D.D.)

Sex: male

Appearance: Not that intimidating a man, especially at first. later in life, he grew out his beard and donned armor and helmet, giving him a fierce appearance.

Role: D.D.'s first geass contractee.

Creator's comments: Some random viking dude who got lucky and got D.D.'s first contract. Serves mostly as a reference revealing how old D.D. is. Hjalmar is obviously a Norse name; he is supposed to be a viking. In "Image of the Valkyrie, he is actually featured, and shown to be a not all together unintelligent but self-doubting youth until his "Valkyrie" shows him the way.

**Dr. Rayner Wilde**: レイナー・ワイルド先生 (レイナー・ワイルドせんせい) "Reinaa Wairudo-Sensei"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 2

Japanese Voice: Akio Ohtsuka (Kyoraku in Bleach, Jaeger in Valkyria Chronicles)

English Voice: Patrick Seitz (Isshin in Bleach, Jaeger in Valkyria Chronicles, Charles in Eureka Seven)

Age: 39 (born March 15, 1999 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 6'2"

Hair Color: dark brown

Eye Color: dark green

Likes: alcohol, Knightmare Frames, cigarettes, cute, spirited young girls, baked goods.

Dislikes: hangovers, his job, his government, spicy foods.

Appearance: He has long, messy has kept in a loose ponytail. He is usually not cleanly shaven. He hunches over and carries a depressed or tired look about him all the time.

Personality: pessimistic, depressed, easily agitated, absent-minded.

Role: A prodigy in the field of Knightmare development who never got a chance to make a name for himself before the war ended. Now a physics teacher at Maldini Private Academy.

Creator's comments: I think Rayner is an interesting character. A prime example of a man with every reason to throw his support behind Ava. He's down on his luck and a hopeless alcoholic, but he hasn't lost all the passion that drove him. When I was searching through lots of names for ones with particularly cool meanings, I found the name Rayner, meaning "deciding warrior". I made note of it. In a story that will be full of warriors, it somehow fell on a scientist character. I kind of like that irony, which is why I kept it. Wilde just sort of sounded cool with it.

**Sergeant Major Hiromi Tohdoh**: 藤堂 ヒロミ曹長 (とうどう ヒロミそうちょう) "Toudou Hiromi Souchou"

Class: 3

First appearance: Chapter 2

Japanese Voice: Hoko Kuwashima (Clare in Claymore, Tomoyo in Clannad, Cirucci in Bleach)

English Voice: Tabitha St. Germain (Soma in Gundam 00, Roberta in Black Lagoon, Naomi in Death Note)

Age: 18 (born September 10, 2020 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'8"

Hair Color: dark brown

Eye Color: dark brown

Likes: her friends and family, sea bass, justice, Japan.

Dislikes: betrayers, mackerel, perpetrators of evil, loud noises.

Appearance: Hiromi has semi-short dark brown hair that is straight but with jagged bangs. Her default expression is a light smirk. Her body is well-toned and muscular, but not overly so.

Personality: sarcastic, temperamental, protective, well-humored, congenial.

Role: A soldier of the Black Knights. Daughter of a respected general.

Creator's comments: I like Hiromi (notice how I like most of them... I guess they are my characters). She'll have an interesting little arc. She is the daughter of Kyoshiro Tohdoh and Nagisa Chiba, a blatantly obvious pair-up. She's sort of like a blend of the two albeit with a sense of humor tossed in there somehow. I picked Hiromi as her name mostly because I like it. I did look into the meaning though to make sure; it's an ironic fit, the meanings I've found of the name all have to deal with beauty, but Hiromi is one of the story's few girls not intended to be classically beautiful.

**Lieutenant Chiharu Ohgi**: 扇 千春中尉 (おうぎ ちはるちゅうい) "Ougi Chiharu Chuui"

Class: 4

First appearance: Chapter 2

Japanese Voice: Yuko Kaida (Risty in Queen's Blade, Ryomo in Ikki Tousen, Ryuken in Maria Holic)

English Voice: Wendee Lee (Yoruichi in Bleach, Faye in Cowboy Bebop, Haruhi in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

Age: 19 (born April 19, 2019 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'10"

Hair Color: silver

Eye Color: brown

Likes: octopus, flying, video games, the Black Knight uniforms, slacking off.

Dislikes: cucumbers, work, humorless people.

Appearance: an exotic looking beauty. She has wild, spiked out silver hair, darkly tanned skin, and a well-curved body.

Personality: lacking in initiative, quirky, open, honorable, compassionate, earnest, optimistic.

Role: A primary character in our story. A member of the black knights. Daughter of a former Japanese president.

Creator's comments: Chiharu may not seem like much at first, but she'll grow into a very significant character quickly. Imagining her, she is really hot, sharing a lot of her mother's features. Chiharu is a character who had to exist. Ohgi canonically gets Villetta pregnant. I decided I'd make her of importance for that fact. With her name, I really just wanted to use something that started with "Chi" in reference to the name Chigusa that Ohgi gave Villetta when she had her amnesia. Chiharu was my favorite of the girl's names I found.

**Warden John Paris: **監獄署長ジョン・パリス (かんごくしょちょうジョン・パリス) "Kangoku Shochou Jon Parisu"

Class: 1

First appearance: Chapter 3

Age: 38

Sex: male

Appearance: thin, balding, wears a suit and has a mustache.

Role: The warden at Vortigern Imperial Prison

Creator's comments: An easily black mailed liar who proves a useful example of one of Ava's Geass victims. For some random reason, his name was pieced together from songs by the musical artist St. Vincent, "Marry Me" and "Paris is Burning" specifically.

**Callista Blackwell, "Blood Queen": **"血の王妃" キャリスタ・ブラックウェル ("ちのおうひ" キャリスタ・ブラックウェル) "'Chi no Ouhi' Kyarisuta Burakkuweru"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 3

Japanese Voice: Atsuko Tanaka (Caster in Fate/Stay Night, Claudette in Queen's Blade, Mika in Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora)

English Voice: Christine Auten (Teresa in Claymore, Izumi in Fullmetal Alchemist, Sakaki in Azumanga Daioh)

Age: 42 (born June 21, 1996 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'8"

Hair Color: crimson

Eye Color: blue

Likes: causing others pain, the color red, fine red wines, power, fillet mignon.

Dislikes: those who stole her happiness, solitude, processed foods.

Appearance: she has long, wavy red hair that frames her face. She is in great shape and looks younger than her age. She has a most alluring figure.

Personality: sadistic, maternal, loyal, twisted, fragile.

Role: Formerly the youngest consort to Charles zi Britannia and a feared warrior known as the Blood Queen. Found in the Vortigern Imperial Prison by Ava.

Creator's comments: Callista. The first of the three prisoner characters introduced. She's probably my favorite of the three (big surprise that the female's my favorite...). Her character arose out of a curiosity of mine as to what all Charles' wives/consorts would be like. We know he had a harem, but all we see is Marianne. I thought making one of the consorts a character was a good idea. Making her the token crazy sadist also seemed like a good idea. of course the whole subplot with her daughter makes her a halfway redeemable character I suppose. The name Callista means "most beautiful" and is an all around cool name. Her surname probably reinforces her dark character a little too hard, but I still like it.

**Lord Niles Moore: **ナイルズ・ムーア卿 (ナイルズ・ムーアきょう) "Nairuzu Muua-Kyou"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 3

Japanese Voice: Unshou Ishizuka (Sergei in Gundam 00, Zabuza in Naruto, Jet in Cowboy Bebop)

English Voice: Kim Strauss (Dewey in Eureka 7, Komamura in Bleach, Ibiki in Naruto)

Age: 55 (born December 31, 1983 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 6'0"

Hair Color: mostly gray with some black

Eye Color: brown

Likes: the chaos of the battlefield, the idea of redemption, art, roast beef.

Dislikes: the remorse he feels, peace time, the unrefined, tomatoes.

Appearance: he has a distinguished look despite having served six years in prison waiting to die. His hair is short and parted down the middle. he is always clean-shaven. He is quite thin.

Personality: somber, reflective, remorseful, battle-mad, self-defeating.

Role: A valorous soldier in the war twenty years ago. Massacred two villages of innocents in vengeance of his wife six years prior to our story. Ava finds him in Vortigern Imperial Prison.

Creator's comments: Niles is a somewhat interesting character. he was the third prison character I thought of, and I intended him as a sort of foil for Ulric. His story's interesting in it's own right I suppose. With his name, this character literally had like twenty considered. I actually had a different name chosen when I started chapter three from when I finished it. Niles means, from what I can gather "champion", "cloud", or "passionate", all of which work for the character. Moore I just picked as it's a typical last name that sounded right with it.

**Ulric Cross: **ウルリック・クロス "Ururikku Kurosu"

Class: 3

First appearance: Chapter 3

Japanese Voice: Katsuyuki Konishi (Kamina in Gurren Lagann, Hisagi in Bleach)

English Voice: Trevor Devall (Patrick in Gundam 00, Aizawa in Death Note, Mr. Chang in Black Lagoon)

Age: 26 (born November 21, 2012 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 6'1"

Hair Color: black

Eye Color: brown

Likes: fighting, drinking, women, hamburgers.

Dislikes: prison, police officers, old men, salad.

Appearance: He has mid-length, messy black hair, and somewhat dark skin. He is muscular but not bulky. Has multiple tattoos on his arms

Personality: aggressive, violent, easily provoked, prideful, arrogant, quick-witted, sharp, direct.

Role: An accomplished prizefighter, well known in underground circuits. Ava meets him in Vortigern Imperial Prison

Creator's comments: i rather like Ulric's character. He's so very different from everyone else in the story. I wanted to have his character, because I though it made sense for there to be a lot of underground fighting when the world was so peaceful. I guess he provides a strange sort of comic relief. Ulric is a guy who likes fighting cause it's what he knows and he's good at it. Honestly, he's probably the most sane of the prison group. His name means "power of the wolf" which of course fits him about as good as anything would have. And Cross is just a badass last name to go with it.

**Devlin Granville**: デヴリン・グランビル "Devurin Guranbiru"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 4

Japanese Voice: Yuuichi Nakamura (Graham in Gundam 00, Tomoya in Clannad)

English Voice: Chris Patton (Sousuke in Full Metal Panic!, Greed in Fullmetal Alchemist)

Age: 21 (born May 4 , 2017 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 5'9"

Hair Color: dark blond

Eye Color: brown

Likes: camaraderie, dogs, pasta.

Dislikes: slackness, rule-breakers, melon.

Appearance: A firm standing, handsome young man. His hair is cut quite short. He is somewhat muscular. His expression is mostly level.

Personality: upright, militant, respectful, stoic, eager.

Role: The Knight of Seven. Regina's brother.

Creator's comments: Devlin, taking up Suzaku's old position. He's actually kind of like Suzaku, except he's far less infuriating. With him, it's what you see is what you get. He won't betray anyone. Devlin means "fierce courage". That was too cool to pass up. Granville is just another of the stock surnames I thought sounded appropriate.

**Regina Granville**: レジーナ・グランビル "Rejiina Guranbiru"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 4

Japanese Voice: Ayahi Takagaki (Nina in Chrome Shelled Regios, Ein in Phantom: Requiem of the Phantom, Feldt in Gundam 00)

English Voice: Colleen Clinkenbeard (Riza in Fullmetal Alchemist, Eclair in Kiddy Grade, Galatea in Claymore)

Age: 20 (born July 16, 2018 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'10"

Hair Color: light brown

Eye Color: brown

Likes: her brother, cats, citrus.

Dislikes: disappointing others, rude people, vinegar.

Appearance: an attractive girl. Wears her shoulder-length hair in a high ponytail. Not particularly well curved, but had an athletic, acrobatic body.

Personality: anxious, bold, imitative, emotional, controlled.

Role: The Knight of Eight. Devlin's sister.

Creator's Comments: While they seem almost the same at first, you'll notice how different the Granville siblings are from each other as things go along. The militaristic behavior is mostly acting on Regina's part. She has a bit of a brother complex and as such does her best to try and follow his example, though sometimes she gets confused and messes up. Regina means "queen". How that relates to her, I'm really not sure at the moment. It made sense during the naming process though.

**Sergeant Kenichi Matsuki: **松来 兼一 (まつき けんいち) "Matsuki Ken'ichi"

Class: 1

First appearance: Chapter 5

Age: 19

Sex: male

Appearance: a tall, thin, Japanese guy with nervous eyes.

Role: A sergeant in Chiharu's platoon.

Creator's comments: Poor guy. His sole purpose is to die. Not much to say really. I guess his death is a fairly big deal to Chiharu. His name was pretty much chosen at random; I didn't really care.

**Larkin Ellison: **ラーキン・エリソン "Raakin Erison"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 6

Japanese Voice: Fumihiko Tachiki (Zaraki in Bleach, Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ricardo in El Cazador de la Bruja)

English Voice: Christopher Sabat (Armstrong in Fullmetal Alchemist, Chevalier in Kiddy Grade, Galk in Claymore)

Age: 36 (born November 15, 2002 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 6'4"

Hair Color: black with some gray

Eye Color: brown

Likes: strength, justice, hearty foods, alcohol

Dislikes: people telling him what to think, the unjust, small food portions.

Personality: aggressive, vigorous, forward, lively, bold, quick to action

Appearance: A muscular, dark haired man with a thick mustache

Role: Former Knight of Nine

Creator's comments: Ellison, Wakefield, and Kennard aren't planned out characters. The plan was to give Ava 12 knights, 3 of which she would pick up in prison. Since, I couldn't really think of an excuse for there to be three vacancies so I thought up three minor characters on the spot who would serve as Rounds but not end up following Ava. I'm not sure if they'll show up again, but as thy were good enough to become Rounds it's likely. If I decide I like any of them and want to flesh them out the, expect their profiles to expand. Larkin is one of the stock names I pulled out for use earlier; it means "rough or fierce". As of Chapter 15, I have decided to expand his profile.

**Damian Marsh: **ダミアン・マーシュ "Damian Maashu"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 6

Japanese Voice: Ryotaro Okiaiyo (Scar in Fullmetal Alchemist, Byakuya in Bleach, Bruce in Mai-Otome~~)

English Voice: R. Bruce Elliott (Kambei in Samurai 7, Gran in Fullmetal Alchemist, Rubel in Claymore)

Age: 52 (born January 15, 1986 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 5'11"

Hair Color: gray

Eye Color: dark green

Likes: long discussions, those bearing strong character, premium coffee.

Dislikes: unnecessary violence, vanity, loneliness, asparagus.

Appearance: an older man with short gray hair; still fairly muscular. Darkly tanned skin, a well trimmed goatee.

Personality: honorable, compassionate, steadfast, strong willed.

Role: The Knight of Two. A stalwart warrior with a strong sense of honor.

Creator's Comments: Damian is an interesting character. Bismarck Waldstein was one of my favorite Geass characters that didn't get much development. Knight of One, a cool character, his own Geass, his own custom Knightmare. It was really a shame his character didn't have a more interesting arc. As Bismarck was so interesting ot me, I decided to incorporate him in via a couple OCs. One of these is Damian, is supposed rival, who supposedly had the upper hand until Damian got his Geass and became included in the Charles' inner circle. Since so few Knights of the Rounds are shown in Geass, and the Knight of Two is peculiarly omitted despite the fact that you'd think he'd be of sufficient skill to warrant our attention, adding Damian in there seemed okay to me. Damian means to "tame or subdue". Not sure how that fits; I mostly just liked the sound of it. Kind of has a dark sound to it, especially with the surname Marsh.

**Benjamin Wakefield: **ベンジャミン・ウェイクフィールド "Benjamin Weikufiirudo"

Class: 1

First appearance: Chapter 6

Age: 51

Sex: male

Appearance: An older man with graying brown hair and a light beard.

Role: Former Knight of 11.

Creator's comments: Read the comments for Ellison; Wakefiled's pretty much the same. He's knight of eleven despite being fairly old. I'm sure I could probably think of a story behind that, and I will if I decide to do more with him. Benjamin is a very common name; not much to say about it. I actually don't like his last name now; it's too similar to Rowena's. WIsh I would have thought up something else, but I suppose he's already been named now.

**Jim Cain: **ジム・ケイン "Jimu Kein"

Class: 1

First appearance: Chapter 6

Age: 69

Sex: male

Appearance: an old man with thick white hair. Strong and lively despite his age.

Role: Principle of Maldini Private Academy.

Creator's comments: Not much to say. Just a sort of situational character. His name was taken, as many other minor characters, from an indie rock song, this time "Jim Cain" by Bill Callahan.

**Hildegarde Waldstein: **ヒルデガルド・ヴァルトシュタイン "Hirudegarudo Varutoshutain"

Class: 3

First appearance: Chapter 6

Japanese Voice: Romi Paku (Temari in Naruto, Teresa in Claymore, Falis in Murder Princess)

English Voice: Cindy Robinson (Legretta in Tales of the Abyss, Balsa in Moribito, Kukaku in Bleach)

Age: 27 (born September 9, 2011 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'6"

Hair Color: pitch black

Eye Color: green

Likes: people she sees as strong (Ava, Damian, etc.), justice, cooked salmon.

Dislikes: Suzaku Kururugi, injustice, the weak, carrots.

Appearance: an attractive woman with somewhat wild black hair cut an inch above her shoulder. She's has a firm, muscular, but still feminine figure. Her skin is somewhat tanned and she has an incredible intensity in her eyes.

Personality: righteous, valorous, fierce, combative, loyal

Role: The Knight of Four. Daughter of Bismarck Waldstein. A passionate knight with justice as her cause.

Creator's Comments: I love Hildegarde, again, much more than I did when I drew her character up. Initially she was not going to be Bismarck's daughter; but just her own standalone character, with Damian being the only link to the old Knight of One. The idea then occurred to me and took hold. I think it adds to her character, and has Bismarck looked to be about thirty something (not sure an official age was ever given...) him having had a seven year old daughter at the time f his death seems reasonable. Really, the death of Bismarck and the other Knights of the Rounds is one of the parts of Zero Requiem that is most disagreeable to me. I think Suzaku's actions there give Hildegarde one of the best reasons of any to join Ava. Hildegarde is an obviously germanic name meaning "battle stronghold"; a good name for a female warrior type. The decision for the name being used was in part influenced by my love of Soul Caliber character Hildegard von Krone (Hilde), who I find to be damn sexy for some strange reason (I think I have some weird armor fetish).

**Yasuko Tohdoh: **藤堂 保子 (とうどう やすこ) "Toudou Yasuko"

Class: 3

First appearance: Chapter 6

Japanese Voice: Ayako Kawasumi (Reina in Queen's Blade, Elena in Claymore, Chikane in Kannazuki no Miko)

English Voice: Colleen O'Shaughnessey (Alicia in Valkyria Chronicles, Ino in Naruto)

Age: 17 (born December 1, 2021 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'4"

Hair Color: black

Eye Color: brown

Likes: her family, Chiharu, peace, house cats, rice balls

Dislikes: disappointing others, being overly protected, anger, spicy foods.

Appearance: a cute young girl. Long, slightly wavy hair, kept in a ponytail when in uniform. Has a small, girlish body.

Personality: sweet, kind, friendly, ambitious, reckless, confident.

Role: The younger sister of Hiromi Tohdoh. A cadet in the Japanese military.

Creator's Comments: Yasuko is a cute character. She has the beginnings of a slight crush on Chiharu. She's very different from her protective older sister. She's very lovable and innocent. Her name as I found it means "peaceful child", which of course fits her.

**Rowena Winfield: **ロウェナ・ウィンフィールド "Rowena Winfiirudo"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 6

Japanese Voice: Marina Inoue (Chiri in Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei, Matsurika in Maria Holic, Alicia in Valkyria Chronicles)

English Voice: Tiffany Grant (Altena in Noir, Asuka in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Kaorin in Azumanga Daioh)

Age: 31 (born May 3 , 2007 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'7"

Hair Color: sandy blonde

Eye Color: blue

Likes: fame, money, influence, getting her way, organic vegetables.

Dislikes: ignorance, the self-righteous, any food she deems "cheap".

Appearance: a fairly attractive woman with very long, curly hair, a curved feminine figure, and a constant frown on her face.

Personality: vain, conceited, disagreeable, opinionated, driven.

Role: The Knight of Six. An egotistical fighter with dreams of greatness.

Creator's Comments: She seems to take all the bad traits of Margaret, Richter, and Callista and mix them together, leading to a rather unsympathetic character. She's sort of intended as a kind of a foil for some of the other Knights, particularly the more noble minded ones like Damian. There's not much redeeming her really, just a sort of character to add some dynamics to the Rounds. Very fittingly, her name means "fame and happiness". Winfield, with "win" in it makes her seem even more narcissistic.

**Alastair Kennard: **アレイスター・ケナード "Areisutaa Kenaado"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 6

Japanese Voice: Daisuke Namikawa (Rock in Black Lagoon, Keita in Kurokami, Ulquiorra in Bleach)

English Voice: Derek Stephen Prince (Ishida in Bleach, Oswald in Odin Sphere, Shino in Naruto)

Age: 27 (born February 28, 2011 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 5'10"

Hair Color: brown

Eye Color: green

Likes: conversation, true knights, sandwiches

Dislikes: war, things he doesn't understand, most vegetables

Appearance: A tall, fairly thin man with mid length dark hair and glasses.

Role: Former Knight of 10.

Creator's comments: Have to feel bad for this guy. He ends up not following Ava because Ava doesn't want him. He's much the same as Ellison; he might become more important. Alastair is another of the cool names I picked out to be used at random. It means "defender of man". as of chapter 15, his profile has been expanded.

**Katsuo Tohdoh: **藤堂 活男 (とうどう かつお) "Toudou Katsuo"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 7

Japanese Voice: Yuuko Sanpei (Renton in Eureka 7, Aleksander in Seikon no Qwaser, Tetsuo in Arakawa Under the Bridge)

English Voice: Barbara Goodson (Laharl in Disgaea, Naota in FLCL)

Age: 12

Sex: male

Height: 5'2"

Hair Color: brown

Eye Color: brown

Likes: video games, exciting things, knightmare frames, chocolate

Dislikes: being nagged by his sisters, cheaters, being ignored, bitter vegetables.

Appearance: a young boy, thin, dark hair, lots of energy

Role: Younger brother to Yasuko and Hiromi

Creator's comments: Far from an important character. Mostly just there for atmosphere. Don't have much planned with him. Not much thought went into the name either. I don't remember what it means, and don't care to look it up again. profile expanded as of later chapters. I was surprised I ended up using him late game. As a note, I ended up really hating his name. It's far too similar to the names I gave the twins (I completely forgot about him when I named them, I think). I wish I had named him something else, but whatever.

**Belisario Nemesio: **ベリサリオ・ネメシオ "Berisario Nemeshio"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 7

Japanese Voice: Shinichiro Miki (Lockon in Gundam 00, Mustang in Fullmetal Alchemist, Ishigami in Mai-HiME)

English Voice: Scott McNeil (Al-Saachez in Gundam 00, Hohenheim in Fullmetal Alchemist, Koga in Inuyasha)

Age: 44 (born February 15, 1994 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 6'1"

Hair Color: dark brown

Eye Color: black

Likes: strong women, swords, winning, champagne, lobster.

Dislikes: other men, weakness, processed foods.

Appearance: A handsome middle aged man. Short brown hair, with a thin, well groomed mustache. Darker skin.

Personality: Suave, well spoken, womanizing (but able to control it), advantage taking, devious.

Role: President of the Universal Commission; leader of the EU.

Creator's Comments: First off, before you ask, his name is Spanish, so I guess he is as well. I don't know why. Probably because making the slightly villainous character German, French, Russian or something like that would have been too easy, and I still wanted him to be from a fairly big country He's a cool guy, but plays a sort of dubious role in the story. Belisario means "swordsman". Nemesio means "justice".

**Amelia Gottwald (Amy Glen): **アメリア・ゴットバルト "Ameria Gottobaruto" (エミー・グレン "Emii Guren")

Class: 3

First appearance: Chapter 8

Japanese Voice: Minori Chihara (Yuki in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Sumire in Venus Versus Virus, Aya in Tenjho Tenge)

English Voice: Tara Strong (Presea in Tales of Symphonia; Rikku in Final Fantasy X)

Age: 16 (born August 27 , 2022 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'3"

Hair Color: brown

Eye Color: orange

Likes: being useful, animals, sunny days, oranges.

Dislikes: hurting the weak, failure, disloyalty, broccoli

Appearance: A cute young girl. Her medium brown hair is worn medium length and has slight wave to it. She has a very petite, flexible body. Her features are delicate and her skin has a slight tan.

Personality: detached, dedicated, loyal, kind-hearted

Role: An agent of the mysterious organization, Absolution. Has infiltrated the Weinberg manor.

Creator's Comments: I really like Amelia. She's a character I'm excited for. She's just cool. You've probably already figured out who her parents are. Her father was probably my favorite male character in Code Geass (though it's close between him and Lelouch). Amelia means "industrious, striving, or work". Suitably, she's very dedicated to her job.

**Arienette mi Britannia: **アリエネット・ミ・ブリタニア皇女 (アリエネット・ミ・ブリタニアこうじょ) "Arienetto mi Buritania Koujo"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 9

Japanese Voice: Aya Hisakawa (Priscilla in Claymore, Retsu in Bleach, Chloe in Noir)

English Voice: Clarine Harp (Sei in Burst Angel, Tweedledee in Kiddy Grade)

Age: 37 (born March 21 , 2001 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'4"

Hair Color: blonde

Eye Color: blue

Likes: herself, her pet dogs, young men, most fancy sweets

Dislikes: rude people, commoners, people who don't like her, any food with a strong flavor

Appearance: A woman in her late thirties with long blonde hair. She wears a lot of makeup and extravagant clothes. Carries a distinctly noble air.

Personality: pompous, naive, simple-minded, vain

Role: The sole member of the Royal family aside from Nunnally, Schneizel, Cornelia and Lelouch to survive the destruction of Pendragon. Ava's aunt. First Princess of Britannia.

Creator's Comments: Another unlikable character. She's not really that important. She's on the border of Class 1 and 2. I gave her 2 status, because honestly I like coming up with these details. She's a very shallow character. She's also not that bright, making manipulation easy. Her importance stems from the fact that, as Schneizel and Nunnally have lost the people's confidence, she's heir to the throne were something to happen to Ava. Her name is taken from the Bright Eyes song, "Arienette". I like that song and thought it was a good princess name.

**Hu Xuemei: **胡 雪美 (フー シュエメイ) "Fuu Shuemei"

Class: 3

First appearance: Chapter 9

Japanese Voice: Misato Fukuen (Hime in Yozakura Quarter, Yin in Darker than Black, Yoshika in Strike Witches)

English Voice: Tara Platt (Lisa in Bleach, Temari in Naruto, Setsuka in Soul Calibur IV)

Age: 19 (born December 31, 2019 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'6"

Hair Color: silver-white

Eye Color: black

Likes: Xianglin, Tianzi, respectable people, serving her country, crab

Dislikes: disrespectful people, failing, root vegetables.

Appearance: a very beautiful young girl. Her silvery white hair is perfectly straight, long down to her upper back, and typically combed over her left eye. She has an athletic, acrobatic body, with decent, but not incredible curves. She always wears a Chinese sword at her side.

Personality: stern, icy, committed, loyal, judgmental

Role: A girl of unknown origins, left in the hands of the Chinese Federation government as an infant. The young protege of Zhou Xianglin, she is a prodigious fighter. Now a Lieutenant in the Federation army.

Creator's Comments: An unplanned character (well, not completely; I put like two-three spots for characters I would come up with later on Chiharu's side into my plans). Xuemei's character is really a result of the name I came up with, based on the Chinese name list Rabukurafuto sent me. Hu means "wild" Xue means "snow" and Mei means "beauty". So that all went into the creation of her character. I'm pleased with what I came up with. She's a good addition to the cast; an effective foil for Chiharu.

**Megami Subarashii: **素晴夷 女神 (すばらしい めがみ) "Subarashii Megami"

Class: 4

First appearance: Chapter 10

Japanese Voice: Yukari Tamura (Midori in Mai-HiMe, Tomari in Kashimashi, Excel in Kurokami)

English Voice: Luci Christian (Yukari in Azumanga Daioh, Kaname in Full Metal Panic!, Ophelia in Claymore)

Age: 26 (born December 7, 2012 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 6'0"

Hair Color: turquoise

Eye Color: red

Likes: people, conversation, fun things, most rice and pasta dishes.

Dislikes: her life, solitude, the sight of blood, overly sweet foods

Appearance: An exceptional beauty. Has long, straight hair, half way down the back with jagged bangs. Wears a long red coat. Has a full adult figure suitable for her age, but a pixie cute face. She's rather tall, and her skin is a smooth but not overly pale white.

Personality: playful, flirty, talkative, blunt, seductive, despondent, lonely.

Role: A woman of complete mystery. A self-professed thief with the Geass to become invisible.

Creator's Comments: One of my favorites character during planning, who doesn't disappoint in the actual story. She's fun and lovable. She also has a sadder side encapsulated by her tumultuous past and her isolating Geass. Her "name" is a glaringly fake, and not in any way a real Japanese name. "Subarashii Megami", as her name is in traditional Japanese name order means "wonderful goddess". That should explain the reactions of all the Japanese characters to her name.

**Princess Jacquelyn "Jackie" mi Britannia: **ジャックリン・ミ・ブリタニア皇女 (ジャックリン・ミ・ブリタニアこうじょ) "Jakkurin mi Buritania Koujou". (Jackie: ジャッキー "Jakki")

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 11

Japanese Voice: Rie Kugimiya (Melona in Queen's Blade, Nena in Gundam 00, Karin in Bleach)

English Voice: Hilary Haag (Chloe in Noir, Teletha in Full Metal Panic!)

Age: 19 (born October 30, 2019 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'4"

Hair Color: blonde

Eye Color: blue

Likes: watching others suffer, men, being pampered, gourmet foods

Dislikes: commoners, Ava, animals, cake

Appearance: A very pretty young lady. Unlike her mother it's a more a natural beauty. Her hair is long and curled, she has a glamorous, curved figure and a cute face.

Personality: shallow, spoiled, sadistic, deceptive, manipulative, simple.

Role: The third princess of Britannia. Arienette's younger daughter. Has an interest in Richter.

Creator's Comments: A quite evil character. She's very cruel. She enjoys watching other's particularly other women, made to suffer. She likes to act all cute in front of others, when she is really a quite nasty, manipulative person. She's manipulative, but not quite intelligent to realize she's being manipulated. Her name, like most of the character names for characters I don't care too much about was inspired by a song, or two, in this case: "Jackie" and "Jackie Dressed in Cobras", both Dan Bejar sung New Pornographers' songs. I gave her the proper name Jacquelyn to make it all fancy and Princess like. The root meaning of the name is "one who supplants", so it actually fits well.

**Captain Wu Chaowei: **吴 朝偉大尉 (ウー チャオウェイたいい) "Uu Chaowei Tai'i"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 11

Japanese Voice: Junichi Sawabe (Grimmjow in Bleach, Archer in Fate/Stay Night, Greed in Fullmetal Alchemist)

English Voice: Tony Oliver (Simon (older) in Gurren Lagann, Lancer in Fate/Stay Night, Ulquiorra in Bleach)

Age: 21 (born February 4, 2017 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 5'8"

Hair Color: dark brown

Eye Color: black

Likes: guns, showing off, attention, western foods

Dislikes: falling short of himself, sitting still, rice

Appearance: Short hair, medium build, slightly tan. Usually has a smirk on his face.

Personality: energetic, showy, brash, driven.

Role: A captain of the Chinese Federation. A self-proclaimed Ace. Trained for the Black Knights with Chiharu

Creator's Comments: Chaowei seems tacked on. I know he does. I was actually planing to put a character more like him in earlier instead of Xuemei, but the female Chinese names Rabukurafuto sent me were a little better than the male ones, so I ended up instantly coming up with Xuemei's character and story and everything when I got them. I still wanted to add this guy in there, both because we have more established characters on Ava's side and no guys on Chiharu's. I wanted to make him very much unlike Xingke and the other Chinese Federation characters. After the fact, the dual gun motif kinda makes me picture him as a wannabe version of Mr. Chang from Black Lagoon. Wu is the name of an ancient Chinese state. Chaowei means "morning robust".

**Kiyoko Ohgi: **扇 清子 (おうぎ きよこ) "Ougi Kiyoko"

Class: 1

First appearance: "A Friendly Game"

Age: 14

Sex: female

Appearance: a cute, energetic young girl. Dark skin and short silver hair, looks rather like a miniature version of Chiharu

Role: Younger sister of Chiharu. Killed in the conquest of Japan.

Creator's comments: Chiharu's cute little sister, who you unfortunately never get to see. Her death is still a sad thing even without an appearance. It's a painful reminder to Chiharu that she needs to fulfill her promise.I realize now I probably should have worked Kiyoko into an earlier scene, but she was never going to be anything more than an incidental character.

**Cynthia Moore: **シンシア・ムーア "Shinshia Muua"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 13

Japanese Voice: Ai Nonaka (Kafuka in Sayonara Zetsbou Sensei, Konoka in Negima, Fuko in Clannad)

English Voice: Hynden Walch (Nia (younger) in Gurren Lagann, Talim in Soul Calibur, Emiri in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

Age: 23 (born September 1, 2015 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'11"

Hair Color: a soft blonde

Eye Color: brown

Likes: "good" people, books, music, art, colors, romance, friendship, fresh baked bread

Dislikes: "evil" people, cruelty, darkness, rare meat.

Appearance: Her hair is cut short, but not extremely short. It's still a girlish style. She is tall and has a toned, curved figure. She has a medium and and always wears a smile, even when she shouldn't.

Personality: giggly, pleasant, relaxed, soft-spoken, philosophical, strong-willed.

Role: An agent to be of Absolution. Befriended by Miya.

Creator's Comments: Cynthia's character didn't occur to me while I was planning. I didn't come up with her until I was well on my way with things. I think I have a very interesting character here. She's kind of odd, and interesting friend (and maybe something more) for Miya. Obviously, she's Niles Moore's daughter. Expect some stuff between them. Her name meaning isn't interesting. Even though she isn't an incredibly minor character, I went with the song route, naming her after the character Cynda Moore (Cynda being one of many variants of Cynthia) from the song "Black" by Okkervil River. If by some chance some of you are familiar with the song, no that does not mean Niles raped her.

**Signa Norrell: **シグナ・ノレル "Shiguna Noreru"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 14

Japanese Voice: Mamiko Noto (Kotomi in Clannad; Yukino in Mai-HiME, Tomoe in Queen's Blade)

English Voice: Brina Palencia (Yin in Darker than Black, Yue in Negima, Priscilla in Claymore)

Age: 28 (born June 1, 2010 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'5"

Hair Color: dull white

Eye Color: soft red

Likes: none

Dislikes: none

Appearance: hair is very long, down to her lower back. Her skin is extremely pale white. She has a small, girlish frame and very young looking features.

Personality: cold, emotionless

Role: An assassin working for a mysterious master. Killed Suzaku Kururugi

Creator's Comments: Signa's an obvious archetypal character. Shes' the dark emotionless assassin, not really anything more. Her geass pretty much defines her. She's kind of dull as her own character, but she's a part of something hopefully more interesting. Physically, she obviously suffers from albinism, mostly because I'd thought it'd be make her more standout since she has like no personality. Signa is a Scandinavian name meaning "victory". Norrell is based on the similar Scandinavian name Norell, meaning "from the north". I don't really remember why I changed it by a letter or if it was even intentional, but I kind of like it as it is

**Naida Fiametta: **ナイダ・フィアメッタ "Naida Fiametta"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 15

Japanese Voice: varies

English Voice: varies

Age: 35 (born July 5, 2003 a.t.b.)

Sex: female (though she can appear male)

Height: varies

Hair Color: varies

Eye Color: varies

Likes: conversation, pain medication, video games, being around friends, any variety of nut

Dislikes: silence meeting new people, headaches, pressure, dried fruits

Appearance: varies in accordance to her Geass. Her true form is seen by no one, no even herself.

Personality: chatty, inquisitive, friendly, unstable, twisted

Role: An agent working for a mysterious master.

Creator's Comments: Of the "mystery group" Naida is one of the more normal. That said she's very insecure and hard to predict. She can't abide by silence and has an addictive personality and pressure issues. This makes her kind of fun. Her geass is pretty cool. Her name is interesting. Naida is of Greek origin and means "water nymph". Her last name is Italian and means "little fiery one". Even her name is unstable.

**Katsumi Kozuki**: 紅月 勝美 (こうづき かつみ) "Kouzuki Katsumi"

Class: 3

First appearance: Chapter 16

Japanese Voice: Emiri Kato (Kagami in Lucky Star, Blair in Soul Eater, Sakuya in Candy Boy)

English Voice: Kira Vincent-Davis (Nyu in Elfen Lied, Elenore in Madlax, Osaka in Azumanga Daioh)

Age: 15 (born June 3, 2023 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'3"

Hair Color: red

Eye Color: violet

Likes: Katsue, her mother, exciting things, romantic things, ice cream

Dislikes: distant people, sitting still, overly starchy foods

Appearance: Like a young Kallen. Hair is about two shades darker. Eyes are a sort of violet color. Hair is worn in traditional Black Knight's Kallen fashion.

Personality: spirited, assertive, strong-willed, courageous, romantic.

Role: One of Kallen Kozuki's twin daughters.

Creator's Comments: daiki-kasho was the first person to suggest the idea of giving Kallen twins (though he ultimately wanted triplets, which I felt was a little much). When I brought this up in the forum Kallen thread, many of my readers voiced their favor of it. I decided to go with is very much like her mother. Her name means "victory beauty"

**Katsue Kozuki: **紅月 勝恵 (こうづき かつえ) "Kouzuki Katsue"

Class: 3

First appearance: Chapter 16

Japanese Voice: Emiri Kato (Kagami in Lucky Star, Disk in NEEDLESS, Mayoi in Bakemonogatari)

English Voice: Kira Vincent-Davis (Nyu in Elfen Lied, Elenore in Madlax, Osaka in Azumanga Daioh)

Age: 15 (born June 3, 2023 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'3"

Hair Color: red

Eye Color: violet

Likes: Katsumi, her mother, books, strategy games, ice cream

Dislikes: obnoxious people, strenuous activity, crisp vegetables

Appearance: Like a young Kallen. Hair is about two shades darker. Eyes are a sort of violet color. Hair is worn in traditional Ashford Academy Kallen fashion.

Personality: patient, observant, studious, bold, playful

Role: One of Kallen Kozuki's twin daughters.

Creator's Comments: Katsue and Katsumi are very cute. Kallen's adorable, really close but really different twin daughters. Katsue's kind of the strange one. She's not really like her mother so much. In case you were wondering it was also daiki-kasho's idea to give them matching names. Katsue means "victory kindness"

**Edouard Valentin: **エドゥアール・ヴァランタン "Eduaaru Varantan"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 16

Japanese Voice: Hiroshi Kamiya (Tieria in Gundam 00, Ishitoki in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Araragi in Bakemonogatari)

English Voice: Doug Erholtz (Ichimaru in Bleach, Shinji in Fate/Stay Night, Squall in Dissidia:Final Fantasy)

Age: 28 (born April 7, 2010 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 5'7"

Hair Color: blond

Eye Color: brown

Likes: battle, red, classical music, expensive clothing, pastry

Dislikes: tranquility, inelegance, stupidity, bitter drinks

Appearance: An effeminate man, long hair, fancy dress.

Personality: flamboyant, apathetic, violent, playful

Role: One of the Four Champions of the EU

Creator's Comments: He's a Frenchman. He's kind of Schneizel-esque, I suppose, though less intelligent and more bombastic. Of the Four Champions, he's the one without a conscious. His name is derived from the titular character of the Spoon song, "The Two Sides of of Monsieur Valentine," Eddie Valentine.

**Valeria Giullare: **ヴァレリア・ジュッラーレ "Vareria Jurraare"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 16

Japanese Voice: Chiwa Saito (Hitagi in Bakemonogatari, Louise in Gundam 00, Francesca in Strike Witches)

English Voice: Lara Jill Miller (Lulu in Blood+, Castile in Phantom Brave, Grune in Tales of Legendia)

Age: 22 (born Decemper 24, 2016 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'5"

Hair Color: hazel

Eye Color: black

Likes: quiet, peace, vivid colors, weapons, fresh bread

Dislikes: noise, animals, sweet foods

Appearance: an attractive girl, long dark brown hair with a gentle curl. slightly tanned skin, sad eyes, slightish figure.

Personality: placid, detached, dreamy.

Role: One of the Four Champions of the EU

Creator's Comments: Valeria's intended to be Italian. She's sort of Anya like, I suppose, a sort of strange, detached girl who sticks with herself. She's the least outspoken of the champions and will thus probably have the least lines, but she seems cute. Her name was derived from the title of the song by The National, "Val Jester", Giullare being the Italian word for jester according to an internet translator...

**Cesia Moreva: **セシア・モレア "Seshia Morea"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 16

Japanese Voice: Minami Takayam (Kati in Gundam 00, Irene in Claymore, Envy in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

English Voice: Cathy Wesluck (Kati in Gundam 00, Near in Death Note)

Age: 33 (born August 10, 2005 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'6"

Hair Color: brown-blonde

Eye Color: black

Likes: books, discipline, romance, order, fried foods.

Dislikes: rudeness, severe cold, bland foods

Appearance: a thin, woman with fairly short hair and glasses. Has a strict look about her.

Personality: humorless, aggressive, cold, warm-hearted

Role: One of the Four Champions of the EU. Formerly a in charge of training new recruits within the Black Knights.

Creator's Comments: Of the Four Champions, Cesia was probably the most thought up on the spot. She's a fairly standard character, I suppose. Her name is of Russian origin. Cesia is the Russian variant of the name Celeste, meaning heavenly or divine. Moreva was a Russian surname chosen at about random from a list because it wasn't too long. Her name dosen't really come form anywhere.

**Elischa Mayer: **エリシャ・マイヤー "Erisha Maiyaa"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 16

Japanese Voice: Tetsu Inada (Sajin Komamura in Bleach, A-Ou in Kiddy Grade, Love in Bleach)

English Voice: Richard Epcar (Batou in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Zangetsu in Bleach, Kagami's dad in Lucky Star)

Age: 36 (born May 5, 2002 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 6'8"

Hair Color: black

Eye Color: brown

Likes: justice, family, protien-rich foods, beer

Dislikes: evil, needles displays of strength, Nemesio, most fruits.

Appearance: a very large, muscular man with short hair and an honest expression

Personality: morally upright, compassionate, temperamental.

Role: One of the Four Champions of the EU.

Creator's Comments: Elicsha Mayer is essentially a Jewish-German name, which I suppose is interesting. He is another fairly stock character, but he serves his purpose I think. I decided on the name Elischa due partly to the song, "Eli, the Barrow Boy" by The Decemberists.

**Emily Kane: **エミリー・ケイン "Emirii Kein"

Class: 1

First appearance: Chapter 18

Age: 24

Sex: female

Appearance: an ordinary girl with long black hair.

Role: A volunteer working for Absolution in New Pendragon

Creator's comments: A minor character I came up with just to give a new perspective to things as I showed Astrid was alive. Her name comes from the song "Emily Kane" by Art Brut.

**James Erland: **ジェームス・アーランド "Jeemusu Aarando"

Class: 1

First appearance: Chapter 18

Age: 26

Sex: female

Appearance: a tall fairly muscular blond man.

Role: A volunteer working for Absolution in New Pendragon

Creator's comments: Pretty much just exists to give Emily someone to talk to. No meaning to the name.

**Ashlynn Alvara**: アシュリン・アルヴァラ "Ashurin Aruvara"

Class: 1 (see Megami Subarashii for further details)

First appearance: Chapter 19

Age: 20

Sex: female

Appearance: She's younger than she is at present and it shows; her hair is cut shorter and cuter and she dresses in simpler clothes. Still looks much the same beyond that.

Role: Megami Subarashii six years ago while she was under the care of Deifilia Amarantha

Creator's comments: Megami in the past. Not really her own character. I guess Megami was a little quieter and less confident then. The darkness of her past was closer to her and she hadn't found a Chiharu yet. The name Deifilia gave to her, Ashlynn means "dream". Her assumed surname, Alvara, means either "elf warrior" or "universal protector" depending on whether you look at the Old English or German roots.

**Lazarus Cain**: ラザルス・カイン "Razarusu Kain"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 19

Japanese Voice: Rikiya Koyama (Starrk in Bleach, Kuze in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd Gig, Kiritsugu in Fate/Stay Night)

English Voice: Steve Kramer (Kyoraku in Bleach, Shamisen in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Barragan in Bleach)

Age: 30 (born October 23, 2008 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 6'1"

Hair Color: black

Eye Color: light blue

Likes: Little Girls, God, Ultra-Violence, the Banjo and Bacon.

Dislikes: Sinners, Girls who aren't little, Most of his group, And anything sweet.

Appearance: He wears the traditional clothes of a Catholic Priest. He has greasy black hair, slicked back into a side parting and wears small rectangular glasses. He always carries a bible with him,

Personality: insane, ruthless, judgmental, adamant, violent.

Role: A Geass user serving Deifilia Amarantha; a former priest.

Creator's Comments: Lazarus Cain is a member of the yet un-named group of Geass users, who's ability is to induce hallucinations of his choosing. He was defrocked from the Catholic Church after some claims of abuse were made against him, but he still preaches in his own way. Cold, calculating and ruthless, he is a formidable opponent. Also insane. - Daiki_Kasho

**Philip Malden Xander**: フィリップ・マルデン・ザンダー "Firippu Maruden Zandaa"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 19

Japanese Voice: Minoru Shiraishi (himself in Lucky Star, Taniguchi in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Mi Nouruse in Kiddy Girl-and)

English Voice: Samuel Vincent (Lotton in Black Lagoon, Sidoh in Death Note, Long in Gundam 00)

Age: 28 (born March 20, 2010 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 5'10"

Hair Color: dark brown

Eye Color: green

Likes: Unicorns, his power, Deifilia, mints

Dislikes: Unicorns, pudding.

Appearance: average height man with dark brown hair, with heavy sideburns. Wears large, thick glasses and dresses in normal street clothes; typically a plaid shirt and blue jeans.

Role: A Geass user serving Deifilia Amarantha. A madman with a connection to Signa.

Personality: insane, random, bombastic.

Creator's comments: Philip is based on my "Phil the Time Wizard" concept, featured most prominently in my story "A Radiance to Dispel the Dark of Night" but first mentioned in the fifth chapter disclaimer for "To Mend a Wounded Heart". It's kind of hard to explain this character beyond that. Philip means "horse lover" in a wonderful twist of irony... Malden means "strong warrior's valley"... yes, he needed a badass middle name. The surname Xander is derived from Alexander meaning, "man's defender" or "warrior".

**Deifilia Amarantha**: デイフィリア・アマランサ "Deifiria Amaransa"

Class: 4

First appearance: Chapter 19

Japanese Voice: Rie Tanaka (Nix in Queen's Blade, Qi in CANAAN, Minna in Strike Witches)

English Voice: Bridget Hoffman (Ryoko in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Nia (adult) in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Yukari in Lucky Star)

Age: ? (born August 22)

Sex: female

Height: 5'10"

Hair Color: light blonde

Eye Color: soft green

Likes: beauty, women, sex, comedy, music, children, strawberries.

Dislikes: the world as it is, tragic stories, ugly things, meat of any kind.

Appearance: An intensely glamorous woman who appears to be in her late twenties or early thirties. She has long, slowing light blonde hair down to her back and a fairly dark tan. Quite full figured and well curved. Usually has a pleasant expression.

Personality: relaxed, intense, sadistic, manipulative, driven, nurturing.

Role: A Geass user of which little is known. Has a devious plan in motion for the world.

Creator's Comments: The story's primary antagonist. She has a pleasant and sometimes cheery attitude, but it belies her true, rather sadistic nature. It's not all a lie. She is honestly a well humored person who enjoys the company of others. Just what is she planning? Youll have to wait and see. Forgot this initially: Deifilia means "God's daughter" Amarantha is a flower name.

**Adelaide mi Britannia**: アデレード・ミ・ブリタニア Adereedo mi Buritania

Class: 1

First appearance: Chapter 20

Age: 21

Sex: female

Appearance: very pretty girl with long blonde hair, big blue eyes and generally a simple expression

Role: The second princess of Britannia. Jackie's older sister.

Creator's comments: Jackie's sister. Arienette's a snotty noble type. Jackie is a heartless snake. Adelaide on the other hand is just dumb. Really not much to say about her beyond that. Adelaide means "noble kind" The name was partly chosen based on its pet form, Ada, the name of a song by Indie Rock group The National.

**Everett Coleridge**: エヴァレット・コールリッジ Evaretto Koururijji

Class: 1

First appearance: Chapter 20

Age: 30

Sex: male

Appearance: a tall, muscular man with short, cropped hair and a muscular jaw.

Role: Adelaide's knight and husband.

Creator's comments: Adelaide's husband isn't much brighter than her. he's a very simple man. Physically strong, he's not a bad knight, just not the smartest. Everett means "brave, strong boar". Coleridge was a name I just picked from my stock surname list.

**Hector Cosgrove**: ヘクター・コスグローヴ. Hekutaa Kosugurouvu

Class: 1

First appearance: Chapter 20

Age: 52

Sex: male

Appearance: a large, well-built man with long, blonde-brown hair and beard. He's tan and a stern expression.

Role: Arienette's knight and husband. Jackie's father. A very accomplished and decorated knight.

Creator's comments: Hector isn't a very major character, but I think he's kind of cool. Unlike most of Jackie's family, he doesn't have so many negatives against him (just that he went after a girl fifteen years younger than him, and that's not really that bad, is it?). Hector means "Steadfast". Cosgrove means "victorious champion".

**Aeolus mi Britannia**: イオーラス・ミ・ブリタニア Iourasu mi Buritania

Class: 1

First appearance: Chapter 20

Age: 18

Sex: male

Appearance: a thin, handsome young man. Has mid length brown hair and glasses.

Role: Jackie's younger brother. First Prince of Britannia.

Creator's comments: Aeolus is a typical Britannia prince, sort of like a young Clovis. He has a definite ego to him, but is far below someone like Richer in terms of pure intelligence. Aeolus means "variable or changeable". It's also a Greek god name, suitably for an egotistical prince.

**Lucrecia Harrison**: ルクレシア・ハリスン "Rukureshia Harison"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 24 (shown shadowed in 19)

Japanese Voice: Kimiko Koyama (Komoe in To Aru Majutsu no Index, Fuuka in Negima)

English Voice: Alison Viktorin (Viola in Kiddy Grade, Amy in Burst Angel, Fuuka and Fumi in Negima)

Age: 12 (born July 7 , 2026 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 4'8"

Hair Color: silver

Eye Color: dark green

Likes - Her mistress, cute panties, sweets

Dislikes - People who try and take her away from her mistress, people seeing her panties, avocado.

Appearance: Here is the condensed initial description daiki-kasho gave me when drawing her up: "Konata [Izumi of Lucky Star]'s body type. Silver hair, staight until her knees, then flows out. Thigh-high black boots with full lace-up sides. Miniskirt, black with white trim. Sleeveless top, but with black gloves past the elbow. High necked collar, with white trim. a neck collar on top of this, with a ring on the front. About the diameter of a tennis ball. Several chains hanging off her clothes, but very fine ones, akin to wallet chains. Face usually lacks emotion, akin to Yuki [Nagato of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]." Just a little more descriptive then I usually get...

Personality: "tsundere", aggressive, affectionate, temperamental, shy, clumsy.

Role: A child Geass user fiercely loyal to Deifilia Amarantha.

Creator's Notes - Gothic-Lolita Tsundere Loli Masochist Lesbian. Need I say more? - Daiki-Kasho.

**Eldridge Delaney**: エルドリッジ・デラニー "Erudorijji Deranii"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 24

Japanese Voice: Masaaki Tsukada (Yamamoto in Bleach, the chief in Black Lagoon)

English Voice: William Frederick Knight (Aramaki in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Old man in Paranoia Agent)

Age: 68 (born January 5, 1970 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 5'9"

Hair Color: white

Eye Color: green

Likes: the occult, his visions, children, organ meats.

Dislikes: having to exert himself, loud things, bananas.

Appearance: A thin but not frail, older man with long white hair and a short, rough white beard. Typically dressed in a simple robe.

Personality: wise, quiet, observant, committed.

Role: "The Sage". An elderly Geass user instrumental to Defillia's plan.

Creator's Comments: The Sage is a key part of Defillia's group and plan, but as a character he's not a real standout among them. Though that's mostly because he's the typical wise old man between extreme, bombastic and noticeable characters like Lucrecia, Lazarus, Naida, Signa and Philip. Suitably, the name Eldridge means "sage ruler". Delaney means "dark challenger, offspring of the challenger, or from the elder tree grove".

**Lilia Weinberg: **リリア・ヴァインベルグ "Riria Vainberugu":

Class: 1

First appearance: Chapter 24

Age: 39

Sex: female

Appearance: a pretty woman. Looks rather like Astrid, only older. Long blonde hair, pale, fine features.

Role: Astrid's mother; Gino's wife.

Creator's comments: I wasn't sure whether to ever show Astrid's mother. In chapter 4, I decided her reaction would make the best for the chapter 24 cliffhanger, so I did. Lilia seems like a pleasant woman. She's agreeable, if ordinary. Though, unfortunately for Gino, she's no Kallen. Lilia is a derivative of the name Lily, a flower name.

**Gudrun: **グズルーン "Guzuruun"

Class: 1 (See the entry, "D.D." for more details)

First appearance: "Image of a Valkyrie"

Age: 26 at "death"

Sex: female

Appearance: She wasn't as well kept back then. Had less color to her, kept her hair shorter, wore a sadder expression.

Role: D.D. before her Code became active. A simple prostitute in a small Scandinavian village.

Creator's comments: D.D. is a wonderful character. Writing her as Gudrun just added even more depth. She has a rather dark past, really, I wanted to focus on that.

**Barthram the Mad: **狂気のバルトラム (きょうきのバルトラム)

"Kyouki no Barutoramu"

Class: 1

First appearance: "Image of a Valkyrie"

Age: 38 at death

Sex: male

Appearance: A suave and handsome man. long brown hair, trimmed beard, distiguinshed features. Dressed in expensive, high quality armor with no helmet. Wears his prized sword on him at all time.

Role: A Viking prince considered insane by the world. Gudrun's lover.

Creator's comments: Barthram was invented as a device for Gudrun/D.D.. He was the one guy who understood her somewhat warped manner of thought. He's there to show that at one point D.D. had love and happiness, even if it didn't last.

**Eilith vol Britannia (Ellie Grey): **エイリス・ヴォル・ブリタニア "Eirisu Voru Buritania" (エリー・グレイ "Erii Gurei")

Class: 3

First appearance: Chapter 25

Japanese Voice: Eri Kitamura (Alleyne in Queen's Blade, Saya in Blood+, Eve in NEEDLESS).

English Voice: Philece Sampler (Barnette in Vandread, Hiyori in Lucky Star, Misao in Rurouni Kenshin)

Age: 20 (born February 4, 2019 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'8"

Hair Color: auburn

Eye Color: blue-gray

Likes: justice, strength, relaxing, rock music, casual foods

Dislikes: weakness, crime, kids, luxurious meals

Appearance: A beautiful young woman. Her auburn hair is fairly short and frames her face. Has a full, curved figure and an above average musculature.

Personality: straight-forward, honest, reserve, amiable, laid-back.

Role: A "lost" princess of Britannia. Callista's daughter by Charles. Ava and Jackie's aunt. Existence was masked and she was sent into hiding during the start of Nunnally's rule.

Creator's Comments: Eilith will probably be the last super significant character to be introduced. She's key now that she's here. She's fairly ordinary in terms of character, but as a princess, that's what makes her unique. I think she's likable. She'll have a fun arc. Eilith is a variant of the more common name Ailth, meaning "seasoned warrior". I chose Eilith over Elith, because with Ava, Astrid, Amelia, Arienette, Adelaide and Ashlynn, I thought I had enough female names that started with "A".

**Alfred Selwyn**: アルフレッド・セルウィン "Arufureddo Seruwin"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 25

Japanese Voice: Chikao Otsuka (Schenberg in Gundam 00, Gregor in Valkyria Chronicles, Arthur in Hellsing)

English Voice: Terrence Stone (Mayuri in Bleach, Tenebrae in Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, Mohs in Tales of the Abyss)

Age: 43 (born March 15, 1995 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 5'7"

Hair Color: white

Eye Color: blue

Likes: Deifilia, his practice, human anatomy, beautiful women, shrimp.

Dislikes: his frail body, Britannia, failure, death, sour things.

Appearance: Very frail and decrepit looking man. His body is warped and crippled. A large eyepatch covers the right side of his face. Walks with a limp, supported by a heavy cane.

Personality: humored, observant, helpful, twisted, creepy.

Role: A Britannian expatriate in the EU. A doctor specializing in alternative studies involving the human brain and nerves, but with a wide array of knowledge. Is loyal to Deifilia Amarantha.

Creator's Comments: Alfred is an interesting supporting character. He's the creepy old doctor type (though he's not that old). He plays a important role in Defillia's group and can be linked to a few other characters. Alfred means "elf or magical counsel".

**Bernard Farris: **バーナード・ファリス "Baanaado Farisu"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 24

Japanese Voice: Tomokazu Sugita (Kensei in Bleach, Kyon in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Noba in Bleach)

English Voice: Kyle Hebert (Fallman in Fullmetal Alchemist, Ganju in Bleach, Kamina in Guren Lagann)

Age: 23 (born August 7, 2015 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 6'4"

Hair Color: black

Eye Color: brown

Likes: just retribution, working out, bonds of friendship, protein rich foods

Dislikes: Regina Granville, confrontational/violent people, "weird" foods.

Appearance: a young man with a large, muscular build. medium dark skin tone, strong eyes. Hair is very short.

Personality: righteous, strict, faithful.

Role: A former agent of Absolution with a strong sense of justice. Saved by Deifilia and made into one of her brainwashed super soldiers.

Creator's Comments: Bernard and Lyall are obviously counterpoints of each other. Bernard is a very serious guy. He's also quite good natured which makes it difficult seeing him in Deifilia's grasp. Bernard means "strong, brave bear". Farris means "iron-strong". I guess you could say I wanted his name to reinforce his strength...

**Lyall Gavin: **ライアル・ギャヴィン "Raiaru Gyavin"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 23

Japanese Voice: Nobutoshi Canna (Lancer in Fate/Stay Night, Nnoitra in Bleach, Maxi in Soul Calibur)

English Voice: Grant George (Gilgamesh in Fate/Stay Night, Kira in Bleach, Mid-Boss in Disgaea: Hour of Darkness)

Age: 21 (born November 5, 2017 a.t.b.)

Sex: male

Height: 5'8"

Hair Color: red

Eye Color: black

Likes: conflict, girls, winning, hurting others, exotic foods.

Dislikes: Marcella Belita, Bernard Farris, people who tell him what to do, people who ignore him, "boring" foods

Appearance: A thin, young man. Wiry, athletic body. Mid-length hair. Intense, beast like eyes.

Personality: confrontational, violent, self-absorbed, direct, bold.

Role: A former agent of Absolution who joined just to anger his noble parents. Saved by Deifilia and made into one of her brainwashed super soldiers.

Creator's Comments: Rowena's male counterpart, maybe? He sort of comes of as a combination of her and Ulric. There was no real way to tell you then, but Lyall is the prisoner in Turn 23 who harasses Yasuko toward the end of her final scene. Lyall is an old Norse name meaning "wolf" but is typically a surname. Gavin of Scottish and Welsh origin and means "white falcon" and works as a surname or given name. "Gavin Lyall" might have made more sense as an actual name, but it didn't sound as cool to me.

**Marcella Belita: **マルチェッラ・ベリータ "Marucherra Beriita"

Class: 1 (See the entry, "Yasuko Tohdoh" for more details)

First appearance: chapter 24

Age: 17

Sex: female

Appearance: She hasn't changed much. Her hair has been cut to about half it's original length after some of it was burnt off. Much of her left arm has been replaced by machinery. She wears a visor across her eyes.

Role: Yasuko Tohdoh, saved from sure death by Deifilia and remade as a brainwashed super soldier.

Creator's comments: There was a point when I was actually going to kill Yasuko. I decided to create Marcella in the end instead, because Yasuko is so intertwined with many of the prominent characters and I didn't want her arc to just end like that. Marcella is a Latin name meaning "dedicated to Mars". Yep, Deifilia has our "peaceful child" now dedicated to the Roman God of war. Belita is just Deifilia fawning over the girl though; it means "little beauty".

**Glen Esmay: **グレン・エスメ "Guren Esume:

Class: 1 (See the entry, "Amelia Gottwald" for more details)

First appearance: chapter 28

Age: 16 (pretending to be 19)

Sex: female (pretending to be male)

Appearance: Still short. Mask has boyish features, is worn with a blonde, mid length, curly wig and blue contacts.

Role: Amelia Gottwald disguised as a male servant working for the Enneagram family.

Creator's comments: So yes, I wanted to do something different, something fun for the second half with Amelia. I remembered in R2 the episode where Sayoko disguises herself as Lelouch, and I was like, yeah, I could like completely disguise her. Though she's short, small and girlish, I decided it would be fun to have her dress as a guy. Esmay is a surname that is derived from the same root word as "Amy". So yeah, it really is an inversion of her previous alias.

**Sophia Godwin: **ソフィア・ゴドウィン "Sofia Godowin"

Class: 1 (See the entry, "Sayoko Shinozaki" for more details)

First appearance: chapter 29

Age: 45 (pretending to be 24)

Sex: female

Appearance: Sayoko has made herself look like a young Britannian woman. Blonde wig, one of those fancy masks over her face etc. She's ket in good shape over the years, so the illusion is effective.

Role: Sayoko Gottwald disguised as a servant working for Lloyd Asplund.

Creator's comments: Sayoko, like her daughter gets a disguise. Hers isn't so extreme, but Sophia does play a nice role. Working for Lloyd places her in a convenient place. It also lets me used Lloyd and Rayner more, which is great. With the name, I was trying to give something that suggested Sayoko Gottwald; I thought "Sophia Godwin" worked.

**Alain Renard: **アラン・ルナール "Aran Runaaru"

Class: 1 (See the entry, "Richter Novak" for more details)

First appearance: chapter 30

Age: 18

Sex: male

Appearance: [Unlike me who does everything half-assed, MissUzumakiHinata really likes in depth descriptions... here's what she gave me]:

Hair: Kind of similar to Lelouch's, it is turned blonde temporarily by non-permanent hair dye

Eyes: Green Coloured Contacts

Lower Face: Bandana which covers his mouth and nose (Coloured Black and accented with a deep dark red)

Torso: Wears a long black coat which reaches down to near his feet, it has a zip (technically down the centre but he usually leaves it completely zipped, otherwise he uses the buckles which are only on the torso part of his body and leaves the bottom half of the coat open exposing his trousers and making it like kind of like a cape) the Buckles are deep red and so is the zip area down the centre of the coat the bottom of his coat also is accented red at the end basically the outline of the coat has a border of red on it. The coat possesses long tight sleeves which gradually get more loose as the sleeves go past the elbows, the end of the sleeves have an intricate red pattern which goes all around the edge of the sleeve basically the pattern goes to the underside of the sleeve as well.

On this coat at the bottom on each side of the zipped centre there is a streak of red that travels up the coat to the collar, these streaks are start from the far edge of the coat, and when it gets to the waist they are only centimetres from the zip there are only two on the front which basically create a pattern where the red streaks have a buckles which connects the streaks together.

The shoulders are red

Legs: They are simple trousers, kind of tight and pitch black with a red steak running down both inner thigh's of the trousers and also on the outer part of the leg.

Feet: Normal Black Boots

Hands: Black gloves.

Role: Richter Novak in disguise, acting as an EU field commander in a favor for Deifilia Amarantha.

Creator's comments: [These are MissUzumakiHinata's comments on the outfit (again, not very brief); the other thing she came up with was the name, which is a French name; Alain meaning "handsome" and Renard meaning "cunning like a fox". We figured the somewhat vain side to Richter's character made such an alias appropriate]:

Why I chose his outfit like this: Well though I like masks I thought Richter should have something different than Lelouch's, he doesn't have a cape but compensates with a long coat which, if he buckles the torso and doesn't zip the coat makes it kind of like a cape, I also picked a Bandana since he has a distinctive face. The coloured contacts: I picked green to represent his envy, also green eyes are sexy and if you also change his eye colour hardly anyone will know its him.

I changed his hair colour and style for a reason, and that was to make him look better with the outfit, also if you consider it, who would guess that it was Richter after seeing what I have wrote about the outfit, the hair dye isn't permanent so he doesn't have to stay like that, and I thought Lelouch's hair was Sexy so I went with that. His old hairstyle also seemed like what a businessman would have and though that's not particularly bad for war but I like the sound of him looking and acting different whilst in his disguise.

**Vivia Clarimond: **ヴィヴィア・クラリモン "Vivia Kurarimon"

Class: 1

First appearance: "The Last Days of Innocence"

Age: 27 (six years prior to the story)

Sex: female

Appearance: She has mid-length spiked out black hair, brown eyes, a curved figure and is rather beautiful. Medium height. Pale skin. Wears a relaxed, inviting expression.

Role: A one time member of Deifilia's group whom Megami admired.

Creator's comments: Vivia's fun. I kind of see her as a sort of cross of Ava and Chiharu, who ended up being two of Megami's most important people. She of course has her own unique, defining characteristics as well though. As a character who will only show up in past extras, I wanted to make her likable. I think she's cute.

**Elenie Pallas: **エレニー・パラス "Erenii Parasu"

Class: 2

First appearance: Chapter 32

Japanese Voice: Kana Ueda (Rachel in BlazBlue, Rin in Fate/Stay Night, Kinon in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)

English Voice: Mela Lee (Rachel in BlazBlue, Rin in Fate/Stay Night, Hiyori in Bleach)

Age: 31 (born February 28, 1987 a.t.b.)

Sex: female

Height: 5'7"

Hair Color: black

Eye Color: brown

Likes: Greek Mythology, art, knightmare frames, Deifilia Amarantha, candies

Dislikes: uncultured people, starchy foods

Appearance: a pretty woman, with a nice body, tan skin, mid-length hair. Wears thick glasses when working.

Personality: creative, enthusiastic, eager, loyal, romantic

Role: A knightmare frame developer of incredible skill. Loyal to Deifilia.

Creator's Comments: Elenie was created to serve a purpose. She was to be the face behind Deifilia's knightmares. I tried to make her somewhat interesting in the process. Rakshata's knightmares are her children, but Elenie sees hers as works of art. Suitable given their classical names. her own name is Greek. Elenie is a modern Greek variant of the name Helen. Pallas of course is linked with Pallas Athena.

**Lenna Leander: **レナ・レアンダー "Rena Reandaa"

Class: 1

First appearance: Turn 37

Age: 18 (deceased)

Sex: female

Appearance: cute in a simple sort of way. Brunette with a bob cut. Deep hazel eyes. Glasses. Medium sized breasts

Role: One of the initial Grail unit members.

Creator's comments: A member of a random group of late game characters introduced on a whim. She's the one that dies first, even though she's a young girl and even though shes' the first I characterize. Their names aren't particularly significant. I think I went for a strong name for her.

**Vesta Arnette: **ヴェスタ・アーネット

Class: 1

First appearance: Turn 37

Age: 25

Sex: female

Appearance: long blonde ponytail, permanent scowl, cold eyes and a generally rough look about her. Fairly tall. Above average breasts.

Role: One of the initial Grail unit members.

Creator's comments: A very soldierly woman. Abrasive. Makes her kind of interesting as one note static characters go. Again, don't remember where the name came from, but I like it.

**Llewellyn Mara: **ルウェリン・マーラ "Ruwerin Maara"

Class: 1

First appearance: Turn 37

Age: 19

Sex: male

Appearance: short brown hair, kind expression. medium build.

Role: One of the initial Grail unit members.

Creator's comments: A fairly average guy. Not much to say about him. He's the kind of character you'd expect me to kill right away. Don't remember where his name came from either.

**Lin Yumin: **林 裕民 (リン ユーミン) "Rin Yuumin"

Class: 1

First appearance: Turn 37

Age: 42 (deceased)

Sex: male

Appearance: a strong looking man; rough around the edges. fairly short hair with short beard. Sharp eyes.

Role: A member of a Chinese Federation resistance group who aids the Kozuki twins

Creator's comments: A bit part player, designed to serve a purpose. His name was chosen from a list of Chinese names Rabukurafuto sent me many months ago.

**Gao Ying: **高 英 (ガオ イン) "Gao In"

Class: 1

First appearance: Turn 37

Age: 29 (deceased)

Sex: female

Appearance:lose black ponytail, scowl on her face. Intense eyes. Athletic but curved figure.

Role: A member of a Chinese Federation resistance group who aids the Kozuki twins

Creator's comments: A brusque woman gun fighter. In my head when I wrote her I pictured Revy from Black Lagoon, even though she's a simple bit player. Her name was chosen the same way as her partner's.

**Sophia Moore: **ソフィア・ムーア "Sofia Muua"

Class: 1

First appearance: Turn 37

Age: 41 (at death 6 years prior to the events of thestory)

Sex: female

Appearance: (based on her appearance in Turn 37, in her early 20's rather than at her death) Looks much like Cynthia, but with much brighter longer blonde hair. A full figure, soft smile. Blue eyes.

Role: Niles' wife. Cynthia's mother. Commit suicide to escape from the atrocities she saw her husband commit for her sake.

Creator's comments: in her appearance in the Lazarus vision, she's presented as an ideal beauty. I likely won't show her elsewhere, but she is also a very good person. Pure.

**F.F.: **F.F. (エフ・ツー) Efu Tsuu

Class: 2

First appearance: Turn 45

Japanese Voice: Minako Kotobuki (Tsumugi in K-On!, Sen in Hyakka Ryouran: Samurai Girls, Yako in Chu-Bra!)

English Voice: Nancy Novotny (Madlax in Madlax, Yomi in Azumanga Daioh, Yuka in Elfen Lief)

Age: hundreds; exact age unknown

Sex: female

Height: 5'11"

Hair Color: black

Eye Color: green

Likes: people, peace, long conversations, sweet foods

Dislikes: cruelty, nobility, war, bitter foods

Appearance: tall, very attractive woman; large breasts and curvy figure, long hair.

Personality: idealist, giving, philosophical, loving, naive.

Role: An immortal who made a contract with Deifilia Amarantha and fell in love with her.

Creator's Comments: She was intended to be similar to Ava in a way, and completely different from D.D. I wanted her to be intriguing in her solitary appearance.

**Siro Malas: **シーロ・マラス "Shiiro Marasu"

Class: 1

First appearance: Turn 45

Age: 36 (at death)

Sex: male

Appearance: a tall, handsome, suave looking man. Tan, with dark hair and mustache.

Role: A mayor who once kept F.F. hostage. Killed by Deifilia.

Creator's comments: Nothing really to say here. Nothing really stayed with me.

**Canon Character updates:**

This section will be used to keep track of canon characters from Code Geass as they are in the current frame of this story. With appearances, I'm mostly gonna leave it up to you to imagine how they would now look. This is mostly to keep track of their current role in the scheme of things.

**Kaname Ohgi:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 47

Role in CG:AotCT: Was President of the United States of Japan from 2024-2032. Now serves as a consultant and advisor to the current President, Kaguya Sumeragi. is Villetta's husband and Chiharu's father.

Comments: Ohgi obviously has a future in politics. The ending shows him donning a suit and becoming someone important in Japan. Him becoming President seems absolutely rational to me. I wanted Kaguya to be the current president though, so I put Ohgi's reign in the past. His daughters a big character so he gets some time, but he's not a major component to the story.

**Kaguya Sumeragi:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 35

Role in CG:AotCT: Current President of The United States of Japan for two years at the start of the story.

Comments: I really love Kaguya. I wanted to give her an important job. President of Japan seemed perfect. It's hard picturing a mature Kaguya, but it's kind of fun. She'd be rather hot at 35. I picture her as being something of a tease. She's unmarried but that doesn't mean Kaguya's life is without love... Kaguya will have a mid-sized role in the story.

**Milly Ashford:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 39

Role in CG:AotCT: The most popular and beloved news anchor in Britannia. Nina's wife. Miya's mother.

Comments: Milly has always been among my favorite Geass girls. I think I already explained the her and Nina things sufficiently in the Miya section. For her personally, the profession she jumps into is one that makes it easy to include her. it's easy to use news media to prompt events. As such, Milly has a decent role in this story.

**Nunnally vi Britannia:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 35

Role in CG:AotCT: The 100th Imperial Ruler of Britannia. Ava's aunt.

Comments: The ending of R2 hints that Nunnally has become important. When I watched the scene, I immediately thought it was indicating she was the new Empress. I know it doesn't say anything explicitly, but I still went with that notion because I like it. Imagining adult Nunnally, she's really pretty. Nunnally's role won't be too significant in much of the story.

**Gino Weinberg:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 37

Role in CG:AotCT: The knight of One. Astrid's father.

Comments: Gino's the best Round left standing. As I really wanted to have my own set of Rounds, that meant he inherited the top spot. It's a good position for him, really. Being Astrid's father automatically insures his importance. His wife, isn't anyone important. She may get named and introduced later, but then again maybe not. I know the way things were going in R2 there was a lot of hinting between him and Kallen. In this story, she turned down his proposal, mostly because he doesn't deserve her in my opinion (that kinda makes Kallen seem a little mean though).

**Cornelia li Britannia:**

Character class: 1

Age in CG:AotCT: Would be 48, legally declared deceased at 42

Role in CG:AotCT: Ava's mother. Princess of Britannia

Comments: I hate myself. Cornelia's probably my second favorite Geass girl. Cornelia needed to be Ava's mother (Schneizel would have made no sense on multiple grounds, Nunnally wouldn't be believable and if she were some OCs kid, she'd be harder to connect with). For the story to work, Ava needed some angst. Cornelia could have provided too many of the answers for her if she were around anyway. As such, Cornelia had to be removed from the is integral to the story, but obviously won't have much screen-time.

**Suzaku Kururugi:**

Character class: 1

Age in CG:AotCT: 38

Role in CG:AotCT: the true face of Zero. Unmasked by Ava.

Comments: The end of Code Geass makes me feel a little sorry for Suzaku, odd considering I don't like him. My story has him after twenty years of living only as Zero, suddenly having his face shown to the world. That could prove an interesting story in itself, but honestly Suzaku won't play much of a role.

**Schneizel el Britannia:**

Character class: 1

Age in CG:AotCT: 48

Role in CG:AotCT: Ava's uncle. First prince and Prime Minister of Britannia.

Comments: Schneizel is a strange character to work with. Forced into a life of total subservience, something tells me he was actually grateful for Ava's Geass allowing him to finally break through. He will have a small role in this story.

**Nonette Enneagram:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 48+ (whatever her age in CG:R2, known to be greater than Cornelia is + 20)

Role in CG:AotCT: Knight of Three. Margaret's mother.

Comments: A non speaking character apparently having a major role in some Geass video game, she is one of the only established Rounds we do not see being killed off. Apparently she has connections to Cornelia, which of course gives her connections to Ava. She's Margaret's mother, which makes her somewhat important automatically (not that Margaret is _that_ important a character). She's apparently upbeat and cheerful, but Cornelia fears her; I'll try to work with that. her name is very much related to her old number in the Rounds, nine, but having seniority she couldn't keep that spot. Three is the square root of nine though...

**Kyoshiro Tohdoh:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 58

Role in CG:AotCT: Father of Hiromi and Yasuko. The top Japanese General.

Comments: I can just see Tohdoh in his late fifties, having brought up his own family with Nagisa. he seems like he'd be a strict father... well at least with Hiromi... maybe not Yasuko. he's a big important general and the father of some big characters so it goes without saying he'll have a decent role.

**Claudio Darlton:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 39-45ish, I'd estimate (again don't know the original age)

Role in CG:AotCT: Knight of Five. Family friend to Ava.

Comments: In case you have no clue who this guy is, he is the one of those five random character-less pretty boy characters (The Glaston Knights) introduced in the first season finale who didn't die. They were the adopted children of Andreas Darlton (guy with the scar who served Cornelia and died in the first season) and fought under Guilford. There are definite family connections between this guy and Ava, so when I decided to I wanted him to be a Rounds, I saw him immediately throwing his support behind Ava. His brothers were all killed by the Black Knights, so I imagine there's still a little resentment there.

**Tianzi:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 33

Role in CG:AotCT: Empress of the Chinese Federation. Kaguya's dearest, closest friend.

Comments: It was actually kind of difficult to imagine a grown up Tianzi. When I imagined, I found she was really pretty. She's become a lot more confident and mature with age. Her and Kaguya have a very cute relationship; I'll let you take what you want from their closeness. Tianzi's real name is apparently Jiang Lihua. I have Kaguya calling her by it even though no one ever does as far as I can remember. Xingke is obviously dead by the way, no way I can see him surviving that long. Tianzi's important in this story, I guess.

**Nagisa Chiba (now Nagisa Tohdoh):**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 50

Role in CG:AotCT: Yasuko and Hiromi and Katsuo's mother. Tohdoh's wife. General in the Japanese army.

Comments: It's actually a little more difficult to imagine Nagisa twenty years older as a mother than it is Tohdoh as a father. She also seems like she'd be a strict parent. Makes me think Hiromi and Yasuko would end up more like Devlin then their actual characters, but I guess maybe not. Nagisa will have a fair role.

**Nina Einstein:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 38

Role in CG:AotCT: Miya's adopted mother. Milly's wife. A University professor and renowned scientific expert.

Comments: I love Nina. And not just because she provides the shows only canon yuri context with her overtly sexual feelings for Euphemia. She has a fascinating character arc, that shows a real level of growth. As she matures in the show, she also becomes hotter. I see this continuing. I can just see her as the popular thirty-something college professor. Despite my like of her, she won't be an incredibly big part of this story.

**Villetta Nu:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 47

Role in CG:AotCT: Chiharu's mother. Ohgi's wife. A former Britannian ambassador to Japan

Comments: With the name thing, yes they are married. Villetta Ohgi just sounds really strange to me, and having her just permanently change her name to Chigusa seemed somewhat unreasonable. So I just have her keeping her old surname for the most part. Some women do that. Aside from that, not much to say about Villetta 20 years older. She's past the point where I can say in confidence how age has made her hotter. She's Chiharu's mother, which means she'll have a part to play, but overall she's not as big a player as her husband.

**C.C.:**

Character class: 1

Age in CG:AotCT: whatever you want to say it is in R2 + 20.

Role in CG:AotCT: The simple house wife to a hermit living in the Chinese Federation.

Comments: I so wanted to give her a name. Just so you know, she's using her actual name at this point. But as I didn't have an official name, and I lacked the courage to assign her one, I ended up including her less than I intended to. I would have liked to shown more development than that she had learned how to make her own pizza (though that is an important development for her). Anyway, she'll unfortunately have almost no role in this story; sorry to disappoint.

**Lelouch vi Britannia (now known as L.L.):**

Character class: 1

Age in CG:AotCT: 38; still 18 by appearance

Role in CG:AotCT: A hermit and immortal warlock living in the Chinese Federation.

Comments: I think I already explained myself in the author's note at the end of Turn 8. L.L. was obviously chosen because they're his actual initials (when using the name Lamperouge) almost went with R.R. though (because it would be R2). He won't be having much of any role in this story.

**Zhou Xianglin:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: I have no clue what her original age was, and can't even make a good estimate. It's that + 20 though

Role in CG:AotCT: A General in the Chinese Federation army. Xuemei's mentor.

Comments: A minor character in the original Code Geass, who seemed to exist to be paired with Xingke if you somehow missed that he was totally into the loli, I mostly overlooked her until I decided I'd go ahead and use her here. She's fairly cute I guess, even if I really can't tell how old she is based on her appearance (seriously, it looks like she could be anywhere from her early 20s to her mid-30s). She's Xuemei's beloved mentor and the pilot of her own custom model, so she'll have a role.

**Yoshitaka Minami:**

Character class: 1

Age in CG:AotCT: 40s somewhere, if I had to guess

Role in CG:AotCT: A General in the Japanese army. Commander of Battleship Hikyuu

Comments: Its probably impossible to even notice this guy when watching Code Geass, but he's one of the core Black Knights group, originally of Ohgi's group. Apparently, though I wasn't paying attention to him (ever), he became the Captain of the Ikaruga in the end. So, that'll be his role still, commanding a battleship. I don't plan to use him much at all, but he'll probably get a few mentions here and there.

**Gilbert G.P. Guilford:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 48

Role in CG:AotCT: Ava's father. A broken man.

Comments: I do not hate Guilford. Really, I don't. I'm okay with him having Cornelia. Even though I've written him in as a beaten down, heart-broken, nearly blind, refrain user, it's not out of spite. Ava needs her angst. She's a character who's gone astray. Saying she didn't deal with her mother's loss well wouldn't be enough alone; she needed to play witness to something maybe even sadder. In this story, Guilford in a way is a manifestation of all of Ava's worst fears. He himself will be used sparingly.

**Rakshata Chawla:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 49.

Role in CG:AotCT: Influential Knightmare developer. Her designs are used by both Japan and the Federation.

Comments: It's somehow hard for me to imagine Rakshata at almost 50. She's a character I love, her personality is quite cool. She won't have much of a direct role in this story, but she'll be referenced constantly (kind of like the actual anime, I guess).

**Hong Gu:**

Character class: 1

Age in CG:AotCT: I'd guess somewhere 60-75; can't tell for sure.

Role in CG:AotCT: A Federation General. Commander of the Huoyun

Comments: The middle-aged Chinese Federation guy with the beard, in case you don't recognize the name. He's not a character that sticks out to me and as such won't play avery big part. Since he's pretty old now he's moved to ship commander instead of Knightmare pilot.

**Cecile Croomy:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 45

Role in CG:AotCT: Absolution's Blue mask.

Comments: Cecile's cute. I like her a lot. In my story, I wanted her to finally step out of Lloyd's shadow and make something of her own. So she joins Absolution. I think that's reasonable. She'll have a fair role.

**Shinichiro Tamaki:**

Character class: 1

Age in CG:AotCT: 45

Role in CG:AotCT: The owner of a bistro in Japan. His home is razed in the conquest of Japan.

Comments: Tamaki was always an amusing character in Code Geass. He was utterly useless, but was always good for some comic relief in his interactions with his best bud, Zero. Twenty years older, I don't see him having changed much. I haven't really decided how I'm going to use him, but right now it doesn't look like very much.

**Ayame Futaba:**

Character class: 1

Age in CG:AotCT: 38-45 by estimate

Role in CG:AotCT: Tamaki's wife. Her home is razed in the conquest of Japan.

Comments: That one little scene in the end led me to marry them. I thought, why the hell not. Of those three girls who volunteer and help aboard the Ikaruga, Ayame is the cute one (purple curls). She wasn't very noticeable in Code Geass, and that won't change here.

**Kento Sugiyama:**

Character class: 1

Age in CG:AotCT: 40's somewhere by estimate

Role in CG:AotCT: A moderately successful musical artist in Japan. His home is razed in the conquest of Japan.

Comments: Yes, he's a musician because there's a guitar next to his chair in one of the ending pictures. He's one of the core Black Knights originally of Ohgi's group if you've forgotten (the one with the sort of dark-green hair). Though as unnoticeable as Minami for me, he becomes more interesting here in that I have him leaving the military for a civilian life. Still, probably won't use him as much a some stand out characters.

**Ichijiku Hinata:**

Character class: 1

Age in CG:AotCT: 38-45 by estimate

Role in CG:AotCT: A citizen who is driven from her home in the conquest of Japan.

Comments: She's the one with the glasses and ponytail in case you get your Ikaruga volunteer girls confused. I honestly don't think she'll be doing much of anything in this story, but hey, she's there.

**Mutsuki Minase:**

Character class: 1

Age in CG:AotCT: 38-45 by estimate

Role in CG:AotCT: A citizen who is driven from her home in the conquest of Japan.

Comments: She has the headband and bead hair and is the one of the three girls whom no one is entirely sure what she actually operates aboard the Ikaruga. Like the other two, her role will be beyond minimal.

**Kallen Kozuki:**

Character class: 27

Age in CG:AotCT: A very sexy 38

Role in CG:AotCT: Incarnation of sexy awesomeness (and an important Japanese General and pilot of the infamous Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. Eight Elements).

Comments: I'm obsessed with this character. it's probably unhealthy. I'll try and stay back and approach her as I do everyone else, but do expect her to get more than her fair share of time in this. You don't know how much restraint it took to save her up for the twelfth chapter. At 38, Kallen would be hot. I don't have her paired with anyone because no one is worth. That kind of makes me feel bad because it makes me think she might be lonely. Anyway, Kallen is awesome. End of story.

**Jeremiah Gottwald:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 49

Role in CG:AotCT: Founder of Absolution and it's Orange Mask. Amelia's father. Sayoko's husband.

Comments: My favorite male character in Code Geass. He's a crazy badass. He'll be quite important, being both Amelia's father and at the front of Absolution and all. Even at about fifty, he's still a badass cyborg.

**Sayoko Shinozaki (now Sayoko Gottwald):**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 45

Role in CG:AotCT: Absolution's White mask; in charge of training agents. Amelia's mother. Jeremiah's wife.

Comments: I love Sayoko. Ninja plus maid: what's not to love? Some people may not think her relationship with Jeremiah a romantic one, but I see it. They're very similar. Mostly I just wanted Amelia's parents to be a badass cyborg and a ninja maid. I could have made Jeremiah chase the loli (Anya), but this seemed like a better solution. Sayoko will have a role.

**Kanon Maldini:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 48

Role in CG:AotCT: Absolution's Silver mask; ibetrays the group in favor of Schneizel.

Comments: I honestly was never going to give Kanon much of a role at all. He's an easy to ignore character, who seemed to exist to tantalize the yaoi fans. But I wasn't going to have just any character disappear, so I wrote him into Absolution, and somehow he ended up with an even bigger part. I'm really kind of surprised.

**Anya Alstreim:**

Character class: 2

Age in CG:AotCT: 35

Role in CG:AotCT: Absolution's Pink mask; a charge living and working with Jeremiah.

Comments: Anya was adorable as a semi-loli character. Now she's in her mid thirties and I'm willing to wager pretty hot (I say that about all the former lolis though). The ending has her with Jeremiah, so that's where she's at, sort of his adopted daughter. She's changed a bit with time. She won't be as passive. I se this as a reasonable change.

**Knightmare Frames:**

**Morganna: **モルガナ "Morugana"

Pilot: Callista Blackwell

Designer: Rayner Wilde

Height: 13' 7"

Weight: 14.4 tons

Description: It's a heavy armored machine much like the Mordred. Black in color but with red effects running prominently down its middle. It's energy wings are bright red and made up of only two gigantic feathers. The head is topped with two horn like protrusions sweeping back. It's hands are large, as are its arms with a sharp blade running (which deploy as its scythe weapons) along the side of either. It's feet are heavy as is necessary to support it.

Weapons:

Hadron converger beam X 2: Located in palms. Fires a full intensity Hadron beam reduced to a radius of a mere four and a half inches, and intensified proportionately. The destructive energy of the Hadrons thus become a sort of ultra sharp laser that can cut through anything. It the beams touch the right spots.

Massive scythe-type slash harkens X 2: These run long the side of Morganna's arms in dormant state. They can then be popped up to extend out of the wrists to be used as Master Vibration Swords in close combat. They can also be used as harkens of course, fired for sweeping distance attacks.

Equipment:

Harken Boosters X 2

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 2: located in the shoulders.

Role: Callista's demonic knightmare. Used in Ava's ascent to the throne.

Creator's comments: Morganna is one of many variants of Morgan Le Fay, a key antagonist in Arthurian Legend (where most of the Britannian knightmare frames get their names), she of course isn't a knight like Lancelot or Galahad, but I didn't think that mattered exactly. For Callista's personal knightmare, it fit better than any other figure in my opinion. The Morganna itself is a good fit for her as well, dark and imposing with destructive weapons.

**Viviane: **ヴィヴィアン "Vivian"

Pilot: Astrid Weinberg

Designer: Rayner Wilde

Height: 16' 7"

Weight: 8.6 tons

Description: Very tall and thin, but with a large cockpit. It's golden in color with white effects highlighting the face and body. Unlike most knightmare frames it's shoulders are not bulky, but sleekly curved. It's head is also rounded. It's energy wing pack is fairly flat; the wings it creates are white and formed of seven feathers. it has long legs and arms.

Weapons:

Master Vibration Sword X 1: A small dagger like MVS held in the left hand

MVS launcher "bow" X 1: located in the right hand; an innovative system which launches long, thin MVSs at high velocities, able to penetrate most shields. Can be loaded with similarly shaped projectiles such as explosives.

Slash Harkens X 3: 1 located at around either elbow, another at the chest.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 3: one located on either forearm, another at the chest.

Role: Astrid's heavenly knightmare. Used in Ava's ascent to the throne. Creator's comments: Viviane is one of the more common names assigned the Lady of the Lake in Arthurian Mythology, an important character. Again it's not a knight, but I think its suitable for Astrid's personal Knightmare. Again, I tried to make the knightmare work for the pilot. As Astrid and Callista have seldom a thing in common, that led to very different models.

**Tristan Aegis: **トリスタン・イージス "Torisutan Iijisu"

Pilot: Gino Weinberg

Designer: Original designer of the Tristan with modifications made by Rakshata Chawla, Lloyd Asplund & Cecile Croomy

Height: 17'11"

Weight: 8.1 tons

Description: Very similar to Tristan Divider in terms of appearance. The only major difference is that the Air Glide System has been replaced with Energy Wings; it's wings are formed of three feathers each. In fortress mode, the energy wing feathers extend from the wing pack in the shape of six plane wings.

Weapons:

"Excalibur" Large Master Vibration Sword X 1: unlike with the Divider, the Aegis wields a refurbished, rejoined Excalibur, instead of oen split in two. It can re-split though.

Slash Harken formed Energy cannon X 1: same as with the Tristan

Slash Harkens X 2: 1 located at the same spots as on the Tristan.

Machine guns X 2: used in Fortress mode

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Harken Booster X 2

Fortress Mode

Role: Gino's personal knightmare

Creator's comments: As Knight of One, Gino needed the most advanced Knightmare he could get. Tristan thus needed an upgrade. Aegis refers to protection and support and stuff; it seems to suit the new Gino. Not much really to say. I had forgotten that Gino got Excalibur from Bismarck in the end of R2. I find it interesting that the name I picked for his daughter's knightmare was that of a character so closely associated with Excalibur. As of Turn 12, I realized the way I have the Aegis set up with just one big sword didn't work for the Tristan fighting style. As such, the Excalibur can now attach to the slash harkens and split apart like it did before. The energy cannon is built into the sword now.

**Zangetsu Tensai: **斬月天才 (ざんげつてんさい) "Zangetsu Tensai"

Pilot: Kyoshiro Tohdoh

Designer: Rakshata Chawla

Height: 15'4"

Weight: 9.0 tons

Description: Very similar to the original Zangetsu in terms of appearance. The only major difference is that the Air Glide System has been replaced with Energy Wings; it's wings are quite large, formed of four large feathers each.

Weapons:

Seidoutou X 1

Slash Harkens X 1: located at the same spots as on the Zangetsu.

Machine guns X 2: chest mounted like with the original

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Radiant wave surger-based shield

Role: Tohdoh's personal knightmare

Creator's comments: Much like Gino, Tohdoh's position demanded he get a more advanced knightmare. Tensai means any number of things from what I can tell; the kanji Rabukurafuto went with has it meaning "genius", which is pretty cool, though honestly it wasn't meaning that led me to the name. I was actually originally going to call it Tensai Zangetsu, which would be fun for the Bleach fans (as it would be just one letter away from a certain someone's Bankai), but I realized that improved Japanese knightmare versions all had words added after the original names rather than before (Akatsuki Jikisanshiyo, Burai Kai, Guren Kashoshiki, etc), so I changed it at the last minute to keep with the pattern, effectively eliminating the allusion, unfortunately.

**Dagonet: **ダゴネット "Dagonetto"

Pilot: Ulric Cross

Designer: Rayner Wilde

Height: 8' 3"

Weight: 4.7 tons

Description: A very small knightmare frame; only just two feet taller than Ulric himself. Has a very sleek, compact design with angular plating. Two curved horns extend from it's head. Blue with red effects. It's energy wings, are very short and sort of rounded, extending just to the shoulders. The wings are made up of just three feathers.

Weapons:

Master Vibration Sword X 2: long, heavily curved blades, held outwards meant to reap through knightmares with little resistance.

Slash Harkens X 9: 1 at either elbow, 1 at either knee, 1 at either shoulder, 1 in either of the horns, one hidden in right underarm.

Hidden mini blaster X 1: hidden in the left underarm. Fairly weak blaster; used for surprise attacks.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Harken Boosters X 9

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 2: small; one located on either forearm

Role: Ulric's high offense, high speed knightmare.

Creator's comments: Dagonet is the name of King Arthur's jester, who is knighted as a joke. What you take from that in regards to Ulric is up to you. Yet again, I tried my best to make the knightmare fit Ulric. It's all offense and speed, no defense. Agile, light-weight and ready to, as Ulric would probably say "kick some ass."

**Agravain: **アグラヴェイン "Aguravein"

Pilot: Niles Moore

Designer: Rayner Wilde

Height: 34' 3"

Weight: 41.7 tons

Description: An enormous, bulking knightmare. It's dark blue in color, with gold effects. it's energy wings are also gold, and are suitably massive to support it, each one composed of around twenty feathers. it has very large shoulders, which house it's missile launchers, and is generally heavily plated all around. It's head resembled a knight's helmet, with a single short horn at its top. In it's fortress mode it becomes a bulky bomber plane with an aerodynamic shape.

Weapons:

Handheld mini Hadron Blaster X 2: despite the name, fairly large; one in either hand.

Slash Harkens X 15: 4 in either arm, 2 in either leg, 3 in chest.

Shoulder mounted missile launcher X 2: appears as massive bulk on the shoulder that gives Agravain its appearance. Each one can fire fifteen missiles at once. Still usable in fortress mode

Fire Blast Bombs: deployable only in fortress mode. A high power explosive with a large blast radius.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Harken Boosters X 15

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 4: very large; one at each limb

Fortress mode

Role: Niles' high offense, high defense knightmare.

Creator's comments: Agravain was a character of interest when I was doing my Arthurian research. He's become a hardcore villain as the Legends have evolved, but originally was not such an evil character. i thought that suited what I was trying for with Niles, so I went with it. Agravain itself, was intended to be the polar opposite of the Dagonet; it's just as powerful but hugely immobile and has beyond superior defense. I gave it a fortress mode, because honestly, it's total lack of any real mobility, made it seem a little weak in my opinion, even if it is a hulking juggernaut with extraordinary power.

**Lamorak: **ラモラック "Ramorakku"

Pilot: Nonette Enneagram

Designer: Lloyd Asplund & Cecile Croomy

Height: 14' 1"

Weight: 9.3 tons

Description: Red with white effects and white wings composed of nine small feathers each. It has a very sturdy look to it, but is not overly bulky. It has a head shaped like a rounded knight's helmet.

Weapons:

Master Vibration Sword Battle Axe X 1: the Lamorak's main weapon. a large, heavy MVS shaped like an axe.

Slash Harkens X 3: 2 in left arm, one in right.

Master Vibration Sword Knife X 1: concealed backup weapon in case axe is destroyed

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 2; one located on either forearm

Role: Nonette's well-rounded Knightmare

Creator's comments: Lamorak is often said to King Arthur's third best knight, yet for whatever reason, never became a popular character. That's Nonette in essence. I like the idea of an axe-wielding knightmare, especially one that can swing it around ruthlessly. Overall though, Lamorak was created just because the Knight of Three needs a good knightmare.

**Tianlong: **天龍 (ティエンロン) "Tienron"

Pilot: Hu Xuemei

Designer: Rakshata Chawla

Height: 15' 3"

Weight: 8.9 tons

Description: a very elegant looking knightmare. It's main color is white and it's secondary is pink. It's pink wings have five feathers each. It is thin and sleekly curved. It has hair like extensions running down it's back like Zangetsu, these pink in color.

Weapons:

Long Sword X 1: a large straight, shimmering sword, Tianlong's main weapon. Held in it's right hand

Slash Harkens X 3: all three in the left hand.

Short sword X 1: back up weapon, concealed.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Harken Boosters X 3

Radiant wave-surger shield

Role: Xuemei's elegant custom knightmare.

Creator's comments: Tianlong means "celestial dragon". That's pretty cool. The knightmare itself was designed to suit the pilot. It's a speedy acrobatic sword fighter machine. It does lack range attacks though.

**Shenlong: **神龍 (シェンロン) Shenron

Pilot: Zhou Xianglin

Designer: Rakshata Chawla

Height: 13' 7"

Weight: 8.8 tons

Description: Similar in appearance to the Tianlong but with more bulk. it's red in color, with pink highlights and wings. The wings have four feathers. It has the same hair like extensions as its counterpart.

Weapons:

mini Baryon cannon X 2: large cannons held in either hand. Powerful

Slash Harkens X 2: 1 in either arm

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Radiant wave-surger shield

Role: Xianglin's powerful custom knightmare.

Creator's comments: Shenlong means "Divine dragon" That's also pretty cool. I more designed this one as a compliment to the Tianlong than for Xianglin herself. It's all range attacks, and heavier instead of acrobatic. It's a good balancing machine for Xuemei.

**Huabing: **華兵 (ファビン) "Fabin"

Pilot: mass production

Designer: Chinese Federation

Height: 15' 7"

Weight: 8.7 tons

Description: generally dark green. A fairly bulky sort of machine, with a large torso and smaller arms and legs, and a small rounded head. It has an air glide wing system.

Machine gun X 2: locate on under arms

cannon X 2: part of arms.

shrot sword X 1

slash harken X 1: left hand

Equipment:

Air glide wing system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Role: current Federation mass production model.

Creator's comments: Huabing means "illustrious soldier". It's a good name for a mass production model. The Huabing exists because I thought still using the Gun-Ru would be archaic.

**Jinketsu: **人傑 (じんけつ) "Jinketsu"

Pilot: Chiharu Ohgi

Designer: Rakshata Chawla

Height: 15' 11"

Weight: 9.2 tons

Description: A mid-weight, balanced knightmare frames. It's main color is silver. It has black, three-feathered wings and black highlights. It's head is helmet shaped with two short triangular horns.

Weapons:

large polearm X 1: a polearm with a long staff and fairly long, thick blade. Jinketsu's main weapon.

Slash Harkens X 3: two in right hand, one in left.

Custom hand gun X 1: usually concealed unless Chiharu needs it.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Radiant wave-surger shield

Role: Chiharu's balanced knightmare.

Creator's comments: Jinketsu means something to the effect of "great man" or "hero". Suitable for the "traditional hero" of the story, Chiharu. It wields a spear, because girls who wield spears are always hot. That's almost a fact.

**Hokurei: **北嶺 (ほくれい) "Hokurei"

Pilot: Hiromi Tohdoh

Designer: Rakshata Chawla

Height: 13' 10"

Weight: 9.3 tons

Description: Also mid-weight, Hokurei has just a bit more armor than Jinketsu but is shorter. It's main color is dark green. It has yellow, six-feathered wings and yellow highlights. It's head is fairly square in shape, with a single long horn in the back

Weapons:

Heavy Radian Wave-surger rifle X 1: a powerful rifle with a blast based on the Guren's range blasts. Like with the guren, it has a long range and area scatter settings. It's not as powerful though.

Slash Harkens X 2: one in either hand.

Fork Knife X 1

Equipment:

Massive Guardian Shield X 1: A very large handheld shield, as tall as the Hokurei. It can generate a Radiant Wave-surger shield of its own over a very large radius.

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Radiant wave-surger shield

Role: Hiromi's defensive knightmare

Creator's comments: Hokurei means "northern mountain", which fits the defensive machine. It's power lies in it's protective capabilities, though it's gun is quite powerful. It's not a very fast machine though, and the gun's accuracy is only average. It suits Hiromi; a machine for supporting and defending, that will seldom be the star itself.

**Galahad Renascence: **ギャラハッド・ルネッサンス "Gyarahaddo Runessansu"

Pilot: Hildegarde Waldstein

Designer: Original designer of Galahad, with modifications made by Lloyd Asplund & Cecile Croomy

Height: 23' 7"

Weight: 17.4 tons

Description: It's esentially the same as Bismarck's Galahad with a few modifications. most prominent is that the float system ahs been replayed by an energy wing system (with five feathered wings) and Excalibur has been replaced with a giant red-hilted sword. A few additional plates and effects have been added to the legs and chest as well.

Weapons:

Red-Hilted Master Blade X 1 - a gargantuan blade, comparable in every way to her father's Excalibur.

Slash Harkens X 10: in all the same places as Galahad

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Role: Hildegarde's imposing knightmare, rebuilt from the designs of her father's.

Creator's comments: I was unsure what route to take with Hildegarde's knightmare. I was initially going to make it completely original, but it's actually kind of difficult to think p knightmares that would be cool and effective. I liked Bismarck's Galahad, so I thought to revive it. Suitably, Renascence means "the revival of something that has been dormant".

**Constantine: **コンスタンティン "Konsutantin"

Pilot: Damian Marsh

Designer: Lloyd Asplund & Cecile Croomy

Height: 15' 7"

Weight: 11.2 tons

Description: It is purple and gold in color, with gold, seven pointed wings. It's a large machine, with a significant amount of armor.

Weapons:

King Lance X 1 - a very large lance, similar in shape to that used by a Gloucester. Unlike those lances, this one had the unique ability to act as a powerful fire arm, firing a compressed energy burst that can prove most destructive.

King "Shield" X 1 - a weapon shaped like a shield. it has six large spike in the shape of a cross at the front of it. These are actually slash harkens, but can be used to ram targets as well should the lance ever be lost. It can be used to deflect some attacks.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 1 - located in chest.

Role: Damian's regal, but strangely deceptive knightmare.

Creator's comments: Constantine is the name of the Knight of the Round table who becomes king after Arthur. Damian has a sort of regal air about him, so it seemed like a loose fit. The machine is a powerful one, with all around impressive abilities, and some tricks to it.

**Onryou: **怨霊 (おんりょう) "Onryou"

Pilot: Megami Subarashii

Designer: Rakshata Chawla

Height: 10' 5"

Weight: 8.1 tons

Description: A thin machine with long arms. It is black and pale green in color, with four pointed , very large pale green wings. it's head has two large horns on top of it. It is lightly armored.

Weapons:

Radiant-wave shooter - the main-weapon. Based off the Guren's radiant-wave surger weaponry. Unlike Hokurei's rifle, the power has been significantly reduced in favor of being able to deliver very quick, precision shots.

Hadron cannon X 1 - at the center of the Onryou. It's ultimate weapon. it's power is set higher than the machine can handle. A single shot all but depletes Onryou's energy reserve

Gefjun jammer launcher - a sort of grenade-launcher like weapon that shoots out small discs, that attach to enemy units and start a small scale Gefjun reaction, which thought it can't fully stop an advanced unit, can buy a few seconds.

Equipment:

Spirit Synchronizer - an experimental system implemented in the Onryou meant to provide a physical connection between pilot and machine, allowing for ease of control. It is based on the neural system found in the Siegried though it is not the only means of control. Happens to allow Onryou to become invisible in conjunction with Megami's Geass.

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Radiant wave-surger based shield

Role: Megami's stolen experimental knightmare.

Creator's comments: I was unsure about whether to add Onryou here after Turn 10 or Turn 11. I decided earlier because, my requirement had been met; it had been named and used in that chapter (though not at the same time). Onryou means "vengeful ghost"; suitable for Megami. Onryou itself is a cool machine, with lots of fun weapons.

**Dongfeng: **東風 (ドンフン) "Donfun"

Pilot: Wu Chaowei

Designer: Rakshata Chawla

Height: 14' 8"

Weight: 7.8 tons

Description: An agile, lightweight model. It is mainly white, with green (six feathered) wings and plates. It have two very thick arms which can be split to give it four arms, but the arms are flimsier in this state. Overall sleek, with a lot of curved plates

Weapons:

Custom hand gun X 4 - more powerful than typical custom hand guns.

slash harken X 4 - 1 at the back of each hand in four armed state

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Radiant wave-surger based shield

detaching arms

Role: Chaowei's flashy, gun-toting knightmare.

Creator's comments: The double gun thing seemed cool, but for Chaowei, who loves lots of flashiness, I thought I'd bring it up a level and give it four guns. That makes Dongfeng fairly unique. Dongfeng means "eastern wind" in Chinese. The machine itself isn't very traditionally Eastern, so I suppose it's kind of ironic. it is a cool name though, with some flash to it, so I think Chaowei would like it.

**Lionel: **ライオネル "Raioneru"

Pilot: Claudio Darlton

Designer: Lloyd Asplund & Rayner Wilde

Height: 13' 4"

Weight: 10.1 tons

Description: It's a fairly bulky machine with a dark gray and green color scheme, and green four pointed wings. It has the look of a traditional heavily armored knight with it's blocky gray armor. It has 3 spikes at either shoulder.

Weapons:

Master Hadron converger rifle X 1 - a very large rifle held in the right hand. Has numerous scopes built in to ensure a shot even over an an incredible range. The trajectory of the blast can even be set. The blast itself is as powerful as the Morganna's beam weapons. It's just allowed to get much more accurate.

slash harkens X 6 - 3 at either shoulder, large spikes.

custom hand gun - used as a back up weapon.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 1 - located in left arm.

Role: Claudio's high-accuracy sniper unit.

Creator's comments: Sir Lionel seemed like an interesting Knight of the Round table. His father and brother were also knights (as were a couple cousins) and he has a considerable darkness to his character. That seemed relevant to Claudio as I'm capturing him. The Lionel itself is pretty cool I guess. Snipers are cool.

**Lucan: **ルーカン "Ruukan"

Pilot: Devlin Granville

Designer: Lloyd Asplund & Rayner Wilde

Height: 14' 10"

Weight: 12.2 tons

Description: A very balanced model. Green in color with purple, seven pointed wings and a few purple plates. Has a decent amount of armor and an overall knightly appearance.

Weapons:

Master vibration sword - a very strong, sturdy sword held in the right hand

custom hand gun - a better than average custom hand gun held in the left hand.

slash harkens X 2 - 1 at either forearm.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 4 - 1 at either arm, 1 at either knee.

Role: Devlin's balanced knightmare. Destroyed by Kallen Kozuki.

Creator's comments: Sir Lucan was King Arthur's butler. Though that meant something different when the legends were written, the modern image of a butler sort of fits Devlin with his stoic attitude. Lucan is also Bedivere's brother, which was definitely a factor in the deciding. Ironically, Lucan is almost always one of the last knights to die in the legends. Things didn't work out so well with Devlin. Lucan isn't that interesting a unit, but I knew it was going to get destroyed, so I questioned why make it cool.

**Bedivere: **ベディヴィエール "Bedivieeru"

Pilot: Regina Granville

Designer: Lloyd Asplund & Rayner Wilde

Height: 14' 10"

Weight: 12.2 tons

Description: A very balanced model. Purple in color with Green, seven pointed wings and a few green plates. Has a decent amount of armor and an overall knightly appearance.

Weapons:

Master vibration sword - a better than average sword held in the left hand

custom hand gun - a very strong custom hand gun held in the right hand.

slash harkens X 2 - 1 at either forearm.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 4 - 1 at either arm, 1 at either knee.

Role: Regina's balanced knightmare.

Creator's comments: Sir Bedivere is Sir Lucan's brother and King Arthur's marshal. He is a also a fairly famous character in Arthurian legend, usually being the one guy who survives the final battle and casts Excalibur back into the lake. I'm not sure how that will relate to Regina. I mostly picked the name because of the sibling thing. Bedivere the knightmare is rather cheaply a copy of the Lucan, but as only one of them will live to see a second battle I suppose that's okay.

**Vincent Aether: **ヴィンセント・エーテル "Visento Eeteru"

Pilot: mass production

Designer: Cecile Croomy with some input by Nina Einstein

Height: 14' 5"

Weight: 7.4 tons

Description: Looks essentially like a Vincent Ward but with energy wings, which are made of two solid panes each.

Weapons:

VARIS Rifle - similar to the Lancelot's

Master vibration sword X 2- actually sword shaped like the Lancelot's

slash harkens X 2

stun tonfa X 2

Equipment:

simplified Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 2 - 1 at either arm

Role: an advanced mass production unit perfected by Absolution

Creator's comments: With Cecile taking the lead designer spot for Absolution, I felt obligated to do a mass production VIncent with energy wings. She invented the energy wing system if you remember, so she'd be able to simplify them and make them affordable reproduce in mass production. Aether was chosen as the add-on word because I think the wings have an ethereal quality. It also just sounds cool.

**Bercilak: **ベルシラック "Berushirakku"

Pilot: Green (Alastair Kennard)

Designer: Cecile Croomy with some input by Nina Einstein

Height: 13' 9"

Weight: 11.5 tons

Description: It's all green mostly dark green but with pale 12 pointed wings and effects. Heavily armored. it's head looks like a dual horned bucket helmet.

Weapons:

Heavy VARIS Rifle - just slightly below the specs of the Super VARIS used by the ALbion

Master vibration sword Halberd X 1- the main weapon, can be used to lunge or slash.

slash harkens X 4 - two in either arm.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 1 - very large, powerful, in chest.

Role: The Knightmare piloted by Absolution's Green Mask.

Creator's comments: Bercilak is a name sometimes used for the Character of The Green Knight in Arthurian Legend. I assume you can sort of see why it was picked without me having to explain it... I wanted Cecile's knightmares to be cool because she's sexy, but Bercilak is a little dull to me. I suppose I need her to make something for a pilot more interesting.

**Hiodoshi: **緋縅 (ひおどし) Hiodoshi

Pilot: Katsue and Katsumi Kozuki

Designer: Rakshata Chawla

Height: 24' 7"

Weight: 25.8 tons

Description: Almost entirely red. Has a few white effects on the chest and head. Red six pointed wings. Had an overall demonic look to it, heightened by its large claws.

Weapons:

Crimson claw X 2 - powerful claw weapons. can be used for claw attacks or for the intense beams that come from each finger. The claws can alos lock together for a special wave pulse attack.

missile launchers X 2 - shoulder mounted

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Radiant wave-surger based shield

Role: The high power Knightmare hijacked by Kallen's twin daughters.

Creator's comments: With Hiodoshi, I wanted something similar in aesthetic to Guren. I also wanted it to be its own distinct machine though. I think it turned out an interesting enough unit. Hiodoshi refers to some sort of red armor or something. I don't know. It's another one of those weird words that stuck out to me when I was looking through an online English-Japanese dictionary thing.

**Chernobog**: チェルノボグ "Cherunobogu"

Pilot: Cesia Moreva

Designer: EU R & D team

Height: 15' 4"

Weight: 10.0 tons

Description: Mostly black. Purple wings and minimal highlights to the chest. Demonic dual horned head. Five pronged claw for right arm.

Weapons:

Master Vibration sword X 1 - a very long, thin MVS held in left hand.

Five-pronged slash-harken claw - main weapon, made up of five MVS's. Used for cutting. Five blades are all slash harkens.

slash harkens X 4 - two in either arm.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 2, located in the knees.

Role: The demonic knightmare of EU champion Cesia Moreva.

Creator's comments: Chernobog is a god of unknown importance or purpose in Slavic mythology. As the name does mean "Black God" it is generally assumed he is evil or something. Obviously I wanted the EU knightmares to sort of pull from the legends surrounding whatever ethnicity or nationality I used I made each champion a part of. Mostly due to video games, Chernobog, was the most familiar Slavic deity to me, so I went with it.

**Kay: **ケイ "Kei"

Pilot: Rowena Winfield

Designer: Rayner Wilde and Lloyd Asplund

Height: 12' 11"

Weight: 9.8 tons

Description: Gold in color but with black effects and wings. very curved look to it. sleek but deceptively well armored.

Weapons:

gun arm X 1 - a powerful blaster built into the left hand.

sword arm X 1- MVS built into the right hand

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 3 - one in either shoulder and one in chest.

Role: The well-rounded knightmare of Rowena Winfield

Creator's comments: I was looking around on wikipedia for a character in Arthurian legend that would be a good fit for her. When I found the page for Sir Kay I was completely sold. Apparently, Kay, Arthur's foster-brother, is used mostly as a foil character for the others and has been made to be "more or less an incompetent braggart" in some of the retellings of the story. Natural fit for Rowena.

**Roland**: ローラン "Rouran"

Pilot: Edouard Valentin

Designer: EU R & D team

Height: 10' 9"

Weight: 8.7 tons

Description: Mostly red. Has a white cross across the chest and some other white effects (wings are also white). Knightly helmet shaped head. Curved plates.

Weapons:

Master Vibration sword "Durendal" X 1 - by appearance a simple MVS. A large sustained beam can be projected from the blade for maximum damage.

slash harkens X 2 - one in either arm.

Equipment:

hand held shield - held in left hand; painted with a white cross

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 1, located in shield.

Role: The knightly knightmare of EU champion Edouard Valentin.

Creator's comments: It's a lot harder to find characters in the Matter of France then the Matter of Britain. Roland is the most famous and really one of the few lasting character. So, yeah, he ended up being the obvious pick. Roland's character is a bit of a far cry from Edouard himself, but I kind of like the ironic fit.

**Bors: **ボールス Bourusu

Pilot: Brown (Larkin Ellison)

Designer: Cecile Croomy with some input by Nina Einstein

Height: 15' 9"

Weight: 12.1 tons

Description: A large dark brown knightmare with brown wings. Very heavy armor and a single large spike on either shoulder

Weapons:

Master vibration Axe "Destroyer" X 1 - A very large, wide-bladed axe wielded by two hands. The thick, heavy beam of the axe contains a secret rocket launcher.

Slash harkens X 2 - massive shoulder spikes.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 2 - one in either shoulder.

Role: The well-rounded knightmare of Rowena Winfield

Creator's comments: Bors was selected for Larkin pretty much at random. The character really has nothing to do with Larkin, I just thought the name fit the sort of heavy axe unit I wanted for him.

**Golem**: ゴーレム Gouremu

Pilot: Elischa Mayer

Designer: EU R & D team

Height: 15' 1"

Weight: 14.9 tons

Description: Mostly yellow. Has has green wings and green and brown effects. Has heavy, bulky armor.

Weapons:

Hammer X 1 - primary weapon; a rare blunt weapon used in knightmare combat. It can be swung around with real power, bending plates and breaking shields

flame thrower X 1 - secondary weapon; very high powered, reaching incredible heats. Can melt plate or seep in through cracks and kill the pilot.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 2 in shoulders.

Role: The punishing knightmare of EU champion Elischa Mayer.

Creator's comments: I know the golem is a being of Jewish Czech mythology rather than Jewish German, which I said Elischa was, but I thought it was close enough. It's a recognizable character anyway. The Goem was an interesting machine to design, uses some weapons that are quite different from the usual fare.

**Bellona**: ベッローナ "Berrouna"

Pilot: Valeria Giullare

Designer: EU R & D team

Height: 15' 5"

Weight: 11.5 tons

Description: Mostly orange. Has has red wings and red and gray effects. Has a sleek, agile build.

Weapons:

missile launcher X 1 - fires out homing missiles.

rapid-fire cannon X 1 - a blaster that can shoot one shot after another rapidly, leading to massive damage.

slash-harkens X 2 - at elbows

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous X 1 in chest.

Role: The destructive knightmare of EU champion Valeria Giullare

Creator's comments: With Valeria I really had the most options, considering all the Roman stuff. I settled on Bellona, a purely Roman goddess (no Greek counterpart) of war. This fits Valeria well I think.

**Panzer-Kugelblitz**: パンツァー=クーゲルブリッツ "Pantsaa Kuugeruburittsu"

Pilot: mass production

Designer: EU R & D team

Height: 14 4"

Weight: 11.2 tons

Description: usually gray. borrows basic design elements from the Panzer-Hummel. Has been made a bit more sleek and similar to Britannian models. Still possesses one auto-cannon, but now also has a free fully functional arm.

Weapons:

machine guns X 2 - hip mounted.

auto-cannon X 1 - built into left arm

slash-harkens X 2 - chest mounted.

master vibration sword X 1 - can be concealed at the hip; to be used for close combat.

custom hand gun X 1 - used instead of MVS for ranged attacks.

Equipment:

Air glide wing system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Role: The fairly high spec EU mass production model.

Creator's comments: The original EU production line machine was created by combining the name of two WW II German tanks. I thought I'd go the same route. Kugelblitz was an armored anti-aircraft model. The name means "ball lightning". Sounded kind of cool, I thought.

**Mordred Camlann: **モルドレッド・カムラン "Morudoreddo Kamuran"

Pilot: Pink (Anya Alstreim)

Designer: Based on the designs of the original Mordred. Cecile Croomy with some input by Nina Einstein

Height: 15' 5"

Weight: 11.0 tons

Description: Look very much like Mordred. It's pink now, with purple six-point energy wings and some purple and black effects.

Weapons:

Stark Hadron Cannon × 4

Missile Launchers

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous

Role: The powerful knightmare of Anya Alstreim

Creator's comments: Camlann is of course the final battle in Arthurian Legend where Sir Mordred kills King Arthur. As Anya is now a terrorist out for the Empress' head, I found it suitable that she now represents the villainous Mordred rather than the knightly one.

**Ywain: **ユーウェイン "Yuuwein"

Pilot: Margaret Enneagram

Designer: Rayner Wilde and Lloyd Asplund

Height: 12' 2"

Weight: 9.3 tons

Description: Equal parts red, purple and gold. Wings are gold. Swift angular design.

Weapons:

MVS broadsword X 2 - can be sheathed at hips

VARIS rifles X 2 - worn at hips and can be used instead of swords.

slash harkens X 2 - on in either hand. thick cabled. contains gefjun technology.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous

Geass neural interface - developed on short notice based on Code-R documents acquired from Schneizel. Allows Margaret to apply Geass to Ywain so as she can match her opponent's skill.

Role: The swift, aggressive knightmare of Margaret Enneagram.

Creator's comments: Ywain has no relation to Lamorak, before you ask (He's actually Morganna's son in most legends). He's a popular character, based on a medieval king. There's also a separate character in the legends known as Ywain the Bastard (and remember that we don't know who Margaret's father is). Margaret would probably thus be mad if she ever researched her machine's name.

**Dinadan**: ディナダン Dinadan

Pilot: Miya Ashford

Designer: Cecile Croomy and Nina Einstein

Height: 11' 1"

Weight: 9.0 tons

Description: Equal parts green and blue with turquoise tri-pointed wings; lightweight, but with large shoulders. Has a very angular design to it.

Weapons:

shoulder-mounted missile launchers X 2

MVS short blades X 2 - very dynamic and sharp to make up for short length.

slash harkens X 2 - on in either arm.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous

Role: The bombastic knightmare of Miya Ashford.

Creator's comments: Dinadan is the most well-humored and sociable of Arthur's knight. I thought that set well with Miya's cheery innocence. The unit itself achieves an interesting balance.

**Palamedes**: パラメデス Paramedesu

Pilot: Cynthia Moore

Designer: Cecile Croomy with some input from Nina Einstein

Height: 14' 9"

Weight: 11.6 tons

Description: Mostly orange in color with gold effects and (seven pointed) wings. has a fair amount of bulk, but is still agile. Plates are curved.

Weapons:

mini Hadron cannon X 1

VARIS Sniper Scope - a variant on the VARIS rifle that has less optimum power but can be set for deadly accurate attacks over larger ranges.

slash harkens X 2 - on in either arm.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous

Role: The long-range knightmare of Cynthia Moore.

Creator's comments: Palamedes is a knight often noted as being a chief pursuer of the abominable Questing Beast, a monster he wishes to slay at all cost. I probably don't have to say any more.

**Brunnhilde**: ブリュンヒルド Buryunhirudo

Pilot: Amelia Gottwald

Designer: Cecile Croomy with some input from Nina Einstein and limited design input from Jeremiah Gottwald

Height: 12' 9"

Weight: 9.6 tons

Description: mostly blue with gold highlights. sweeping, curved blue wings. Large plates at chest, hips and shoulders giving it a the appearance recalling an armored female. This is highlighted by the feathered-helmet shaped head with golden cable extensions flowing from the back like hair.

Weapons:

battle lance X 1 - powerful thrusting weapon; smaller and lighter than the old Gloucester lances, but far more powerful.

Master vibration sword X 1 - a top quality sword.

slash harkens X 2 - at the shoulders

"Ragnarok drive" - a special energy reactor at Brunnhilde's chest. Converts the machine's energy reserves into an ultimate destructive weapon.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous

Role: The beautiful and strong knightmare of Amelia.

Creator's comments: I was confused when naming Amelia's knightmare. I wanted it to relate to her father's machines. After looking for a while, I deduced that there was no guy named Siegfried in Arthurian legend, so it had to come from somewhere else. Though likely the name was chosen at random just because its a badass name, the most famous legendary Siegfried would be the character Sigurd from Norse mythology (who is called Siegfried in German stuff). After some brief research, I decided to name Amelia's knightmare after a related character. Brunnhilde(or Brynhildr if you go away from the German names) is a very much related character. She's a valkyrie. I admittedly have a valkyrie fetish. Yes, it did manifest in the knightmare's design. I couldn't help it.

**Urien**: ユリアン Yurian

Pilot: Hector Coleridge

Designer: Rayner Wilde and Lloyd Asplund

Height: 15' 3"

Weight: 14.4 tons

Description: Silver, gray and blue. Large and bulky, giving off the appearance of a fine suit of armor. Fairly small energy wings.

Weapons:

giant master vibration sword X 1 - a heavy sword that is wielded with ease

Hadron converger beam X 1 - in left hand; just as powerful as Morganna's

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous

Role: the strong and upright knightmare of Hector. Destroyed by Chiharu

Creator's comments: Urien was a king as well as a knight in the Legends, so that was good for the noble quality I was going for in Hector. He was married to Morgan Le Fay, which also kind of went into it(Arienette is kind of like a witch...), and also was the reasoning I gave the machine a converger weapon like the Morganna. I actually ended up liking the design for the machine more than I thought I would. Shame it only got one battle.

**Bedivere Godhand: **ベディヴィエール・ゴッドハンド "Bedivieeru Goddohando"

Pilot: Regina Granville

Designer: Rayner Wilde and Lloyd Asplund

Height: 55' 2"

Weight: 44.4 tons

Description: Purple and Green. Vaguely hand-shaped, with the five main weapons emerging from out of the centrl unit. large and heavy. Energy wing system emits a fine articule mist.

Weapons:

Hadron cannon X 2

Large MVS X 2 - connected to Harken boosters for range attacks

Hadron converger beam X 1 - In the center, on the "head"

Slash Harkens X 4 - large spikes coming out of center

Equipment:

Energy Mist offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous

Harken boosters.

Bedivere core unit

Role: The supremely powerful Knight Giga Fortress of Regina Granville.

Creator's comments: With the name Godhand, I was trying to think of some word that would relate to the Arthurian character. Bedivere apparently has only one hand. I found that interesting, so I went with hthe whole hand thing. Having Regina be soemthign like "the hand of judgement" is kind of cool too. Edit: wow, I never realized Knight Giga Fortresses were supposed to be so big... Oh well, I fixed the height and weigh totals to make it closer to the data on Siegfried, of course it's a little smaller than that unit.

**Dagonet Foresight: **ダゴネット・フォーサイト "Dagonetto Fousaito"

Pilot: Ulric Cross

Designer: Rayner Wilde and Lloyd Asplund

Height: 6'9"

Weight: 2.2 tons

Description:a very sleek armor suit, blue and red in color. Fairly trim, with little in the way of extra bulk. The wing/energy pack at the back of the suit is the most prominent feature. Curved horns at head remain

Weapons:

Master Vibration Sword X 2: long, heavily curved blades, held outwards meant to reap through knightmares with little resistance.

Slash Harkens X 4: 1 at either elbow, 1 at either knee.

Hidden mini blaster X 1: hidden in the left underarm. Fairly weak blaster; used for surprise attacks

Equipment:

Energy Mist offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Blaze Luminous

Harken boosters.

Role: Flying battle armor, heh. Ulric's Iron Man now. Which is awesome. Foresight augments his badassness as a fighter. With the name, I really don't know what I was going for. Maybe a reference to his blinding speed.

**Sieg Genesis**: ジーク・ジェネシス "Jiiku Jeneshisu"

Pilot: Jeremiah Gottwald

Designer: Cecile Croomy with some input by Nina Einstein

Height: 72' 5"

Weight: 57.1 tons

Description: A gargantuan machine. It's orange in color (did you expect anything else?) Mostly round, with five heavy spikes coming out. ALso has two large cannons coming out the front and two energy wing packs holding it in the air.

Weapons:

Slash Harkens (Large) X 5 - giant spikes.

Slash Harkens (small) X 5 - smaller, concealable spikes.

Hyper-velocity canon X 2

Six-tube missile launcher X 6 - flank the top.

Equipment:

Energy win offensive/defensive/propulstion system X 2

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze Luminous

Harken boosters.

Role: Jeremiah's powerful Knight Giga Fortress.

Creator's Comments: Orange's new KGF. It's an upgrade on the Sutherland Sieg and an all around powerful machine. Lots of power and coolness all around. Again, Genesis was chosen as pretty much a random upgrade superlative that doesn't have a clear meaning. It means beginning, as you likely know, so perhaps it has to do with "Absolving" things and returning them to the origin. Yeah, that sounds good...

**Jason**: イアーソーン "Iaasoun"

Pilot: Alain Renard

Designer: Elenie Pallas

Height: 17'4"

Weight: 15.2 tons

Description:

Head: Will be red in colour, and look like a plate helmet covering its entire facial features, it'll have those slits in helmets where they can see through though this isn't actually where he views fights

Torso: The main body is just black (and if you want have red streaks going from just above the waist to where the armpit would be on a human.

Arms: They are black, primarily, with one red streak on both sides from the elbow to the shoulder, then one red streak on each arm from the underside of the wrist to where the weapons are.

Legs: The Legs will be black with one red streak running down both legs on the outer side to the feet which are red with the centre of the foot being slightly black.

Wings: The energy is black whilst the frame to the wings is red

Weapons:

Lion Head Claw with Hadron Cannon Built into it when the lions mouth is open (this is on the right arm)

Shield with a Harken Cable attached to it

2x Slash Harkens: One of its Back and One on its Right shoulder

Trump Card: Highly destructive missile warhead on the underside of the left wrist

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulsion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Blaze Luminous x2, on chest and black of the head

Absolute Defence Field (Red Shields will appear instead of green)

Druid System

Cockpit ejection system

Role: The Juggernaut Knightmare of Alain Renard the Commander of the E.U. forces

Creators Comments(in MissUzumakiHinata's words, as all of this was): This Knightmare is basically a long distance Knightmare meant to last, its medium speed and high power, I designed it basically as something that will keep the commander safe for the battle but has the offense power to put up a fight, though an experienced Knightmare pilot who can avoid all of its weaponry will be a problem for it.

**Baofeng: **暴風 (バオフン) "Baofun"

Pilot: Wu Chaowei

Designer: Rakshata Chawla

Height: 13' 9"

Weight: 7.6 tons

Description: An agile, lightweight model. It is mainly blue, with green (six feathered) wings and plates. It have eight very thin arms. Overall sleek, with a lot of curved plates

Weapons:

Custom hand gun X 8 - more powerful than typical custom hand guns.

slash harken X 8 - 1 at the back of each hand.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Radiant wave-surger based shield

detaching arms

Role: Chaowei's flashier, gun-toting knightmare upgrade.

Creator's comments: So, Dongfeng got a full upgrade. I'm not sure why, considering Chaowei is one of the least compelling of CG:AotCT's main cast. I just wanted to do something different, I guess. Baofeng, apparently means "violent wind"; that's pretty damn cool.

**Pegasus**: ペガサス "Pegasasu"

Pilot: Philip Malden Xander

Designer: Elenie Pallas

Height: 9' 5"

Weight: 10.6 tons

Description: It looks like a fine, white horse with pink effects, and white energy wings.

Weapons:

blasters X 2 - on underside of the hoofs.

Unicorn horn X 1 - a very powerful cannon that fires from a hidden cannon in the unit's head.

tongue cable X 1 - a modified slash harken that connects to the enemy and hijacks it monitor systems

missile launchers X 2 - hidden in the flanks.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze luminous based shield

Role: Philip's horse-like knightmare.

Creator's comments: A fun unit. Definitely unique. Nothing quite like it. But that's cool. Also not much to say about it. It is what it is. And what it is, is a horse.

**Medusa**: メドゥーサ "Meduusa"

Pilot: Marcella Belita

Designer: Elenie Pallas

Height: 9' 8"

Weight: 8.6 tons

Description: A smallish black unit with lots of purple highlights, including long purple hair cables. It has white wings and a large visor over it's head.

Weapons:

nail blade X 2 - can be fired as slash harkens. Can be used to siphon energy from enemy

Mystic Eyes - visor opens to shoot out a Gefjun particle cloud that temporarily freezes a unit.

Noble Phantasm X 1 - central core cannon; it can only be fired once before the unit is put on emergency reserves. The blast is very, very slow and can almost never hit mobile targets, but its strength is absolutely immense, reaching levels of intensity only seen previously in FLEIJA.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze luminous based shield

Role: Marcella's sexy, badass knightmare

Creator's comments:This unit is inspired by Rider from Fate/Stay Night. She's sexy. It's a swift unit, with a good power attack. To use that attack repeatedly, it has to make good use of its energy drain capabilities.

**Mórrígan**: モリガン "Morigan"

Pilot: Astrid Weinberg

Designer: Rayner Wilde and Lloyd Asplund

Height: 15' 9"

Weight: 9.3 tons

Description: Very tall and thin, but with a large cockpit. It's black in color with green effects highlighting the face and body. Unlike most knightmare frames it's shoulders are not bulky, but sleekly curved. Two statue like figures emerge from these shoulders, giving it a three headed look. Each head had long black hair cables.

Weapons:

Black Saber X 1: a continual black energy sword that can be extended and retracted at will. Very powerful.

Empress Guard X 1 - a weapon shaped like a shield. it has six large spike in the shape of a cross at the front of it. These are actually slash harkens, but can be used to ram targets as well should the lance ever be lost. It can be used to deflect some attacks. In other words, a renamed King Shield; it's slightly different in shape. A more rounded shiled instead of a traditional shield shape.

MVS launcher "bow" X 2: located in the hands of either statues; an innovative system which launches long, thin MVSs at high velocities, able to penetrate most shields. Can be loaded with similarly shaped projectiles such as explosives.

"Dark Core" Reactor - similar to the Ragnarok Drive in Brunnhilde, but with black energy.

Equipment:

Energy mist offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Spirit Synchronizer

Blaze Luminous X 3: one located on either forearm, another at the chest.

Role: Astrid's heavenly knightmare. Used in Ava's ascent to the throne. Creator's comments: Viviane is one of the more common names assigned the Lady of the Lake in Arthurian Mythology, an important character. Again it's not a knight, but I think its suitable for Astrid's personal Knightmare. Again, I tried to make the knightmare work for the pilot. As Astrid and Callista have seldom a thing in common, that led to very different models.

**Heracles**: ヘーラクレース "Heerakureesu"

Pilot: Bernard Farris

Designer: Elenie Pallas

Height: 26' 9"

Weight: 20.6 tons

Description: A massive, gray hulking knightmare. It has the appearance of a muscular warrior, with long black hair cables. Black wings.

Weapons:

titan's sword x 1 - primary weapon. A gigantic sword, far larger than Galahad's excalibur. It's very rough and kind of blunt, but an create incredible force. Heracles' powerful arms can move it with relative ease.

"Nine Lives" MVS bow x 1 - deploys as a secondary weapon from the right hand. It's shaped like a bow, but unlike Astrid's weapons, this is mostly cosmetic. It can fire nine shots in quick succession.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze luminous based shield

Advanced armor system - Heracles has a full 12 layers of armor that must be penetrated to get to the cockpit, giving it incredible defense.

Role: Bernard's massive, juggernaut of a knightmare

Creator's comments:This unit is inspired by Berserker from Fate/Stay Night. He's pretty cool. It's a strong unit, but not incredibly slow as you might think. Ultimate defense, but it's a little limited in attacks.

**Achilles**: アキレス "Akiresu"

Pilot: Lyall Gavin

Designer: Elenie Pallas

Height: 8' 3"

Weight: 4.9 tons

Description: A very small unit, kind of like an armored suit. Had blonde hair extensions and bulky shoulders. Gold color scheme and white wings.

Weapons:

Poseidon Spear x 1 - powerful MVS spear with an ornate appearance, made of very light weight but sharp materials.

Zeus Cannon x 1 - very powerful hand cannon. Slow, but destructive.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze luminous based shield

Role: Lyall's quick and deadly knightmare

Creator's comments:This unit is not inspired by anyone from Fate/Stay Night (unfortunately). It's even swifter than Medusa, comapring more to Dagonet Foresight. It also has great power. The only problem it has is it's low defense, and lack of variety in its attacks.

**Medea**: メデア "Medea"

Pilot: Nadia Fiammetta

Designer: Elenie Pallas

Height: 11' 1"

Weight: 9.8 tons

Description: a medium sized unit with a blue and black color scheme. Has blue hair extensions and black wings. Has a sort of thin design, without excessive armor.

Weapons:

Break sword x 1 - a smallish, twisted sword which can temporarily disable a unit if it gets a clear hit.

hadron converger beam x 1 - in left hand.

slash harkens x 3 - all three in chest

Dragon blast - a special attack that can be used by activating the core unit of the Medea. It's draining, but fires quickly and over a large area.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

advanced Neural interface - for use with Naida's geass, projecting it over the entire knightmare.

Blaze luminous based shield

Role: Naida's deceptive knightmare.

Creator's comments:This unit is inspired by Caster from Fate/Stay Night. She's pretty awesome. It's an offensive unit with a lot of tricks. Kind of slow and lacking in defense though. Mostly for use at a range.

**Hippolyta**: ヒッポリタ "Hipporita"

Pilot: Lucrecia Harrison

Designer: Elenie Pallas

Height: 14' 5"

Weight: 12.9 tons

Description: a medium sized unit with a green and white color scheme. Has silver-white hair extensions and white wings. feminine appearance, slender with skirt like lower torso armor.

Weapons:

chain axe x 1 - a large MVS axe used for direct attacks or thrown as a projectile.

MVS Bow x 1 - in left hand. Same as Viviane's

jack cable X 1 - a modified slash harken that connects to the enemy and hijacks it monitor systems

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Harken boosters

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze luminous based shield

Role: Lucrecia's brutal knightmare

Creator's comments:I wanted Lucrecia to have a cool, strong unit. I gave her one named after a Queen of the Amazons. Nice match for a cute little girl.

**Cúchulainn**: クーフーリン "Kuufuurin"

Pilot: Eilith vol Britannia

Designer: Rayner Wilde and Lloyd Asplund

Height: 10' 2"

Weight: 8.6 tons

Description: a smaller sized unit with a blue and silver color scheme. Blue energy mist. sleek but armored look to it.

Weapons:

Javelin, "Gáe Bolg" x 1 - a large javelin weapon attached to a harken cable. A special energy shield in it is activated when it is fired as a projectile that can cleave through msot and type of shield or armor.

MVS sword x 1 - in left hand.

Rune blaster - core unit based destructive heat blast used as a last sitch attack.

Equipment:

Energy mist offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze luminous based shield

Role: Eilith's swift, battle ready knightmare

Creator's comments: Yes, it's based off another Fate/Stay Night character, this time Lancer... I was lacking for inspiration and had already went into Irish Mythology for Astrid's knightmare. Ah well, it's a cool unit anyway.

**Odysseus**: オデッセアス "Odesseasu"

Pilot: Rowena Winfield

Designer: Elenie Pallas

Height: 16' 2"

Weight: 15.8 tons

Description: a large heavy unit with a red, black and brown color scheme. Has helmet like head and black wings. jagged, armored appearance with large spiky shoulders.

Weapons:

MVS sword x 1 - a very large MVS sword. Splits into two giant slash harkens in fortress mode.

Hadron cannon x 1 - in left hand. more powerful in fortress mode

slash harken cable X 4 -at shoulders in knightmare form, point outward in all directions in fortress mode.

jack cable X 1

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Harken boosters

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze luminous based shield

fortress mode

Role: Rowena's transforming knightmare

Creator's comments: it sounded liek a cool idea to have a knightmare that could transform into a mini knight giga fortress. I don't know why I selected the name for Rowena. Nothing really fit her. I considered instead Oedipus, but I couldn't convince myself that Deifilia would commission a knightmare named after him.

**Minos**:ミーノース "Miinousu"

Pilot: Lazarus Cain

Designer: Elenie Pallas

Height: 13' 7"

Weight: 9.9 tons

Description: a mid-sized unit with a black, white, red and gold color scheme. Has a gold crown upon its head and red wings. smooth coat like black plate armor covers most of it giving it an ultimately sleek shape.

Weapons:

MVS sword x 1 - a very thin, cross shaped sword

cross shield x 1 - a powerful shield with a cross on it.

slash harken cable X 4 -at shoulders in knightmare form, point outward in all directions in fortress mode.

jack cable X 1

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Harken boosters

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze luminous based shield

Role: Lazarus' speedy, simple knightmare

Creator's comments: Lazarus isn't an adept pilot, so his knightmare is a fairly simple one. His goal in any fight is to get the jack cable off and send his opponent to a personal hell. then start to destroy them. Minos was a king in Greek mythology. He owned the famed minotaur labyrinth . After death he became a judge of the dead in Hades, casting the deciding vote on the fate of men who had died. I thought this fit the rather judgemental Lazarus.

**Argonaut**:アルゴノート "Arugonouto"

Pilot: generic model

Designer: Elenie Pallas

Height: 12' 2"

Weight: 10.1 tons

Description: a simple unit, red in color. fairly bulky looking with helmet shaped heads.

Weapons:

MVS spear x 1

mini-hadron cannon x 1

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Harken boosters

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze luminous based shield

Role: a powerful new custom model used by an elite EU unit.

Creator's comments: I don't know. thought I'd update generics again. still not really interested.

**Vincent Grail**:ヴィンセント・グレイル "Vinsento Gureiru"

Pilot: generic model

Designer: Rayner Wilde

Height: 14' 4"

Weight: 7.6 tons

Description: a simple unit, red in color. fairly bulky looking with helmet shaped heads.

Weapons:

VARIS Rifle x 1 - high powered

MVS sword x 2 - larger than average

stun tonfa x 2

slash harkens x 2

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Harken boosters

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze luminous based shield

Role: a retuned Vincent Aether with more custom leveled specs and superior armor and speed

Creator's comments: see the comments on the above knightmare.

**Typhon**:テューポーン "Tyuupoun"

Pilot: Regina Granville

Designer: Elenie Pallas

Height: 99' 10"

Weight: 76.73 tons

Description: a truly gigantic knight giga fortress. Black and gray in color. Multi-spiked.

Weapons:

massive spike slash harkens x 18 - all have inbuilt jack cables.

high powered cannon X 2

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Harken boosters

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze luminous based shield

Role: Regina's gigantic death fortress

Creator's comments: Well, this fucker's overpowered, isn't it? GOing for something truly immense here. Typhon is the greatest monster in all of Greek Mythology.

**Cerberus**:ケルベロス "Keruberosu"

Pilot: Signa Norrell

Designer: Elenie Pallas

Height: 12' 7"

Weight: 18.9 tons

Description: a strangely shaped unit, stocky and rounded with four legs. Gray and red in color. uses a red energy mist system. Has two claw arms and a three prong cannon at the front

Weapons:

hadron blaster x 3 - at the front. Powerful

claw arm x 2 - can fire off as slash harkens.

energy wave beam X 1 - combines other weapons for super powerful blast.

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Harken boosters

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Blaze luminous based shield

Role: Signa's powerful, intimidating knightmare

Creator's comments: inspired by the famed hound of Hades, I thought it fit Signa well. It's a different, cool machine.

**Alexander**:アレクサンダー "Arekusandaa"

Pilot: Chiharu Ohgi

Designer: Elenie Pallas

Height: 15' 4"

Weight: 10.7 tons

Description: strong, solid look. Gold and white in color. Smoothed look. Spiked shoulders

Weapons:

White Saber X 1 - like the one from Mórrígan but in white.

golden blaster x 1 - powerful, compact blaster.

giant slash harken spikes x 2 - on shoulders; large and powerful

Equipment:

Energy Wings offensive/defensive/propulstion system

Harken boosters

Landspinner Propulsion System

Cockpit ejection system

Spirit Synchronizer

Blaze luminous based shield

Role: Chiharu's strong, heroic knightmare.

Creator's comments: Named after the Historical Alexander the Great rather than a more mythological player. I wanted something similar to, but different from Mórrígan. I think it's nice.

**Perseus**: The armored suit of the mysterious "Cornelia". Like an armored knight in appearance.

**Brunnhilde Valkyrie**: ブリュンヒルド・ヴァルキリー Buryunhirudo Varukirii: The powerful upgraded version of Amelia's Brunnhilde.

**Sieg Absolution: **ジーク・アブソルーション Jiiku Abusoruushon: A further powered up version of Jeremiah's Siegfried.

**Breunor: **ブルーノ Buruuno: A sturdy gunner unit designed by Lloyd Asplund for Wu Chaowei.

**Mordred Camlann Duel: モルドレッド・カムラン・デュエル Morudoreddo Kamuran Dyueru: **A further strengthened version of Anya's Mordred.

**Atalanta: **アタランタ Ataranta: a lightweight, heavily armed unit piloted by Cynthia Moore.

**Aífe: **アイフェ Aife: one of two twin units designed by Rayner Wilde for Katsumi Kozuki. Small and speedy.

**Scáthach: スカサハ Sukasaha: **one of two twin units designed by Rayner Wilde for Katsue Kozuki. Small and speedy.

**Fafner: **ファフナー Fafunaa: a noble, high offense knightmare designed for Hu Xuemei by Nina Einstein.

**Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. Eight Elements Ultimate Version: **紅蓮聖天八極最後式 (ぐれんせいてんはっきょくさいごしき) Guren Seiten Hakkyoku Saigoshiki: A supremely powerful modification to Kallen Kozuki's Guren.

**Jupiter**: ユーピテル Yuupiteru: a cobbled together super unit built as a last ditch defensive mechanism; piloted by Valeria Giullare.

**Other Technology:**

**Battleship Hitokage:** 戦艦火蜥蜴 (せんかんひとかげ) "Senkan Hitokage"

Description: A Black Knights aerial battleship. The design is based heavily on the Ikaruga, though its much smaller.

Weapons/shields:

Massive Hadron cannon X 1

small gun turret X 6

large gun turret X 2

slash harkens X 9

Radiant wave surger shield system

Role: The battleship out of which Chiharu's platoon operates.

Creator's comments: I always thought the Ikaruga was cool in Code Geass. I figure the Black Knights could make a few more aerial ships. It's cooler than some military base for Chiharu's bas of operations. Hitokage means salamander, not really sure what that has to do with the ship; I mostly picked it cause it sounded cool.

**Battleship Hikyuu: **戦艦貔貅 (せんかんひきゅう) "Senkan Hikyuu"

Description: A Japanese aerial battleship. The design is based heavily on the Ikaruga, though its much smaller.

Weapons/shields:

Massive Hadron cannon X 1

small gun turret X 6

large gun turret X 2

slash harkens X 9

Radiant wave surger shield system

Role: The battleship operated by Minami. Xianglin and Xuemei are stationed aboard as well.

Creator's comments: It's all but identical to the Hitokage. Hikyuu means from the translation I got, either a "ferocious, leopard like beast" or a "brave warrior" both are quite cool.

**Aerial Destroyer Huoyun: **航空駆逐艦火雲 (こうくうくちくかんフオユン) "Koukuu Kuchikan Fuoyun"

Description: A very large, Federation warship. The design is based loosely on the Ikaruga, though its much larger.

Weapons/shields:

Hadron cannon X 2

small gun turret X 12

large gun turret X 6

slash harkens X 15

Radiant wave surger shield system

Role: The battleship operated by Hong Gu. Kallen is stationed aboard.

Creator's comments: Huoyun means "fiery cloud" in Chinese according to Rabukurafuto. He told me it was a cool name and I should use it and that it'd work for either a knightmare or a character. When I saw it, I felt it was perfect for some type of airship instead. I really don't have much to say about it.

**Destroyer Olympus: **駆逐艦オリンパス (くちくかんオリンパス) "Kuchikukan Orinpasu"

Description: A very large, EU warship. Giant and colored black.

Weapons/shields:

Hadron cannon X 4

small gun turret X 10

large gun turret X 10

slash harkens X 22

Blaze Luminous shield system

Role: The lead ship of the EU fleet.

Creator's comments: Named for the mountain of the Gods. It's the lead ship of the EU.

**Locations:**

**Vortigern, the New Capital**: 新首都ヴォーティガン (しんしゅとヴォーティガン) "Shin-Shuto Voutigan"

Population: 670,000, estimated

Founded circa 1637 a.t.b.

Located in the Northeastern region of the Britannian mainland.

Role: The Capital of the Holy Britannian Empire following the destruction of Pendragon by F.L.E.I.J.A. in 2018 a.t.b. A new Imperial castle was constructed at the center of the city to house the Empress and her throne. The majority of the royal family lives in the city.

Creator's comments: Schneizel destroying the capital city near the end of geass is a rather big event. Had to come up with a new city as a result. Pendragon was obviously named after Arthur and Uther Pendragon,mythical British kings. I went the same route. Vortigern is the name of a far less famous mythical British king.

**Maldini Private Academy**: マルディーニ私立学園 (マルディーニしりつがくえん) "Marudiini Shiritsu Gakuen"

Enrollment: only about 700 students

Student uniform description: heavily features dark colors. The top portions, a suit coat for the guys, and a lighter, blouse for the girls are black. White shirts are worn underneath while the students were their choice of tie. The male uniform features pants and the female a skirt, both of which are a dark gray.

Role: an elite academy for the Empire's greatest rising stars is it's claim. Realistically it's just a high school for ridiculously rich kids. Where Ava and Astrid attend and serve on the student council.

Creator's comments: Ava goes to school simply because Lelouch went to school. I wanted her to have the same starting point as him. I considered a long time how I was going to name the school. I decided eventually to name it after some established character, but no one to big, or no one I was already planning to feature heavily. Kanon seemed like a good fit on both accounts. I don''t think he has much to do with the school in actuality; let's more just say it was named in his honor.

**Vortigern Imperial Prison**: ヴォーティガン帝都監獄 (ヴォーティガンていとかんごく) "Voutigan Teito Kangoku"

Population: roughly 4200 inmates

Role: the prison in Vortigern. Hold countless criminals who have violated Imperial law.

Creator's comments: I needed somewhere for Ava to pick up some crazy followers. A prison seemed very reasonable to me, because it could mean I have morally gray or black characters who are willing to submit fully to Ava's cause in exchange for whatever freedom. With the name, I really wanted something more creative, but I completely failed on that account.

**Vortigern City Park**: ヴォーティガン都市公園 (ヴォーティガンとしこうえん) "Voutigan Toshikouen"

Size: 2.12 sq mi.

Role: A park in the center of Vortigern. Serves as the location for the Celebration of Pace/Unmasking.

Creator's comments: I have just about nothing to say about this. The event had to happen somewhere. A large open park seemed like a good idea.

**Britannian Private Royal Military Prison: **ブリタニア私立王立軍事監獄 (ブリタニアしりつおうりつぐんじかんごく) "Buritania Shiritsu Ouritsu Gunji Kankoku"

Population: roughly 250 inmates

Role: a small prison for political enemies of Britannia and POWs. Broken into by Absolution.

Creator's comments: The second prison featured in this story. An important stage for some important events. It has high ceilings and poorly built, easy to destroy walls which make it ideal for knightmare combat, and though small, it's just big enough to get a little lost.

**New Pendragon, the City of Hope: **希望の都ニューペンドラゴン (きぼうのみやこニューニューペンドラゴン) "Kibou no Miyako, Nyuu Pendoragon"

Population: 360,000, estimated

Founded circa 2020 a.t.b.

Located at the location of the old Pendragon, to the side of the F.L.E.I.J.A. crater.

Role: A city built up after the destruction of Pendragon, mostly from former suburbs of the city. It grew rapidly in the almost twenty years since it was properly founded. it's construction was seen as a symbol of hope.

Creator's comments: I pretty much just wanted to give Absolution a city to win, so I decided on this. Not really much else to say about it.

**Santa Callida: **サンタカジダ "Santa Kajida"

Population: 2,550, estimated

Founded circa 874 a.t.b.

Role: A small town in northeast spain near the border with France. The birth town of Belisario Nemesio and where he once fought Cornelia li Britannia. Much of the town was destroyed in the war.

Creator's comments: Essentially just a foreign location for the events of chapter 19 to occur. it's a Spanish town because that's what I chose for Belisario.

**The City of Arturia: **アルトリア "Arutoria"

Population: 220,000, estimated

Founded circa 1821 a.t.b.

Role: A city in central Britannia which has thrown its support behind Absolution. Massacred by Regina Grannville

Creator's comments: Fate/Stay Night is the best game ever. Go play it if you haven't already (or at least watch the anime).

**Castle Amarantha: **アマランサ城 (アマランサじょう) "Amaransajou"

Built: roughly 1200 a.t.b.

Role: a creepy old castle that serves as Deifilia's base of operations. Very large, with numerous rooms, some of which have been enhanced with modern convinces despite the fact that the building is so old. Located in a dark forest in the heart of the EU.

**Geass:**

**Ava's Geass:**

Contract with: D.D.

Ability: By looking someone in the eye, Ava can compel anyone to answer anything she says completely truthfully. While they are under the Geass, the person cannot break eye contact with Ava until she is done with them. The do retain a conscious memory of all that they say. Ava's Geass can be used more than once on the same individual. It is activated whenever her stare becomes acutely focused.

Creator's comments: I love Ava's Geass. I wanted her Geass to operate in complete opposition to how Lelouch's worked. Lelouch was able to build a web of lies with his Geass. Ava's Geass removes lies and forces out the truth. Interestingly enough, it can be just as effective a means of manipulation.

**Brighton's Geass:**

Contract with: D.D.

Ability: Acute intelligence. In activating his Geass, his brain cells would operate at an alarming rate and he would be able to think up things that wouldn't be rightly invented until hundreds of years later.

Creator's comments: I needed my ancient immortal girl to be preserved somehow through Charles' reign. Even if she was in hiding he likely would have found her. If she was sleeping all that time underneath some old mansion her escaping all that was more reasonable. Making Brighton super-smart and able to build stuff he shouldn't have allowed this.

**Hjalmar's Geass:**

Contract with: D.D.

Ability: By looking someone in the eyes, he can send a pulse to the cells in the brain, causing them all to spontaneously rupture.

Creator's comments: Had to think up a Geass for a guy who's pretty much a barbarian. I think it's actually feasible.

**Chiharu's Geass:**

Contract with: L.L.

Ability: When activated, pulses are sent to Chiharu's brain. One frees her brain of limits on how much for it can be used, allowing for increased reaction time and quicker thought processes. The other pulse triggers a reaction that removes limits on her muscle usage, augmenting her strength and speed. Prolonged use of power is fatal.

Creator's Comments: Chiharu's Geass makes her uber powerful. Obviously, as a result, it has to come with an incredible list of drawbacks. Depending on how she uses it, it can become very dangerous; she can never rely on it. that sort of maks it a fun plot device. As I've said, I struggled coming up with her perfect geass, but I think this works wonderfully.

**Megami's Geass:**

Contract with: V.V.

Ability: Already evolved. Originally, there was a time limit. When activated, Megami's geass temporarily eliminates her presence entirely from the sight of everyone within a sphere of influence. It does not effect any senses aside from sight. The Geass has the drawback that it cannot be undone by Megami on her own; a certain amount of human body heat is requisite to disrupt it. this amount increases very slightly with each use, meaning Megami will eventually disappear from sight entirely.

Creator's comments: Megami's Geass is an important part of her character. It seems overly powerful at first, but its drawbacks are rather sad, especially for someone very social like Megami. It also can become ineffective against a more perceptive enemy, as it does not eliminate sound (and Knightmares can be rather loud).

**Signa's Geass:**

Contract with: ?

Ability: Already evolved. By looking some in the eyes she can temporarily augment their sense of feeling, both emotional and physical, this is most often used to escalate the pain of the other. The efect is however short lived. Additionally, the opposite sort of effect is visited constantly upon the user, draining her of feeling, and effect all emotion and humanity.

Creator's Comments: Signa is defined by her Geass. When I was considering Geass powers, this idea occurred to me as being plausible and sort of took hold as one to give to a minor character. It's fairly cool.

**Naida's Geass:**

Contract with: ?

Ability: Already evolved. Naida constantly is recognized as someone else by the recognition faculties of everyone within a sphere of influence. The effect pertains to sight, sound and even smell, though the effects are reconstructed from memories and Naida is quite bad at remembering the last as the same image for two long will give Naida sharp headache so she must change often (she'll actually chahnge subconsciously sometimes). She also gets headaches if she changes too much.

Creator's Comments: Naida's Geass is cool. Sure the headaches would get annoying and the fact that she can't stay the same person for very long makes it hard for her to make new friends, but it's all still pretty cool and a very interesting power.

**Hildegarde's Geass:**

Contract with: D.D.

Ability: Hildegarde's geass allows her to catch glimpses of other's pasts. She does not directly control the ability but rather it is controlled by strong desire. When active, only few seconds are lost no matter the length of the scene she witnesses. She can only use the ability once per person.

Creator's Comments: Hildegarde's Geass is interesting. A more or less non-battle Geass for the definitive warrior girl of the story. Though not for battle in the traditional sense, it does give Hildegarde insight into her opponent so that weakness become clear and psychological warfare becomes possible.

**Margaret's Geass:**

Contract with: D.D.

Ability: Margaret's Geass allows her to use the abilities of someone in proximity to her. This includes mental and physical abilities. She does not directly control the abilities, her mind just follows through the controlling thought patterns it rips from the other and her body is made to do them subconsciously.

Creator's Comments: Margaret's Geass suits her. A girl who always looks to others when looking at herself, it makes sense that her power would be in taking on the powers of others. it makes her a fearsome opponent for anyone for sure. Though she cannot control the borrowed abilities directly, her mental state is also not factored into them, so if her opponent falters, they are sure to lose.

**Philip's Geass:**

Contract with: ?

Ability: Philip can slow or speed up a persons perception of time, making everything neither seem to move at a crawl or fly by. He can switch back and forth readily. As a drawback, the Geass destabilizes the user's sense or reality. Requires eye contact.

Creator's Comments: Philip's Geass is cool. it can be quite immobilizing and powerful ad his erratic personality, it becomes even more disorienting for his opponents.

**Deifilia's Geass:**

Contract with: F.F.

Ability: Deifilia can, with her Geass, destroy, create, or rearrange cells in humans and animals by sending neural impulses through the eyes, allowing her to do any number of things. The power takes time and concentration to work, and it can only work effectively on parts of a body with numerous nerve endings, but it has no real drawbacks.

Creator's Comments: I wanted something powerful and un-Geass like for Deifilia. It's a cool ability I think, good for the big villain. It allows her to do a lot of special things

**Eldridge's Geass:**

Contract with: ?

Ability: Eldridge can see very clear visions of the fate of any person, should they acquire Geass. It's something of a limited power, to say the least, so it doesn't really have many drawbacks.

Creator's Comments: The Sage's Geass is very critical to Deifilia's scheming. He can see into fate and guide her on path to her vision. His power was designed to be her tool.

**Lazarus' Geass:**

Contract with: ?

Ability: Lazarus is able to force others to see ultra-realistic illusions, controlled and generated by his imagination. The drawback is that he himself sees these illusions constantly, even when the Geass is not active, depriving him of perfect touch with reality.

Non-Creator's Comments [I don't feel like getting daiki-kasho to comment on just this]: it's a cool power. Because of his hellish imagination, he can show you some really scary crap. This is hard on you if you're an 11 year old girl, as poor Astrid learned in the past chapter when she was effectively mind-screwed.

**Lucrecia's Geass:**

Contract with: ?

Ability: Lucrecia's Geass is simple; she can trap a person deep within the confines of their own mind by making eye contact with them. She can only use her power on one person at a time, and her actions while she using it are limited.

Creator's Comments [I actually did think of Lucrecia's Geass, even if he's daiki-kasho's character]: Lucrecia's Geass just came to me. I don't know. daiki-kasho started talking about her character and I threw the idea out for her geass and he okayed it first thing and I just sort of went with it. Pretty simple really. But I guess it's cool.

**Marcella's Geass:**

Contract with: D.D.

Ability: Marcella can use her Geass to hijack the sight of anyone in a certain sphere of influence. Can be used on multiple targets thanks to her visor.

Creator's Comments: Marcella's geass has her seeing from other's perspectives. I think it's a cool power.

**Bernard's Geass:**

Contract with: D.D.

Ability: Bernard's ability allows him to return pain he feels to the opponent many times over, causing intense pain. Eye contact is needed.

Creator's Comments: It works for him. He's a fairly pacifistic character, so a counter attack is fitting.

**Lyall's Geass:**

Contract with: D.D.

Ability: Lyall can use his Geass to inflame emotions in his opponent. Eye contact is needed

Creator's Comments: The abrasive jerk needs a power that works from him. This does. The more he pisses you off, the more you lose control.

**Edouard's Geass:**

Contract with: D.D.

Ability: Elischa can affect the way things are perceive within a small sphere of influence around him. Used mainly to make his attacks look like they come from different angles than they do

Creator's Comments: Trick attacks work for a character like him.

**Valeria's Geass:**

Contract with: D.D.

Ability: Valeria can pick up and process data from machines, able to then pinpoint their weaknesses.

Creator's Comments: Fits our knightmare fetishist.

**Elischa's Geass:**

Contract with: D.D.

Ability: Elischa has a limited telepathy, which enable him to detect when allies in a certain sphere of influence perceive themselves to be in danger. Allows him to predict enemy attacks.

Creator's Comments: For a fairly heroic man, this works being able to swoop in and protect others.

**Cesia's Geass:**

Contract with: D.D.

Ability: Cesia can form a limited telepathic web with up to ten people, for perfect coordination and awareness.

Creator's Comments: Suitable for the commanding leader type.

**Rowena's Geass:**

Contract with: D.D.

Ability: Rowena can make people see something they want to see. Either an expectation or a dream. it manifests thoughts. Eye contact is needed

Creator's Comments: A suitable Geass for someone who lives to fulfill a dream like Rowena.

**Regina's Geass:**

Contract with: D.D.

Ability: Regina can show other's vivid illusions of their greatest fears. Eye contact is needed.

Creator's Comments: A dark Geass to complete Regina's dark image.

**Katsue's Geass and Katsumi's Geass**

Contract with: L.L.

Ability: The two Geass cannot be uses independently and can only be used on the other twin. When used, the two twins develop a strict collective consciousness that is hyper-aware .

Creator's Comments: A powerful geass for our Kozuki will see them go pretty far. I suppose it's expected for twins to have a power like this, almost.

**Groups:**

**The Universal Commission**: ユニバーサルコミッション "Yunibaasaru Komisshon"

Description: The collective governing body of the Euro Universe. Led by the President of the Universal Commission (currently Belisario Nemesio). Is made up of 27 commissioners.

Comments: Essentially the same as the real life European Commission that governs the real life European Union, as I didn't have the creativity in me to think up something different. Hope no one minds.

**Absolution:**

Description: A group of dissenters against Ava's regime within Britannia. Seek to remove her from power. They wear color coded Zero masks that hide their identities, even from one another. They have a number of highly trained agents who act as spies of sorts.

Masks (- with true identities):

Orange - Jeremiah Gottwald

White - Sayoko Gottwald

Pink - Anya Alstreim

Blue - Cecile Croomy

Silver - Kanon Maldini

Brown - Larkin Elision

Yellow - Benjamin Wakefield

Green - Alastair Kennard

Gold - Milly Ashford

Red - Nina Einstein

Agents:

Amelia Gottwald

Miya Ashford

Cynthia Moore

Creator Comments: Even while they're question marks, some of them should be immediately obvious. Absolution is a very interesting component to the story in my opinion. They embrace the very lies Ava wishes to destroy. She is famous for the Unmasking, yet they all choose to wear masks as if to challenge her.

**The Four Champions: **四天王 (フォー・チャンピオンズ) "Fou Chanpionzu"

Description**: **The four top soldiers within the Euro Universe. They serve directly under the President of the Universal Commision, Belisario Nemesio and all pilot custom knightmare frames.

Creator's Comments: I wanted to do something with the EU in this story, get them involved in the fight, and not just off screen. Four seemed like a perfect number. It's not too many characters for you to lose track of them, but it's enough to serve the purpose.

**Verum Tutela: **ヴェルム・トゥーテーラ "Verumu Tuuteera"

Description: An anti-imperial terrorist organization to which Deifilia once belonged to.

Creator's Comments: I wanted it to sort of be equivocal to the Black Knights, but crushed before they could explode out. It means guardians of truth. Or it should. It probably doesn't.

**Events:**

**The Celebration of Peace: **平和祭 (へいわさい) "Heiwasai"

Description: An event scheduled to take place in Vortigern City Park to commemorate twenty years of lasting peace. Nunnally, Schneizel, Zero, and a slew of celebrity guests were scheduled to attend. It was sponsored by Pizza Hut

Comments: It seems somehow ridiculous to me honestly. I guess it can be explained in realizing that Nunnally is in control. Something like this would obviously be her idea. Needed some event where all the pieces would be in place.

**The Unmasking**: アンマスキング "Anmasukingu"

Description: the name given to the events occurring at the Celebration of Peace, in which Ava li Britannia removed Zero's mask and revealed his and Prince Schneizel's lies to the world.

Comments: Essentially the name given to chapter five, so it can easily be referenced. Chapter five was pretty cool, wasn't it?


	2. Turn 1: A New Demon for a New Age

A/N: Alright, now this is the actual first chapter. Hopefully you like it. If not, bear with me. The story will get more exciting. Here are some quick warnings:

**This story will contain spoilers pertinent to the end of Code Geass R2; if you have not seen the ending and do not wish to be spoiled, hold off on reading until you have seen it.**

**This story will contain lesbian romance and eventually sex.**

**This story will contain character deaths of some canon characters.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion or any of its characters or element. I do own my own Original characters, however.

"Lelouch vi Britannia," the old man gave a short cough before going into his lecture, "the man who would become known as the Demon King. Little is known about this enigmatic figure. Born 2000 a.t.b., child of our great 98th Emperor Charles zi Britannia and his fifth wife, the talented Knightmare test pilot best known as Marianne the Flash, he was named 11th prince and 17th heir to the throne. Thought lost for years after being sent to Japan as an envoy to help in negotiations with Japan prior to the Second Pacific War in 2010 a.t.b., he did not reemerge on the national scene until his sudden announcement to the world that he had slain his own father and stolen his throne. As our 99th Emperor, the Demon King did his best to deceive and mesmerize us with words of justice and equality in an effort to usurp control of the entire world. He was all but successful in his aims, having defeated and captured those who opposed him, but just as he was to silence his adversaries for good, Zero, the great masked hero of the people, made a gallant stand against him, silencing his tyranny for good, thus allowing this peaceful era we now all enjoy."

The old man took a deep breath as he came to a pause in his lecture. He adjusted his thick glasses and looked around his classroom. The students looked fairly attentive. Unlike most of his course material, the last few weeks of class, when they went over the events that had happened just twenty years ago, the events the children's parents still talked about, he had the room's full, undivided attention.

Or so it would be, were it not for one girl. Over the course of her year in his Britannian History class, this girl had shown nothing but apathy and loathing for him and his subject. She'd just glare and sleep and make the occasional snide comment about how he was full of shit. It was absolutely infuriating, but there was nothing he could do. Not only did this particular girl have the highest grade in his class, but there was also that other unfortunate circumstance. She was his country's princess.

"So class, do we have any questions in regards to the Demon King?" the elderly teacher asked, trying his best to avoid the young princess, who seemed to be in more of a mood than usual at this lecture, and turn instead to his more vibrant students. As it was several hands went up. He pointed to a young man, a below average student who rarely had questions to ask, "Yes, Joseph."

"This dude was Empress Nunnally's full Brother, right?" the young man, Joseph, poised his question with a slow nod.

"That is correct. It's hard to believe that such a kind and fair ruler and the demon of our age could have come of the same parentage, but that's how it goes sometimes," the teacher said with a bit of a smirk. He turned to another child with his hand raised, one of his all together average students, "David."

"So, no record exists of what the Demon King did in that time between being sent to Japan and killing his father?" the boy asked, finding this peculiar.

"Very little clear details exist. Evidence seems to indicate that he was in Japan for the duration of that time, attending Britannian schools there while it was still Area 11, but even the Empress hasn't revealed much of that time frame," the old man did his best to answer the question. Wanting a more thought out question he turned to the girl with the second highest grade in his class, who sure enough had her hand raised. "Margaret, your question please."

"Yes, Mr. Holman," the bright eyed girl said standing up. "Considering that Zero was number on enemy or Britannia under Emperor Charles' rule and had done much to defy the Empire, why is it you think the Britannian people were so quick to accept him on his first appearance under Emperor Lelouch's rule?"

The old teacher, Mr. Homan, smirked. Margaret was an exceptional child, the sort of bright, perceptive and engaged youth an aging high school history teacher enjoyed teaching. "Zero gave us hope at our darkest. We finally, in those moments, saw what his followers had seen. He was a fair and just man, an ally of justice. The past didn't matter anymore. Britannia knew that they had found someone they could trust, someone they could follow out of the darkness and into our new peaceful world."

"You trust Zero?!" an apathetic voice spoke out of turn, ending in a brusque laugh. Holman needn't even look to know the source.

"Is there something wrong with that, Princess Ava?" the old man started, finding the confrontational girl with her fair skin, lustrous black hair and impeccable royal features.

"Isn't it kind of stupid to blindly follow some freak in a mask?" the insufferable princess curtly remarked. Holman could feel his temper rising. The rest of the class was sent into a stir.

"Ava… You don't have to--" the impossibly meek and reserved blonde girl next to the princess started with a shake of her head.

"No Astrid, it's important blind fools are occasionally made to question their ignorance," the princess softly replied to her blonde friend.

"Even if you are royalty, Princess, defaming Zero is not something entirely appropriate…" the old man muttered under his breath, fighting every urge to go off on the disrespectful little girl.

"Haven't you ever wanted to know the name and face of the one who seems to dictate what happens in our world?" Ava questioned, a downright evil look in her eyes.

"It's irrelevant. Knowing Zero's identity, whatever it may be, would not change the fact that he is our world's savior from the chaos of war," Mr. Holman started, a bit of a glare visible on his face.

"I find it just laughable that a so called historian is only interested in the pretty lies of this world," Ava spat cruelly, rising from her seat. "Astrid, let's waste no more time here today. I've lost my patience for it."

"Of course, Ava, right away!" the shy blonde said, stumbling a little as she rose to follow the other.

The two girls left the classroom without a further word. Holman couldn't do anything to stop them. As almost the entirety of the royal family was lost with the old capital Pendragon twenty years ago, the girl was just sixth in line to the throne despite being a mere granddaughter to Emperor Charles. Holman wasn't about to defy a girl who could very well be his Empress one day. Instead he turned to the remainder of his class.

"Right... are there any more question?" he asked with a sigh. Hands shot up.

---

Ava could feel her blood boil as she paced out of her so called "history" class. Ava hated lies and the idiots who were content in believing them. Scott Holman was a prime example of the said idiot. She didn't know who Zero was or any of the truth behind his rebellion or the rise of Emperor Lelouch, but she sure as hell didn't believe the crap written in her slanted history book could be taken at anywhere near it's face value.

"Was that really okay, Ava?" Astrid asked in a soft voice as she trailed after.

"Don't people like him make you angry, Astrid?" Ava fumed as she continued to pace down the hall.

"Umm… I guess so… I mean I don't think we can trust Zero either… not until he shows us his face, that is…" Astrid said with her usual uneasy smile and unsure nod. It was uncertain if the girl was telling the truth or simply siding with Ava to appease her; Astrid rarely was capable of speaking her own mind. Still, even if she was sometimes closer to a follower than a friend, having Astrid at her side did a lot to make Ava feel secure.

"Then why do you need to ask if it's okay?" Ava replied, giving a short laugh.

"Y-you're right, I guess… I just sort of feel bad for him... that's all," Astrid said very softly, averting her eyes from the other. Ava shook her head. Her and Astrid had been friends for over ten years now and still the girl acted so insecurely around her. She knew a lot of the blame rested in her aggressive attitude, but she still hoped that someday the beautiful blonde would emerge from her shell.

"Maldini Academy is the most prestigious, expensive private high school in the entire Capital," Ava argued. "If a teacher here is going to have the Fourth Princess of Britannia and the Knight of Twelve in his class shouldn't he at least be expected to be something of an intellectual?"

"Please Ava, you're one thing, but I'm nothing special…" Astrid said blushing slightly and shaking her head.

"I disagree Astrid, it's a beautiful accomplishment for someone your age. You should be prouder of yourself," Ava shook her head. Her dear friend was a bit of an anomaly to her. Soft-spoken and kind, she wasn't the sort of girl one would ever dream to take a soldier's life by choice, especially when you went back and factored her noble family's wealth into the equation. To think that a girl such as her was not only skilled behind the controls of Knightmare but downright unrivaled for her age, only made things more unusual. "You're following directly in your father's footsteps. You'll have his rank someday, I'm sure."

"I don't know Ava… I think it's more instead, I only got where I am today because of my father's name and rank…" the criminally modest girl replied, looking down as she did. "I could never be Knight of One like him."

"Very well Astrid, if that's what you tell yourself…" Ava said with a long sigh.

"I'm sorry…" Astrid muttered quietly, prompting yet another sigh.

"Never mind it," the princess said, evening out the frown that was usual on her face. "We have a meeting today."

"Yeah… but there was still twenty minutes left in class… none of the others will be there yet…" Astrid reminded, looking over at a clock in the hall way.

"There's nothing that says we can't wait for the other's there, Astrid," Ava said, letting the slightest smirk slip.

"Yeah. Okay," Astrid said, smiling widely herself.

---

Richter Novak wore a content smirk on his face as he made his way through the school halls, his business prep class having just released with the final bell. He made his way through the crowd of students effortlessly, a cold frown engrained on his face as he ignored the affectionate stares of the female student body and the jealous ones of the male. He couldn't help it if he was popular, after all he had everything.

His father was president CEO of one of the most successful corporations the world over. He himself was Student Council President and Senior Class Valedictorian at the most prestigious private academy within the Capital City of Vortigern. He was a bankable success, bound to do something with his life, make something of himself. If knowing that made him a little full of himself, then so be it.

Richter made it to the Student Council meeting room almost prompter than most of his fellows made it out of their respective classes' doorways. He was always prompt, never one to make others wait. Walking inside the large meeting hall, he was surprised to find it was not empty today. Two council members were already inside. His scowl deepened.

"You're early today, Princess. Unusual considering your class is on the opposite side of the building," the young man said in a cold, deep voice with a similar accompanying stare.

"it's less unusual when you consider me and Astrid have been sitting here at least 15 minutes now, Richter" the princess said in a lightly deriding voice. Richter girt his teeth.

This woman, Ava being her name, had a lot of nerve. She was a year younger than him but treated him like any other fool. She accepted no other name but "princess" from him and unlike the other council members never used his title in addressing him. He should have found everything about this woman insufferable, but he didn't. Ava was the only student this school had that he had any semblance of respect for. She was the only one he could view as an equal.

"Is it anything appropriate for the future Student Council president to be skipping class, Princess," Richter said disdainfully.

"I'm not a busybody like you, Richter. If I feel someone is wasting my time, I have trouble putting up with it," Ava replied pointedly, apathy in her voice. Richter almost felt like laughing at the response.

"Say what you may, it still doesn't reflect well on our academy," the Council President said, finally taking his seat at the head of the table.

"And you don't even know half of it, President. That… princess… actually told Mr. Holman off before storming out of class!" a grating voice reached Richter's ears from behind. He was soon greeted by the bane of his existence.

"You don't say, Margaret…" Richter responded in a completely bored fashion, not even looking at the girl. "Please take your seat."

"But, President, aren't you going to listen to me. She needs to be punished somehow," the truly annoying girl stammered in front of him.

If nothing else did, the thought that he would be rid of this girl made Richter glad he was graduating in a few weeks. Margaret Enneagram, bastard child of an unmarried Knight of the Rounds; it was a wonder high society hadn't ostracized her entirely. Everything about the girl was tedious.

As Ava's long-standing, self-appointed rival, she took to pursuing everything the princess did. She succeeded at most of it, but never on the same caliber as Ava. In test scores, school fencing competitions, the election of the Council president for the next year, and in the number of young men who asked her out daily, she always was a distant second place. Her pretentious, haughty and loud nature coupled with her obvious crush on him was what really made being around the girl truly unbearable for Richter.

"Even if there were times that senile old fool hit my lat nerve last year, it is a little bold to become openly confrontational with a teacher, Princess. Perhaps you should refrain from such behavior next year," Richter said in an even, advisory tone, not in the least bit scolding.

"I can't make any promises, I'm afraid. That entirely depends on what these so called 'teachers' try to shove down my throat, Richter," Ava snidely responded, giving an offhand smirk.

"You. The teachers here are some of the most knowledgeable in Britannia. To think you feel you can question them just because you're a princess..." Margaret scoffed, shooting Ava a stern glare.

"They're not all bad I suppose. Its a weighted scale," Ava gave a quick laugh. "There's Holman and the other blind morons, a few who are perfectly competent, and then there's Dr. Wilde."

"Wilde really has you that impressed, princess?" Richter asked, looking at the girl.

"The man's a genius. That someone like him is stuck teaching physics to ungrateful high school students is a travesty of the nation," the princess commented dryly.

"It's all he can do. Most the experimental research jobs vanished over night when the war stopped. I mean even Ms. Einstein is working as a professor down at the University these days," Margaret said.

"Speaking of which, I wonder where our last member is," Richter said, looking up at the clock. It was three minutes passed the time their meeting was set to begin.

"That girl defines carefree. She's only a member here because her parents wanted it so badly," Ava said in a bored voice.

"Don't say that Princess, just say instead that you enjoy having me on your team!" a cheerful voice said from behind the opening door. In walked the last member of the Student Council, Miya Ashford.

This girl, much like Margaret, came form a background where most would be surprised she was allowed a seat at the Student Council of a prominent Britannian school. She was Japanese by birth, an orphan adopted by the unlikely couple of a famed journalist and a world famous physicist, both of whom happened to be female. Richter didn't judge the girl for that or anything else. Miya was a spirited, beautiful girl, who was fun to be around, but altogether too lacking in clear ambition to be of any interest to Richter.

"So, I miss anything?" Miya asked cheerfully as she meandered over to her vacant seat.

"No, we were yet to begin," Richter informed in a dry voice, looking at the other.

"Oh, that's rare, usually you start right on point, Pres," Miya said with a cheerful smile. "Something happen?"

"Our little princess here was receiving a scolding for being horribly rude to Mr. Holman today," Margaret informed in her usual proud voice, offering a sideways glare at Ava. Richter felt like telling the girl she was delusional.

"Oh that's nothing new. I don't remember _not_ sleeping through that old stiff's class last year. He'd have to be used to it by now," Miya said with a pleasant laugh.

"Ava didn't just sleep in class this time, she insulted Holman and called the content of his lecture into question," Margaret said, accusatorially.

"Judging from the time of year, I'd take it you were going over The Black Rebellion, The Demon King, the Rise of Empress Nunnally, something in those lines," Richter guessed. "It's only natural that the old men push their bias past the breaking point when they start teaching form their memory rather than from a book."

"Do you have to take her side, President?" Margaret scoffed, turning away in disgust.

"What do you expect? Of course one smug and superior grump is going to take the side of the other," Miya said in a joking tone. "It's almost like they're perfect for each other."

"It's not a question of sides, rather one of understanding, Margaret," Richter tried his best to ignore the spirited girl's comments and how they might have broken his cold composure. He received countless confessions daily but there was only one he'd think to accept.

"What did you think Astrid? Was what Ava said to old Holman really all that bad?" Miya asked, turning to the Student Council member whose existence Richter all too often forgot.

Now Astrid Weinberg had the highest pedigree of any one there save the Princess. She was the true born daughter of a celebrated noble family, daughter of the Knight of One, Knight of Twelve herself. Despite this, the girl was boring. She rarely spoke, and when she did it was just to agree with Ava, whom she followed around like some sort of lost dog. She was nothing more than a mindless follower who seldom used her own brain. It was laughable that someone like that girl was a Round, sure proof that the age when Knights were needed was long gone.

"I-I think… I think what Ava said was right… s-she might have been a little rude, b-but I don't think she was wrong…" Astrid answered in a shy, stutter filled manner that drained her character of any intelligence. The answer surprised no one. It actually angered Richter to the point where he had had enough of the mindless banter.

"Right, now moving along. We have a meeting in case you all have forgotten," he spoke harshly. Everyone looked up.

---

Ava wore a frown on her face as she exited the Student Council room and headed for the school exit. It was another tedious meeting, in another tedious day, in a tedious life. As she considered the tedium of it all, she sighed. Lelouch vi Britannia was just a year older than her when he had conquered the world. As bright as she was, as talented, as respected, she knew she didn't have the power to do something so grand. She wanted that power. There was a lot about the peaceful, crumbling world around her she did not like.

"So… umm… I think that was a fun meeting," Astrid muttered in a near muted voice from behind the princess.

"What exactly was fun about it, Astrid?" Ava replied bitterly.

"Ava… you can't be so… Next year you're going to be president you know…" Astrid said very sheepishly.

"President of the Student Council," Ava laughed at the title. "It's but a joke that the pinnacle of power I can attain at this point. Lelouch had the entire world under his thumb at 18, and all I'll have managed is a single high school."

"Yeah… I guess that's true... but…" the shy girl struggled like usual to articulate herself, "But isn't it still... nice… to see everyone…."

"I don't particularly care for those people over any others," Ava coldly stated. "Miya and Margaret both lack any semblance of maturity."

"And w-what about Richter…?" Astrid asked somewhat uneasily.

"He's intelligent, has ambition and the drive needed to fulfill it," Ava said deliberately. "But he is notably ahead of himself. Just because his father runs Pizza Hut, he thinks he's entitled to the world."

"Yeah… but what about what Miya said… about you and him…?" Astrid asked looking at the floor.

"I believe I told you many times, Astrid, but I have no interest in romance, no matter who it is who says he loves me," Ava said wit ha frown. It was frustrating turning so many men down a day. "Richter Novak would be no exception. In fact, I'd say being around that man for more than an hour a day would be downright grating on the nerves."

"Okay… I see…" Astrid said, giving a faint nod as the two finally reached the school exits and walked outside. Ava quickly spotted the jet black limousine with the skinny, balding man in a suit in front of it that she was used to seeing.

"Anyway, Astrid, I see Padriac down there." Ava said motioning toward the car. "I suppose I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes! Of course! See you tomorrow, Ava…" Astrid said with a smile, waving as the princess made her way to the car.

"Good day, my lady. How was school today?" Ava's immaculate servant, Padriac Princeton, greeted her with a nod as he opened the car door for her.

"The same as it ever is, Padriac, tedious," Ava replied as she sat down in the limousine, the door closed behind her. Padriac found his way to the driver's seat.

"I'm sorry to hear that, my lady. Perhaps your senior year will be more to your liking," the servant said as he started the car and began to drive.

"It's a sign that our society is in a decline that a princess even is allowed to attend a normal high school," Ava bitterly remarked, looking out the dark tinted windows of the limousine.

"I'm sure your father would hire you a private tutor if you were to speak with him about it, my lady" Padriac replied in his typical formal way.

"I didn't say anything about me preferring one thing to another, Padriac, just what it signifies," Ava clarified with a sigh.

"I apologize, princess," the servant said evenly.

"There's no need for that," Ava shook her head.

"Of course." Padriac continued to drive in the direction of the manor where Ava lived, which happened to be a fair distance from the school as it was on the very outskirts of town. Moments passed in silence until the car ran into some traffic passing through an industrial sector. Ava was surprised at the display outside her window. Several Knightmare frames were being unloaded from a large truck into the scrapyard.

"What is this about?" Ava started in surprise, staring out of her window.

"I'd think it only logical, my lady. With the economy as it is now, the government's going to seek out any means it can to sustain itself. What's the use in Knightmare Frames when there's no war?" Padriac responded, looking out at the display himself.

"But those are _Vincent_s… no _Vincent Ward_s…!" Ava exclaimed as she recognized the models populating the scrapyard. There were about twenty of them. "Have we really fallen so far that even the top line models are being scraped for raw materials?"

"You know how it is, princess. Territories are seceding from us daily. In terms of land, money, and power the Holy Empire of Britannia is now a clear third behind the EU and even the Chinese Federation these days," Padriac said in a dry tone, as the traffic began to move again.

"I don't understand how Empress Nunnally can be so soft, let things become so stagnant. I wouldn't, that's for sure," Ava scoffed moodily. "it makes me wonder how the world would be different had that masked loon not shown up and stabbed Emperor Lelouch in the heart."

"Even if you are a princess, my lady. It is generally considered treasonous to defile the name of Lord Zero," the servant advised in a cautious voice.

"Are you telling me what I can and cannot say, Padriac?!" Ava said in a threatening voice.

"Of course not, my lady," the servant replied. Silence filled the car for the rest of the drive.

Ava wore an exhausted expression as Padriac opened the car door to allow her exit. She stepped out and let the man guide her to her front door. He opened that for her as well. She stepped inside.

"Good evening, my lady. How was school today?" Anne Levine, the head maid, greeted her mistress with a smile.

"As usual, Anne," Ava replied in a bored voice.

"I see," the maid replied. "Will you be joining your father for dinner this evening?"

"No. I'm already depressed... and don't feel particularly hungry either," Ava responded with a sad frown.

"I see. You want anything brought up to your room then?" Anne asked in a soft voice.

"No, I don't need it," Ava said with a sigh.

"Understood," the maid said with a nod as her mistress began to walk in the direction of the large staircase leading up to the second floor. Remembering something, Anne called out to her, "Wait, princess, there something else I forgot to mention."

"Yes, Anne?" Ava stopped and stepped back toward the maid.

"Something arrived in the mail today which I'd like you to see," Anne said, stepping toward a small table by the door. She picked up a long cardboard box.

"What is it?" Ava asked, looking at the box with curiosity.

The maid opened it, pulling out a beautiful ornamental sword. She handed it to Ava.

"My… what a fine blade… it's downright immaculate…" Ava said as she admired the sword. She looked back up at the amid, confused, "who sent this?"

"The package wasn't marked in any way," the maid responded, looking a bit scared.

"Thats unusual. So we don't know who sent it or why…" Ava said as she further examined the shimmering blade. It wasn't the kind of sword you just randomly throw in someone's mailbox without reason; it's hilt was golden and encrusted with a large jewel. Just under the hilt there was what appeared to be some engraving, Ava looked at it, trying to make sense of it, "What is this…"

"Brighton Ellesmere, the original owner of this house," Anne said.

Ava gave a slight gasp, "Of corse! I recognize it now, this is his insignia."

"Yes," the maid nodded.

"You don't think this is the missing centerpiece from the basement library?!" Ava asked, excitement in her face.

"That is what we came to believe upon researching the object," Anne nodded again.

"Does father know about it?" Ava asked.

"I didn't have the opportunity to tell him, nor was I sure I should bother," the maid responded somberly.

"I see… I'll find a way to tell him myself tomorrow," Ava said firmly. "You wouldn't mind if I brought this to it's place in the basement myself, would you Anne?"

"Of course not, my lady. Help yourself. I figured you'd want to," the maid shook her head.

"Right, well I think I'll head down there now," Ava said, smiling as she held the sword.

The princess made hew way swiftly down the spiral staircase which lead to the grand library in the basement. The manor where Ava lived was very old. Brighton Ellesmere, the original owner, had it built for him over 200 years into the past, when Britannia was just reaching it's stride on the mainland. After Elesmere's death the house was left abandoned for over a hundred years until someone saw to revive it. Then, many years later, after Pendragon was taken by F.L.E.I.J.A., Ava's mother stumbled upon the house and, it unoccupied at the time, saw to purchase it.

The house had a mysterious reputation due to its founder. Brighton Ellesmere's name was one found commonplace in the world of the occult. A rumored magician, he was known to keep the company of witches. Through some influence, maybe it actually was magic, he managed to find himself Baron of a large chunk of territory surrounding what would later become the city of Vortigern, until the people he ruled over revolted and saw him burned alive.

Ava smiled as she looked around the musty old library that once belonged to the reputed wizard. She quickly found what she was looking for, the large statue of Ellesmere at the center of the room, his hands in front of him held together, resting unnaturally on nothing but air. Ava moved up to the statue and continued to smile as she slipped the ornamental sword under the statue's hands. It fit perfectly. She took a step back and stared at it in admiration. It just looked right.

Ava spent a lot of her time down in this library. It was dusty and humid, and the air smelt of mold, but it was a place where Ava could achieve solitude, and lose herself in the aged, decaying books. She knew the library well, it was one of the few places where she found amusement. That's why she was thrilled to have the sword returned to its proper place. But because she knew the library so well, she also had to retrieve the sword from that place almost immediately.

She had always found something in the library strange. There was a small stretch of wall at the left corner of the room that held no statue, ornament or book case. In this wall, was a very small, unnatural opening. Ava had tried sticking things into this wall before, thinking that perhaps it may do something, but nothing had ever got any reaction. She honestly didn't expect anything to occur in placing the sword into the long, narrow opening either, she was just being curious.

So when a loud click sounded as the sword found it's way all the way into the wall, Ava almost jumped in surprise. Slowly the wall pushed itself in, then it hinged back, revealing itself as a door. She was shaking with anticipation as she stepped into the newly revealed hallway. She followed that hallway to another door, this one the simpler wooden fashion. Her heart was racing as she twisted the ornamental golden nob.

The room she entered was an incredible sight. It was small but filled with many amazing things. There were books older than the ones in the library yet better preserved; shimmering gold artifacts, the like of which the house was said to be filled before it was looted after Ellesmere's death; and strange instruments and contraptions, one of which held a decayed human skeleton. Ava knew at once what she had stumbled on, the secret laboratory of the Wizard Baron Brighton Ellesmere.

One object caught her attention more than any other though. At the very center of the room was a heavily decorated, human-sized box. Something about it called to her. She wanted to open it. She stepped slowly toward it and did just that. What she found inside shocked her.

Lying there inside the box as if it were her coffin, was a girl. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving, but something told Ava she was alive. She didn't understand how this was possible. It was unnatural. It frightened her. It also left her curious .She touched the girl's neck, trying to confirm she was indeed alive. She was warm. She opened her eyes. Ava took several steps back and retrieved a rust covered dagger from a nearby desk, she watched as the girl slowly sat up and looked around the room before focusing on her.

"A girl…" the mysterious girl in the box started as she stared at Ava, disappointment in her eyes.

"Who are you?!" Ava shouted pointing the rusty knife at the strange girl.

"Me? I'm called D.D.. I'm a witch," the strange girl said with a very healthy yawn. She stood up slowly and stepped out of the box. Ava studied her. She had very long blonde hair that went down almost to her knees. She was dressed in a loose long whited robe that did not conceal the fact that she had a rather large chest. She had deep blue eyes and soft pale skin. All in all it combined to give her the image of some unreal, ideal beauty.

"A witch…?" Ava questioned disbelief. Witches couldn't exist. Then again what other explanation was there? This girl had been sleeping undisturbed in a box for about 200 years.

"I can't believe that Britghton… to stick me with a female master… the nerve of him…" the strange girl said, looking fairly agitated. "Girl's are so boring…"

"Please… explain all this to me… what are you doing down here? What makes you a witch?" Ava asked tentatively, still in a panicked state.

"Did Brighton really tell you nothing? Honestly that man…" D.D. grumbled, looking around the laboratory again.

"B-Brighton Ellesmere has been dead for 200 years now," Ava started, a little hesitant from fear as to what the so called witch may do to her. "He was burned alive along with all his servants, friends and family. His house was left abandoned for years until it was decided to refurbish it. My mother bought it nineteen years ago. My father and I live here now."

"T-two-hundred years ago…!" D.D. was the one who now looked shocked. "You can't be serious…"

"I'm afraid I am. Whatever promise he made to you, he was unable to keep in the end," Ava started, her nerves still in a mess.

"I told him to make a place where I can sleep with his Geass, to think it could have worked for 200 years…" the witch said deliberately. "I have this feeling I'm going to have to spend a lot of time researching this era to get caught up to having you as my master."

"Why am I your master?" Ava asked.

"Well you are the one who found me and freed me from Brighton's special box here. I loathe the though of having a contract with a girl, but it just wouldn't be fair to refuse you the power because of that," D.D. said, issuing a long sigh.

"Please explain all of this to me! I understand none of it!" Ava demanded.

"Grrr... Do you have to make this so difficult…" D.D. complained. "Witches are immortal beings who have on their bodies codes which enable them to make contracts with humans. The contract entitles the human to the power of Geass in exchange for the human eventually granting the witch's wish."

"What is this wish?" Ava asked immediately. She knew how to analyze contracts, start with the catch.

"I don't know. That part never really interests me. I mostly just make contracts for fun. I honestly don't know what sort of wish I'll make of a female master… I cant use my usual one…" D.D. said, looking agitated again.

"And what is this power? Geass, you called it," Ava approached the other part of the contract.

"It's the Power of the King. It could get you everything you want but leave you in solitude," the witch replied as if she was reciting from something.

"Alright, and what does this power do?" Ava asked, interested.

"It depends on the person," D.D. replied. "The last contract I made was with Brighton Ellesmere, who manifested an acute inhuman intelligence. The first contract I made was with a man who called himself, Hjalmar the Brutal. His Geass allowed him to make the brain of whomever he looked into the eyes of instantly explode. There were many, many contracts between the two and each of them was different."

"I see…" Ava said in a deliberate fashion. She didn't give it much thought. She had always wanted power. Signing a contract with a witch was a small price to pay for something that could maybe grant her what she so desired. "I shall accept the terms of the contract."

"Eager for power, are you girl?" D.D. gave a short laugh as she took several steps toward Ava and extended her hand. "Tell me, what is your name?"

"I am Fourth Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire, Ava li Britannia!" Ava announced proudly, taking eager step toward the witch and grabbing her hand.

Ava's brain began to swirl rapidly as memory after memory replayed itself for her. It was like her whole life was being shown to her again. it was dizzying. The face of everyone she had ever known was clear to her for once. She could see Padriac, Anne and the other servants; Miya, Richter, Margaret, and the other students she knew; Holman, Wilde, other teachers, other adults, even some whose names she no longer knew; the other members of the royal family, her aunt Arienette and her children, the Empress, the Prime Minister; her father; her mother; Astrid; she could see them all.

Before Ava knew it, the visions had proven too much for her empty stomach and she fell to the ground, growing instantly weary.

"Contract must have been too much for her… never known one to pass out immediately afterward…" D.D. said. Ava could barely discern the words.

"A princess, she said… Perhaps this really will be interesting... after all…" the witch muttered finally before Ava lost herself to sleep.

---

Astrid Weinberg wore a smile as she waited in front of Maldini Private Academy. She waited like this every day. The Weinberg manor was in walking distance from the Academy (not that a noble's daughter was actually allowed to walk), and Ava's home was on the very outskirts of the city, but still she'd wait. She treasured those first few moments with Ava each day before classes started.

Eventually that familiar black limousine pulled up in front of her, leading to all the familiar nervousness. The car's engine shut off and the front door opened. The servant Padriac emerged and walked around the car to the furthest back passenger door, Astrid smiling at him as he did. He opened the door and slid it open. Ava emerged slowly.

Astrid never got over seeing Ava for the first time each day. Her beauty was so captivating. Her seamlessly straight, lustrous and flowing, jet black hair; her pristine, milky white skin; and her tall, well curved figure all blent together to create true perfection. Her immaculate, black school uniform with it's cute, matching skirt and blouse only highlighted that incredible beauty.

"Good morning, Ava," Astrid said with a kind smile.

"Astrid," Ava said, nodding to the girl, as her eyes came to a steady stare upon her. "How are you?"

"Nervous and excited," Astrid replied readily.

"What?! There a test today I forgot about … or something?" Ava asked, staring at the girl peculiarly. Astrid's heart jumped. She had just said that aloud. Why?

"No... it's nothing like that…" responded the blonde girl, now a little scared.

"I see, then what? Some boy you like ask you out finally?" Ava seemed genuinely concerned now.

"That's impossible. I have no interest in boys," Astrid said plainly.

"You… don't? But I always knew you to be interested in romance?" Ava said, staring at the girl oddly. Astrid was terrified; why was she saying all this? She couldn't help it. Something in Ava's gaze was compelling her, making it impossible to withhold anything no matter how small.

"I am very interested in romance," Astrid said in an even tone, not blinking, just staring ahead at Ava. She looked into Ava's eyes; something was off about them. The corners of her pupils had become pointed and triangular somehow.

"Your confusing me Astrid. Why are you acting like this? You're just not being yourself..." Ava said staring harder at the girl.

"I honestly don't know. It's just that when you stare at me, for some reason, I find I can do nothing but say the honest truth," Astrid explained as calmly as before.

"Well, your truth has me confused, Astrid. If you have no interest in boys, then who is it you have an interest in romance with?" Ava expressed her confusion, she still stared at her dear friend.

"You," Astrid replied, tears beginning to fill her eyes even though she was still being mesmerized into the words. "I love you Ava, and I always have."

Ava blinked several times in succession. "A-Astrid… you… I didn't…I-I." At a loss for words, the usually confident princess averted her eyes from the girl allowing them to fall on the floor.

Astrid found then that she was no longer under the horrible spell. She also recognized that what she had just said was very real. She had just casually revealed her most guarded secret, the thing she was never to reveal. She took several steps back as she went into an uncontrollable panic. Tears poured from her eyes.

"I-I'm… I'm… I-I'm sorry…" she stuttered before breaking into a full speed run as far from her beloved friend as possible.

As she ran the tears continued to flow. She was broken. Everything was broken. Ava was sure to hate her now. She had just thrown away the happiness of her life. The truth had cost her everything.

A/N: End chapter 1. A pretty long opening chapter. I think it did a fair job of establishing a portion of the cast. Hopefully you like the characters so far. If not, there are many more to be introduced over the course of this thing. The high school setting won't be a big factor for very long, if you're worried about that; I just wanted to start there to create a not so vague parallel to Lelouch's story initially. So I guess I'll just let you guys tell me what you thought. I think this is a solid introduction.

The poll tells me 23 of you have a sustained interest in the fic (rated their interest 3 or above). Hopefully all of you are still interested now. (new poll will come with next chapter of my Bleach story).

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Scott Holman

Margaret Enneagram

Princess Ava li Britannia

Astrid Weinberg

Richter Novak

Miya Ashford

Padriac Princeton

Anne Levine

Baron Brighton Ellesmere

D.D.

Hjalmar the Brutal

Vortigern, the New Capital

Maldini Private Academy


	3. Turn 2: The Path to the Truth

A/N: I'm way ahead of schedule, but I was just too damn excited to get this out there. Time for chapter 2. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: D.D.: "CrazyNinjaPenguin does not own Code Geass. He does, however, own his original characters, including me. Wouldn't you like to own me too?"

The halls of the Britannian Royal Castle were grand and expansive. It was intimidating for a small child to walk down them alone. But when one is separated from Mother and finds herself lost in those halls what choice does she have but to walk forward? That was what the child might have told herself if she wasn't a child, but as she was, her thoughts at that moment were full of nothing but paralyzing fear.

"Hi. What's your name?" a high voice said from beside the child. The small girl almost jumped at the sound. She turned tentatively to find another young girl, about five years old, the same age as her, standing beside her wearing a smile. The first girl took several steps back and hid shyly behind a spiral pillar at the side of the room. She was silent.

"What's wrong? I'm not scary... Come on, let's be friends," the second girl said cheerfully. After a minute the first poked her head around the pillar. Staring at the other fair child, still smiling, she reluctantly came out into the open.

"So were you exploring the castle like me? It's so big and pretty," the cheerful girl asked, spinning twice around.

"I-I think it's kind of scary actually…" the first girl delicately responded.

"Then why are you down here all alone if you're scared," the other girl asked with a tilted head.

"M-My mom left me alone while she went off and talked with someone… I was just looking for her…" the hesitant girl answered in a weak voice.

"I see. Then I'll help you look for her, that way you don't get scared!" the second girl nodded.

"Really?!" the first girl beamed with joy.

"Yeah," the other gave another firm nod.

"T-thank you…" the girl replied with a smile.

"So what's your name?" the second girl asked with a bounce in her step.

The first girl continued to smile as she gave her answer. "It's Ava..."

"Cool. I'm Astrid!" the other replied joyfully before taking hold of the young Ava's hand.

They began to run through the hallway, searching corridor after corridor, making a game of the search. After about a half hour of playfully scurrying about the two young girls found a room housing the sounds of private conversation. Peering inside Ava found Mother. The other men who had taken her away had departed, she was just talking to a single man now, Ava's Uncle. Ava was about to burst in and interrupt the talk, but Astrid got in her way.

"Shhh…" she whispered with a finger to her lips as she hid at the door. She nodded for Ava to join her. Reluctantly the girl did just that.

"I swear it, brother, I feel each year I'm getting closer to some big breakthrough. I'll have rightly slain this beast soon enough," Mother said in a somewhat scary voice. Ava realized Astrid was probably right in holding her back.

"Come now, I've said time and again, you're wasting your time, my dear sister. You lost a lot to our little brother's curse, but that curse died with him. It's safe to leave things be now," Uncle said in his usual strange way, wearing his usual strange smile.

"You know I just can't do it. That woman's still out there, and it's likely there are more in the hiding that father didn't even know about," Mother seemed very determined to convince Uncle. "You should see some of the things I've read in the mansion library."

"That estate you bought is quite nice, sister, but aren't you a little old to be getting caught up in the fairy tales surrounding it?" Uncle said with a well placed laugh. Mother scowled.

"You know there was quite a lot taken from me by you as well, brother. Don't think you're so easily forgiven," Mother said, looking even scarier than before.

"But I've served Zero loyally ever since. I realize that I may never completely atone for my actions, but believe me when I say I now act in the best interest of Britannia and her people," Uncle said in an unfazed voice, still smiling strangely.

"Zero, heh. So much faith in a masked mystery man… Don't you ever wonder whose behind that mask? We both know he's not the original," Mother said, a bitterness in her voice.

"I don't. It's my place to follow his will unquestionably," Uncle replied with a certain nod.

"I swear he must have gotten to you to. How else does the man who dropped a strategic warhead on his own family become a slobbering dog?" Mother snarled, looking through with the conversation. She turned away from him and after a pause added, "If you don't recall you once made an attempt on my life. Do you really think you have any right to advise me, Schneizel?"

"Perhaps not, my sister. Still you should listen," Uncle still seemed completely unshaken by Mother's display. "It's foolish to continue with this now."

"I'm close to something. I can tell. Soon my dearest sister shall be able to rest in peace," Mother said, now looking sad.

"Consider not what you had, but what you have now. Aside from books written by madmen hundreds of years ago, that old house of yours also holds a beautiful young girl and a man who lives his life for you," Uncle stated in a calm tone. "Don't you think they need you?"

"I'll have all the time in the world for them once I've silenced this monster for good," Mother stammered. She moved quickly for the door and exited, slamming it behind her.

"M-mommy…" Ava said meekly, running up from behind the woman and looking up at her.

"A-Ava dear, where did you… what are you doing away from everyone?" Mother bent down to look at Ava. A warm smile appeared that highlighted her beautiful face, appeared almost instantly to wash away the angry expression that existed previously.

"No one was paying any attention to me so I got lonely…" Ava softly answered. Mother embraced her.

"Poor girl," she said affectionately. She sighed. "I had thought your cousins would keep you entertained while I talked with your uncle for a while..."

"I don't think they like me very much…" Ava responded looking down.

"I'm sorry, Ava," Mother tenderly cooed into her daughter's ear. Pulling back a little and smiling she said, "But it's awfully brave of you to come looking for me all alone in this big castle."

"Astrid helped me," Ava said weakly.

"Astrid?" Mother started, She broke away from her daughter to look around. Soon she caught sight of the other young girl standing nearby. When she did, Mother's face lit up with joy. "Well then, thank you miss Astrid for helping me reunite with my daughter."

"It's nothing. Me and Ava are friends now!" Astrid said, smiling and nodding. Mother turned back to Ava who gave a shy nod of her own. She was soon hugged.

"I'm so happy for you, Ava," Mother said. Ava felt happy too. No one had ever called her their friend before.

"Aha! There you are!" a man's voice suddenly disrupted the scene. Mother looked up. Ava freed herself from her arms and turned around. A very tall man with blond hair and fancy looking clothes was meandering toward them.

"Daddy!" Astrid called. She ran straight into the man's arm who lifted her a bit and twirled her in the air before putting her back down.

"So she's yours then, Knight of One," Mother began, offering a soft laugh.

"Princess?" Astrid's father said with alarm, seeming to have not noticed the women priorly at all, "Oh yes, this is my sweet Astrid. She has a bad habit of wandering off."

"I see. I'm not sure you've met my Ava before," Mother motioned to Ava, who clung to her shyly.

"Princess Ava, it's a pleasure to meet you," the man said with a showy bow. Ava gave a short laugh. "Ha. She seems like a good kid."

"She's already befriended your Astrid it seems," said Mother.

"Aha, it's always good to make friends of royalty," Astrid's father smiled.

"Ava's never been too good at making friends. She's a quiet girl who mostly keeps to herself. You don't know what joy it gives me to see her befriend a girl her age," Mother said proudly.

"I know it's pretty much unheard of for a princess, but you might consider sending the girl off to school to interact with her peers. I'm sure that'd make it easier for her to make friends," the blond man said with a nod.

"You know, that just may be an excellent idea..." Mother was enthusiastic.

"I could give you the details on Astrid's school if you like."

"I would very much appreciate that, Gino," Mother said with a nod.

"Hear that Astrid? Ava here could be joining you at school," the father pat his daughter on the head.

"Yay!" Astrid cheered.

"Do you want to see Astrid again, Ava?" Mother asked, smiling down on the young princess.

Ava nodded enthusiastically.

"Then it's settled," Mother said with a nod toward the man.

"Right, but let's discuss it amidst the others. Not every day is our Empress' birthday. It's not right for us to stay away from the celebration for so long," Astrid's father said with a smile.

"Agreed," Mother replied. Thy all headed back toward the castle's main hall, Ava and Astrid smiling and walking hand in hand.

---

Ava was still smiling as she opened her eyes. What a pleasant dream. She had forgotten the details of how her and Astrid had first met a full twelve years ago. It was strange to recall the past so vividly but she was glad she did. It left her in a good mood.

It didn't last very long, however, for Ava decided then to roll over in her bed and look at the fancy clock standing against the wall. She jumped out of bed immediately. She had overslept. She was an hour behind her usual schedule. She scurried to get herself ready in time. She wasn't the type who liked being late.

With much haste and little time for thought, Ava completed her morning routine within a fraction of the usual time. She had time to even eat the breakfast the cook had prepared her before joining Padriac outside in front of the car. A few simple words were exchanged before Ava stepped into the familiar black limousine.

It was only on the long drive to school that Ava finally had time to settle herself and think things over. What had exactly happened the previous day? She couldn't remember much of it very clearly. She had told off old Holman at school, she remembered that much. She had seen top grade Knightmares lined up in a lot to be disassembled, she could remember that. She didn't remember much of what happened when she got home though. She certainly didn't remember how she had found her way to her bed that night.

"Padriac, you wouldn't happen to know how it was I got to bed last night?" Ava asked her attentive servant as he drove.

"Anne gave you an artifact to place in the library. You stayed down there to read and ended up falling asleep at one of the desks. We tried to wake you, but you wouldn't have it. We ended up having to carry you all the way up to your room," Padriac answered readily.

"I see. I guess that is it then…" Ava said, the scene still not coming to her. It did seem perfectly plausible though. Ava didn't think much more about it the rest of the drive.

Soon the car pulled up in front of Maldini Private Academy. As always Astrid was waiting right there. Ava smiled at her through the tinted windows as she recalled her dream. Padriac stopped the car and exited, coming around to open her door. She stepped outside, anticipant of her usual greeting.

"Good morning, Ava," Astrid said, smiling. Astrid really didn't look much different from how she had in that dream. She was just much taller, her hair was longer, and her smile held less confidence. Her skin and features were still soft like a child's.

"Astrid," Ava said, nodding as she stared for a moment at Astrid's beautiful blue eyes. "How are you?"

"Nervous and excited," Astrid replied immediately.

"What?! There a test today I forgot about … or something?" Ava asked, taken aback. She tried her best to remember some point of stress she had forgotten but nothing came to her.

"No... it's nothing like that…" the girl responded.

"I see, then what? Some boy you like ask you out finally?" Ava said, concerned, but trying to hide it.

"That's impossible. I have no interest in boys," Astrid said plainly. Ava's eyes widened.

"You… don't? But I always knew you to be interested in romance..." she said, deeply puzzled by the words. Something looked off with Astrid's stare, like it was being held captive.

"I am very interested in romance," Astrid said almost lifelessly, staring straight ahead into Ava's eyes, not looking away from them ever, even for a second.

"You're confusing me Astrid. Why are you acting like this? You're just not being yourself..." Ava said, now a little scared at what was happening.

"I honestly don't know. It's just that when you stare at me, for some reason, I find I can do nothing but say the honest truth," Astrid seemed perfectly calm.

"Well, your truth has me confused, Astrid. If you have no interest in boys, then who is it you have an interest in romance with?" Ava articulated this seeming paradox while she continued to look the girl in the eye. She was not prepared for the answer.

"You," Astrid said simply. She was crying. "I love you Ava, and I always have."

Ava blinked several times in succession. She didn't know what to say. Somehow she was more shocked that someone as timid as Astrid had made such a bold confession in the first place than she was with the content of that said confession. "A-Astrid… you… I didn't…I-I." Unable to articulate a complete thought, Ava let her eyes fall from the girl to the floor.

Astrid then began to cry like mad. "I-I'm… I'm… I-I'm sorry…" she stuttered before running away in a haste.

Ava didn't even consider not running right after her. Astrid quickly darted inside the school, likely hoping to lose the princess in the crowds. Ava didn't let her; she followed closely. Astrid had always had more endurance than her, but the fact that her vision was obscured by tears at the moment made her escape attempt clumsy. Ava was able to find a cleaner path in her pursuit and steadily close the distance.

Inevitably, Astrid's legs tired and she stopped to breathe at a wall. Ava was exhausted as well but she didn't let it show. She took the final steps forward and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Please, Astrid, get a hold of yourself," she said in a soft voice. Astrid looked back at her.

"Don't you hate me… Ava…?" Astrid cried still just looking at the wall.

"You were the first friend I ever had, Astrid. I don't know where I'd be without you," Ava said, pleasantly, "I could never hate you."

"Even though you know what kind of person I am…?" Astrid's cries softened. She still didn't look at the other.

"I can't say I'm not surprised, Astrid. But I think no less of you," the princess said warmly. Finally the other girl turned around.

"So things can still be the same as they were before?" a faint smile crossed the girl's lips.

"Most definitely," Ava replied, giving the other an affectionate smile.

"Ava… you're too kind to me…." Astrid began to cry once more, this time from joy.

Ava just stared at the girl. She was still so confused. Why would Astrid force herself through this; why would she say something so bold when she thought it could destroy her happiness? Ava was always a direct person; she decided just to ask.

"If it was going to hurt you so much; why did you say all that to me?" Ava asked curiously.

"I don't know… I had to… when you looked at me I had to…" Ava said, an insecurity in her voice, "It was like I was under some sort of magic spell."

"Magic spell?" Ava's eyes grew wide.

"Yeah… like you were a witch or something…." Astrid said, looking down, probably thinking she sounded ridiculous. She of course didn't. All at once the previous day, her encounters with the witch D.D., her promised power, came back to her in full.

"I'm terribly sorry, Astrid. It looks like this was all my fault…" Ava said in a weak and shaky voice, her mind racing.

"What do you mean, Ava?" Astrid asked confused.

"I forgot something very important. As a result you were forced to suffer," Ava whispered.

"I don't understand. What did you do?" Astrid said, shaking her head.

"I don't know yet... but I'm going to try something," Ava said look around. People were staring at them, but not many. Most students at that school either had integrity or were paranoid about being first to class. "You're welcome to observe, Astrid," she said as she spotted a familiar face passing them by.

"Um… okay…" Astrid replied, still confused as they began to walk quickly after a weary looking man they both knew.

Rayner Wilde was the physics teacher at Maldini Private Academy. In college, his field specialty had been Knightmare development, where he was reputed as an up and coming prodigy. The war ended a year after he graduated and with it any job security he had. He went from research job to research job, but his heart hadn't been in any of them it seemed, for he never held one for long. He ended up a wash up with a permanently down look on his face, teaching physics to rich high school kids.

"Dr. Wilde, could I have a minute…" Ava called to the teacher, a tall man with shaggy dark brown hair tied loosely into a pony tail.

"Huh, princess… sure…" Wilde said in a very groggy voice, turning around to face the other. Ava stared him straight in the eye.

"So how are you this fine morning?" Ava started with an innocent question and a hopeful smirk.

"Horrible. I drank far too much last night. My head is just killing me…" Wilde said almost casually. Ava's smirk widened.

"You don't say…" Ava started. "Anyway, those pop quizzes you like to give in class, when's the next one?"

"Probably next Monday, unless I get drunk this weekend and forget to print the stupid thing," the man replied forwardly. Ava broke into a full smile.

"Of the students you taught in recent memory, who is your favorite?" she posed another question.

"That Miya girl last year. She's totally my type…" Wilde said decisively. Ava almost felt like laughing.

"What's your opinion of our government?" Ava decided to give one more question.

"I'd be much better off without them, that's for sure. If the Empress wasn't so peaceful, I wouldn't have to endure this shitty job any longer…" Wilde said with a certain loathing in his voice.

"I see. Thank you. That will be all," Ava snickered and then turned away from the man.

A number of seconds passed before Ava received the inevitable call to her. "Hey! princess, wait a goddamn minute. How in the hell did you do that?"

Ava turned back to the man but was careful not to look him in the eye, "you needn't worry about it, Dr. Wilde. I won't let Miya know." She laughed as she continued to walk away.

"Hey wait! What kind of trick was that?! I want to know…" WIlde continued to call to her. People were starting to seriously stare with his shouts though. He seemed to catch onto the fact that Ava could humiliate him in front of his students and didn't pursue her.

"That was… how did you do that, Ava?" Astrid asked after they had walked a distance.

"Astrid, it seems to me like. I finally have it, the power I need to set this dying world right…" Ava said with a casual smirk as her mind began to race.

---

It's unsettling visiting a new place for the first time. This is especially true when that place happens to be an aerial battleship owned and operated by the Black Knights. Still, Hiromi was not easily intimidated. She was strong. The cold metallic walls wouldn't get to her. The black uniform she wore and the knowledge she would soon be reunited with an old friend only made her stronger as she walked into a small room.

"Sergeant Major Tohdoh reporting for duty, Lieutenant!" Hiromi started with a rigid salute, exactly on point to how she had been taught at the Black Knight's military academy. It was met with heavy laughter.

"Look at you…" the woman sitting in a chair in the room, Hiromi's superior officer, a woman she had known going back years, said with a hard laugh. "To think they'd assign you to my platoon…"

"It's good to see you too, Chiharu," Hiromi said tersely, dropping her rigid stance.

"I guess it has been a while. You don't look any different at all," Chiharu said casually.

"Neither do you," Hiromi laughed spitefully as she studied the other. Chiharu was still the strange beauty she always had been, with her wildly cut, silvery hair, deep natural tan, and somehow un-soldier-like adult figure that made it hard to believe she was only 19, a year older than Hiromi.

"Maybe, but I'm quite ahead of you, Hiromi. I've only been out of the academy a year and I've already made lieutenant. You're going to have some catching up to do," Chiharu taunted.

"If a screw up like you can do it, I'm sure I can as well," Hiromi said with another laugh.

"True. It's easy for us legacies to make lieutenant. We already have respect due to our names," Chiharu gave a slight sigh. Hiromi shook her head at the other not even fighting the "screw up" label.

"That'll prove very true of me, I'm sure. Saying nothing of my mother, my father is the top general." Hiromi said, smirking.

"My father's name gets me a lot of points with the right people. He amassed a lot of respect while he was in power," Chiharu gave a short laugh.

"You know, I always wondered that about you, Chiharu," the younger girl said, staring at her friend, " What compels the daughter of an important diplomat and a former Japanese President to become a common Black Knight's soldier?"

"Be it on opposite sides, my parents both did see combat you know?" Chiharu said, looking down.

"Even still, it's not like you didn't have a thousand other options," said Hiromi, shaking her head again.

"There wasn't anything else that suited me," the lieutenant shrugged.

"Like this does?" Hiromi rolled her eyes. Chiharu shrugged once more. "You've always been gifted in just about everything. It just seems like you're wasting it all at this job."

"Perhaps. But I can't think of another job with uniforms this cool," Chiharu said with that cool smile that told Hiromi she was being serious. She laughed.

"The Black Knights pretty much subside on settling inane disputes and doing humanitarian work, yet the pay is good if you're an officer," Hiromi said giving the other a piercing glare. "I suppose such a job really does suit someone as lazy as yourself."

"Yeah, and even if it's not that often we get to, nothing beats piloting a knightmare…" Chiharu nodded as she spoke dreamily. Hiromi again shook her head as the other did not fight being called "lazy".

"Whatever you say, Lieutenant Ohgi" Hiromi said laughing at the sound of the name as she continued shaking her head.

Chiharu gave a short laugh. In a forced rigid voice. "I look forward to having you in my platoon, Sergeant Major Tohdoh."

They both soon broke into laughter.

---

The world was a different place. It hadn't taken D.D. long to decide that much. Woken up by some girl after 200 years of rest, the world that showed itself to her was far beyond the one she left behind at the turn of the nineteenth century. Her memory grew more and more vague the further she tried to go back, but from what she could recall the differences between the world as it was and the world as it was when she found her immortality almost a millennia ago were beyond astounding.

She was used to things changing. Luckily she had always been adaptable. She realized early on the fragility of human lives and how she had come to transcend it, what that meant, and where it would take her. She learned to not become sentimental, to just live by the day, exploring her curiosities and finding as much enjoyment as she could. Contractees were just objects to her, one foolish man with dreams of power after the other. She didn't care for them as much as they whispered words of love into her air. She would just take pleasure in them until they died, then she'd move onto another.

She hadn't really cared any more for Brighton Ellesmere than the others. Though cultured and articulate, he was just another foolish man who would never escape death. Still he had cherished her, coveted her, protected her. As she was immortal, these were ridiculous sentiments, but D.D. didn't mind giving him her word regardless. She had sworn to that man, that whoever opened his box would be her next contractee. Fate had just decided it would be that girl.

Ava li Britannia. A princess apparently. D.D. had wondered why a princess would be so far away from the royal capital, then she made the mistake of looking at a map and found, among many other confusions, that the shoddy village of Vortigern Brighton once had under his rule now _was_ the royal capital. But regardless of being a princess, the fact that her new master was a woman was the primary concern of the out of place witch.

She had never had a high opinion of women. Throughout the history she had seen, they had never been allowed to grow intelligent. What's more they were immune to her charms, she couldn't get to them like men; she couldn't control them. What joy was there in having a contract with this Ava? She was happy the world seemed to be so busy and different now; it might prove a useful distraction through the tedium of this contract.

D.D. had exhausted her first night and day exploring the city of Vortigern. She didn't pretend to understand it all yet, but it had been fun to see new things. Now she had returned to Brighton's manor, ready to see her new contractee once more.

The manor looked much the same as it did 200 years ago. It was shinier, there was new furniture, everything was kept in immaculate shape, but it was basically the same place she knew with it's high ceilings, decorative pillars, well-polished statues and expansive rooms. The basement library looked all but untouched by anything but mold and age.

To blend in within the house, D.D. had stolen the uniform of one of the countless house servants. It was tight-fitting over her chest, the skirt was shorter than anything she had worn and the material of the stockings was downright strange, but D.D. supposed it was a cute outfit. Wearing it she was able to move around more easily, though sometimes other servants would call out to her. Eventually she got tired of this and exploring the old house in general. She retired to her master's bedroom. She lied down immediately on the comfy looking princess bed for a quick nap.

Three hours later she was awakened.

"You! This is where you are!" it was her master's voice. She gave a weak smile, but did not budge on the bed.

"Hello there, princess," she started apathetically as she looked at the girl. WIth her beautiful jet black hair and immaculate, alluring white skin, she was definitely pretty. She looked of the caliber that men like Brighton would have enjoyed to entertain. Of course D.D. had her beat in all the important ways.

"If you're gonna play the part of a servant, do you think your master's bed is any place for you to sleep?" the princess said, giving a quick laugh at the outfit.

"I need somewhere to sleep, don't I?" D.D. said with a healthy yawn.

"This house has countless rooms which are never used," the young girl informed.

"I'd prefer not to leave this one really. It's so soft and luxurious," D.D. sighed before fluffing one of the pillows.

"It's where I sleep," the princess said in an even voice.

"I didn't say you couldn't. The bed is big enough," D.D. said with a smile as she sat up.

"You're a strange woman, witch," the girl said in a low voice, following by a very short laugh.

"I take it you have questions for me," D.D. grumbled.

"After we made our contract I fell unconscious and you moved me out of that hidden room and placed me at a desk. Where did you go then?" the girl recounted perceptively. D.D. had found this bit unusual at first, but then she realized it was her fault. In her groggy, recently awakened state, she had forced far more than enough interference into the girl's head during the contract. It was no wonder she had collapsed. She wouldn't be surprised if it had had temporary effects on the princess' memory as well.

"Nowhere important. I just took in the sights of a Vortigern 200 years older," D.D. replied causally.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you have questions for me as well," the princess said after considering the immortals words.

"Perhaps so... But before that, let me hear how you are enjoying what I've given you," D.D. said, curiosity entering her expression.

"It really is everything you promised," the girl broke into a kind of creepy grin, "it's all the power I need."

"So, what is it? I gave you the Geass but it's not like I know how it manifested," D.D. said even more curious. She had always been a curious person.

"I can destroy the lies of this world," the princess said with a great confidence.

"'Destroy lies'? What do you mean by that, princess?" asked the witch, had titled.

"It seems to activate whenever I focus my gaze acutely on someone else's eyes. My eyes don't change with just an unfocused stare," the girl said in a deliberate fashion, testing D.D. patience.

"Very well, but what is it you can do?" D.D. asked, rolling her eyes a little.

"While I look them in the eye, they are forced to tell the truth until I look away," the girl said, still smiling.

D.D. frowned. "Thats it? Of all the useless Geass… What good is the truth?"

"You criminally underestimate it. Humanity hides behind lies. In discarding those lies I can see the weaknesses and vulnerability of any man. This gives me a power most definite," the young princess smirked evilly. D.D. broke into a smirk. Her master wasn't like the unintelligent women she was used to it seemed.

"So how did you use it today? What truths have you uncovered?" asked D.D. intrigued now.

"Apparently my best friend is in love with me," the girl said, looking down at the floor with a fondness in her eyes.

"Oh? And what do you think of him?" the witch asked, slightly callous.

"'Her'." the princess corrected. D.D. raised an eyebrow.

"You don't say…" she started. "Is it normal for one woman to fancy another these days?"

"Not exactly, but it's not uncommon either," the girl replied.

D.D. smirked a little more. "So did you accept her?"

"I comforted her and allowed things to stay as they are," the princess said with a short sigh.

"I wager that if you look her in the eye again, she'd tell you that's not enough," D.D. snickered.

"I wager you are wrong. Astrid treasures me, but she doesn't expect me to return her feelings, not realistically anyway, perhaps in dreams. She's just happy to be my precious friend," the young girl said looking at the floor once more.

"Sounds like you really like the girl. Are you that opposed to the idea of being with a woman?" D.D. said smirking again.

"I don't wish for romance. It matters not if it's a man or woman. The path I see shall be a solitary one," the princess said with a cold air.

"I'm immortal. I've lived almost one thousand years. I'm fated to outlive all those around me. I am thus a solitary creature by nature. Still I seek out companionship, even knowing my partners will all die and leave me alone once more," D.D. said somberly, looking the girl in the eye.

"I see," the princess started languidly. "I could not be in your place then. I cannot bear things so sad as death. Love is a beautiful thing, but the pain it leaves when it is vanquished is beyond anything I could ever bear…"

Ava li Brtiannia revealed herself to D.D. at that moment as a fragile young girl. D.D. was even further intrigued. She stood up from the bed.

"Forcing yourself away from love in itself is a sad thing," D.D. said as she stepped toward the other. Smiling she stared the beautiful young girl up and down. "But now that I know that is why you can't accept your friend I do have to wonder..."

"Wonder what…?" the girl asked, looking at the witch, confused. She was visibly alarmed when the immortal woman suddenly began unbuttoning and unfastening the details of her maid uniform

"W-What are you…?" the girl stammered as the busty blonde removed the short dress and apron entirely, casting it aside.

The witch took several steps forward, dressed in nothing but excessively tight lingerie, a maid's headband, and stockings, and pinned her to the door she was standing in front of. She began to press her voluptuous figure into the young princess as seductively as possible.

"What are you doing? S-stop this…" the princess weakly demanded, her face becoming red. D.D. smirked. She watched for and caught several sideways glances down at her chest.

"Hmm, all the right signs…" D.D. said aloud to herself. "Still… it's hard to tell if you aren't just flustered…."

With that, D.D. let her hand move in the direction of the young girl's uniform skirt, prepared to reach under. Ava stopped it with her own hand and finally forced the other off of her with all her strength.

"You will stop this. It's obscene behavior," the princess said sternly. She was still blushing cutely.

"That blush betrays you, princess," D.D. said as she gave a seductive pose, not allowing the other a chance to collect herself.

"Please, just put your clothes back on..." the girl sighed.

"It looks like your little friend isn't necessarily wasting her time," the blonde teased as she picked up her discarded outfit. "And you might be more fun than I initially thought..."

"You're insane. That you would do something like that… It's unthinkable…" the princess said, deciding to, in a suspect fashion, avert her eyes as the other dressed.

"Insane, huh. I just act on impulse," D.D. laughed. "When you're immortal, you kind of lose any reason to hold anything back."

"I see… is that so?" the girl said, finally able to look at the other as she had for the most part redressed.

"Humanity might hide behind lies, princess, but they do it just to protect the fragile happiness in their fragile lives. When you lose the fragility there's really no need for the lies," the immortal said in a low voice. "You might appreciate this, but even if Geass could touch immortals like me, yours would still be useless."

"You're interesting, witch," the young princess gave a firm laugh. "It is my blessing then that my enemies are still bound to death."

"These enemies, what do you have planned for them?" D.D. asked, smirking.

"I'm going to take away their lies..." the black haired beauty said with an intense smirk, "and in doing so turn this world they know on its head."

D.D. laughed. She smiled. Her doubts had been wasted it seemed. Her new master, princess Ava li Britannia, truly was something amusing.

A/N: Hopefully this proved to be an exciting chapter for you all. Four very different scenes here. The dream/memory scene I think turned out cute. You can just imagine how cute little Astrid and Ava are. Then I decided to go ahead and redo the end of last chapter from Ava's perspective, and continue that scene. Again, I think that proved to be a fun scene. Then of course I had my short scene introducing Hiromi and Chiharu. They might seem kind of detached from the picture for now, but that won't be for long. Chiharu is especially a major player in this, so it's best I get you used to her now. And of course, maybe the highlight of the chapter was the proper introduction to D.D. we had there closing things. I'm liking her character a lot more than I did during the planning phase.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Leave a review and inform me if you have.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Dr. Rayner Wilde

Sergeant Major Hiromi Tohdoh

Lieutenant Chiharu Ohgi


	4. Turn 3: Gathering the Pieces

A/N: Wow, this thing is doing surprisingly well, and not just with the three-four people who read just about everything I write. I sure hope I can keep this up. And if you didn't see it when I announced it, I sad with the last chapter I posted of my current Bleach fic that I'm trying to do a chapter a week of this thing for the summer. That's why it's already here.

Disclaimer: Astrid: "Mr. CrazyNinjaPenguin does not own Code Geass. He does own all the original characters in this story though… i-including A-Ava…"

Astrid had always been impressed by the mansion in which Ava lived. It was so different from the ultramodern manor her father had seen constructed for his family. The classic look, the age in the wood, the large windows, high ceilings, the expensive looking art and shimmering decorations, it all lead to a vaguely haunting feel, yet at the same time made the place beautiful.

It was rare for Astrid to even notice her surroundings when she was walking next to Ava. Usually her attention stayed squarely on the girl. Ever since the morning the previous day, when somehow, for some reason she had admitted her most painful confession to the girl's face, she had been filled with a vague sense of nervousness around Ava. This was especially true as they headed up the large central staircase to Ava's bedroom.

"Astrid," Ava started as they reached her door. The blonde stopped in her tracks.

"Y-yes, Ava…" Astrid replied uneasily.

"You told me yesterday, that you wished for me to tell you everything, to tell you the truth, and I wish to. Hiding the truth from those closest to you is the worst form of lie," the princess said in a low, deliberate voice. "But this truth is an unusual one. You must approach it openly, and not let your mind fall on doubt."

"Of course, Ava. I would never doubt you," Astrid stammered readily, not even thinking.

"Very well." Ava smirked as she opened the door. Astrid walked inside, Ava after her closing the door as she entered.

Astrid stared for a moment at what lie before her. Sprawled out atop Ava's bed was a woman of exceptional beauty. She was dressed in the outfit of one of the house maids but was no common servant. Her skin was fair, her hair was a radiant blonde that made Astrid's seem dull, and her body was sculpted like that of some ideal goddess. Astrid was at once confused and maybe a little jealous.

"A-Ava… who's…this…?" she started as the strange woman sat up and stared at her.

"This woman calls herself, D.D., Astrid," Ava said in a strong voice. "She is a witch."

It took a few seconds for her friend's words to register. When they did, Astrid didn't know what to think. She didn't believe in witches or things like that. How could she? There weren't any witches; D.D. couldn't be one then. But why would Ava say she was then?

"I can see you're filled with doubt, Astrid, as rightly anyone would be," Ava began to speak once more. "But you must believe what I say, for as I said, I will not lie to you. This woman you see before you is the one who has granted me my new power. She is an immortal. A witch."

"I-immortal?" Astrid stuttered in disbelief as she looked at the strange woman for a long while.

"D.D., this is the friend I spoke of to you last night," Ava said, nodding to the woman.

The apparent "witch" gave a short laugh at this and stood up. She walked toward Astrid and examined her while wearing a strange smile. She then gave another laugh. "I think you'd look cute together…."

Astrid was alarmed by the comment. She began to panic. "Y-you didn't tell her… that I…. About what I told you…. Did you, Ava…?"

"I'm sorry, Astrid, but I saw no reason to conceal it from her. This woman has no reason to reveal your secrets... and she has already helped me so much," Ava said, in a very earnest fashion. Astrid allowed herself to calm.

"O-okay…" Astrid choked. "But... it's still hard to believe… she's really immortal…"

"I told you the truth would be difficult to believe, Astrid. Even so you must try," Ava said in an even voice.

"Y-yeah… but…" Astrid began, glancing back and forth between the princess and the witch.

Ava gave a pronounced smirk as she quickly retrieved a long sword from the corner of her bedroom. She handed it to D.D. and said in an amused voice, "D.D., prove your immortality to my friend here."

D.D. immediately threw the sword to the ground. "Eh… I'd really rather not. I'm not immune to pain you know."

Ava laughed and wore a face that said she had been expecting such a reaction. "Then perhaps this will suffice," she said as she returned to the corner and removed something else, placing it in Astrid's hands.

It was an old painting of what appeared to be a couple. There were signs of mold and wear at the edges of the painting and the whole thing looked rather old and delicate. Astrid had seen similar old portraits in Ava's library. In fact the man in this particular painting was the same subject as most of those. The girl was the more unusual part; every detail of her the picture showed could be found most definitely in the identical blonde standing before her.

"That has always been in the library. I never thought anything of it until I discovered D.D. in a secret room down there a few days ago. As you can clearly see, it is the very same same woman, pictured with a man who died over 200 years ago," Ava said firmly as Astrid stared at the painting.

"Brighton sure was skilled at his brushwork. He got all my details right… though he always was a little generous when it came to his own image…" D.D. said with a nostalgic laugh.

A strange feeling swept over Astrid. She was a little haunted, but now at least she was convinced. "A-alright… I believe you... please tell me more…"

"D.D. bestowed upon me a power known as Geass. This power manifests differently in everyone, but in my case gives me the power to extract the truth from anyone into whose eyes I stare," Ava explained in a direct voice. Astrid's eyes widened.

"So that's how--?!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, Astrid. That is why you said what you said to me... And the same goes for Dr. Wilde," Ava said in a somewhat subdued fashion, looking down as if she still felt guilty.

"Ava, that's incredible… that powers like that are real... and that you would have one… it's…" Astrid started excitedly, trying her best to brighten her precious friends face.

"Yes, Astrid... I only wish I had understood my power sooner…" said the other.

"It's okay now…. You said things would be the same as always…. So it's okay, Ava," Astrid said, smiling brightly.

"You really are too kind to me, Astrid," Ava gave a short laugh as she took a seat in a nearby chair in front of a small table. Astrid followed suit, sitting down in a vacant chair as well.

"So what did you mean back there… when you told me you were going to use your power to set the world right…?" Astrid gulped as she progressed the conversation.

"I'm curious to have that bit clarified as well," D.D. said with a soft laugh as she joined the other two at the table. Ava began to smirk once more.

She began to speak in a very dark, low voice. "Twenty years ago, our Empire was at it's peak. In his long reign, Emperor Charles, through persistent force, saw Britannia expand well beyond what it was before he took the reigns. At his death, his successor, Emperor Lelouch pushed Britannia even further until it had a hold over the entirety of the world. Then his sister claimed power, and it all fell apart.

"In the twenty years since then, our Empire has fallen into decline. The Empress has done nothing as Areas rich in resources have withdrawn from the Empire to become independent nations. As a result we are a fraction of our former size and our economy is declining rapidly. On top of that, our standing military has all but disappeared, making Britannia a poor joke compared to the still militarized European Universe and the Chinese Federation with it's plentiful resources.

"Yet even as our economy falters and our position in the world falls, the people seldom complain. They have the right to. The new nobility, the upper class, they particularly suffer as the empire shrinks, but it's not like the rest of the populace is spared; as the lord's livelihood wanes so to does the number of peasant workers he can employ on his estate, and how well he can pay them, common sense tells us that. Yet even so, no one challenges the Empress and her rule. They are all too afraid.

"This peaceful world that she, with her frail body and gentle features, represents cannot be challenged. Zero's vanquishing of Emperor Lelouch made Britannia look to be in the wrong in the people's eyes. The idea of an aggressive Britannia thus harkens back to this evil. The people fear becoming evil, Astrid, even if it is for the sake of what they believe. I, however, have no such fear."

There was silence as Ava finished her speech. Astrid wasn't sure what to say. Something about it all scared her. Uneasily, she decided to finally speak, "s-so… what are you planning to do... A-Ava?"

"That's simple Astrid." Ava gave another cryptic smirk. "I plan to sit atop my Aunt Nunnally's throne."

D.D. gave a hard laugh. "Such an amusing woman you've turned out to be, princess!"

"But A-Ava--! You can't do that! You're sixth in line to the throne... to become Empress you'd have to…to..." Astrid trembled in fear. She couldn't handle it. That the one she loved would consider doing something so horrible.

"Ordinarily, the Empress, the Prime Minister, my aunt Arienette and her three children would all have to die for the title to fall into my lap by default. Alternatively, I could just kill the current ruler myself and claim the title as Lelouch did," Ava spoke, looking at the table. "but I could never do such a thing as orchestrate the death of my own family, Astrid. Cruelty of that caliber is far beyond my reach. As such, prior to now, I had no means of reaching that throne that I could manage…"

"And now…?" Astrid asked as Ava fell silent, leaving a tension in the air.

"I'm confident I have access to all the tools I need for a successful coup d'etat in which the taking of none of their lives will be necessary," Ava said, breaking into a full smile.

"You think your little truth-teller Geass will let you take over an Empire without disposing of it's Empress?" D.D. gave another amused laugh. "Tell me, what leads you to that forgone conclusion?"

"It's simple really. If the people decide the Imperial Ruler is unfit to rule they abandon her. If at the same time they are presented with a more promising candidate of Royal blood, isn't it reasonable that they would then flock to her en masse? That then, when this candidate claims the throne as her own, that no one will challenge it?" Ava seemed deeply excited now. Astrid was even more frightened.

"You really think the Empress is hiding so much, Ava?" Astrid asked, feeling horribly anxious about the whole thing.

"My Aunt Nunnally is not a horrible liar. She is a fair, gentle woman. Respectable and honest. However, she is deeply tied to men who are less praiseworthy. If I were to remove some masks, so to speak, of those who stand at her side then little is needed of the woman herself," Ava said, her tone calculated.

Astrid knew at once what this meant. What her beloved friend planned to do. It terrified her. "Y-you're going to show the world Zero's true identity, aren't you, Ava…?"

"Exactly. If I am to destroy the image of the hero of justice, Astrid, than stripping Empress Nunnally of her credibility becomes an easy task," Ava said in a bright voice. Astrid remained unconvinced and worried.

"B-but what if he's not hiding anything…?" Astrid meekly asked staring down at the table.

"People don't wear masks, Astrid, unless it would trouble them to have their face seen. Common sense should tell you that," Ava said with a light laugh. Astrid stayed unsure.

"But what if you're wrong… What if he's not anyone important? What if he isn't someone bad?" Astrid began to stammer with her eyes closed. "This just seems so dangerous…"

"There is a lot of uncertainty in this, Astrid. It's all based on presumption; hypothesis. At worst I'll look like a fool when this is done," the princess said, her voice taking a slightly tired inflection. "But even if I don't get the throne from it, even if all I get is the knowledge of who is under that mask, I still want to try. I still want to remove the lies that have been fed to the people for so very long now."

These words eased Astrid to a degree. She wanted to support her friend and they made that easier. D.D., however, still viewed the plan with skepticism it seemed. "From what I've been able to gather of this Zero fellow, he's a very prominent figure and not one easily pinned down. Tell me how does one little princess plan to ensnare such a man?"

"I'm going to need allies… knightmares…" Ava spoke in a slow, easy tone. She looked up at Astrid.

"I'll help you Ava… of course I will… but even if I'm Knight of Twelve… I can only do so much to help… I'm not even sure I'll be able to secure my knightmare for you…" Astrid had her answer to the silent question ready and presented it in a tentative question.

"Your support means more than you can imagine to me, Astrid," Ava smiled at the girl, causing a sudden surge of happiness within her. "And you needn't worry. I will find what I need, both knightmares and accomplished pilots to use them."

D.D. laughed yet again. "Tell me, princess, where does a seventeen year old girl go to recruit skilled men to a plan to overthrow a government by removing a mask?"

"Tell me, witch, where do you think one can find the most men who are hostile toward their government and gripped by a desperation that makes them easy to control?" Ava answered question with question.

"Hmm, just what do you have planned?" D.D. couldn't find an answer.

"You'll see. All I can say, is that, in two weeks time, I'm confident I'll be hailed as the new Empress of Britannia," Ava said as a dark enthusiasm.

Astrid could do nothing but have faith that her beloved was right, and of course, support her in any way she could.

---

The middle aged man gave a slight smile as his cell phone began to ring. It was enough to bring a stall to his steady walk down the long hall. Pulling the device out and examining the name on display that smile became not so slight. He answered in a hurry.

"Hello," he started beamingly.

"Hi dad!" the sound of a girl's voice called back through to him.

"It's been a while since you last called, Chiharu," the man, Kaname Ohgi said, pleased. "How have things been with the Black Knights?"

"Pretty cool. Hiromi just got placed in my platoon," Chiharu responded, as relaxed as ever.

"General Tohdoh's eldest?" Kaname responded after thinking over the name for a minute.

"Yeah," his daughter replied.

"Well that's good. It's always a good thing to have friends close," the man said, nodding firmly even though the other could not see him.

"Come now, dad, this is the Black Knights. It's serious stuff, there's no time for being friendly," Chiharu said; something told the father she was being facetious.

"It is a serious career you chose for yourself, Chiharu. Just because there's been no war for twenty years, doesn't mean it couldn't start right back up tomorrow," Kaname cautioned, offering a long sigh.

"I doubt that. The EU may have some power but I think they know better than to start something when the entire world would be against them. And the Empresses of Britannia and the Federation both have nothing but faith in Zero," Chiharu said, a sureness in her voice.

"I know, Chiharu, still you cannot count anything out. Believe me, things can happen sometimes in this world which we can't ever predict. Everything may seem at ease now, but being a Black Knight means being ready in case things are not so tomorrow," the man said, his voice steady.

"Yea, yeah, sure thing, dad…" Chiharu said flippantly. Giving a short sigh she then said, "So what's happening where your at?"

"I was just preparing to meet with the President," said Kaname, looking down at the stack of papers under his arm.

"You ever wish you could have her job for another term?" Chiharu asked with a slight laugh.

"No, I had my time. It's best to let other take the reigns now," Kaname said in a long voice, looking down. "I'm perfectly content just staying on as an advisor."

"Sure? President of the United States of Japan; it seems like a real cake job. I bet the country practically runs itself," the young girl said brightly.

"Just because our nation is among one of the strongest and wealthiest in the world today, doesn't mean there isn't a lot of hard work to be done in running it." The father gave his own short sigh.

"Then I guess I didn't make a mistake in not following you into politics," Chiharu said with a short giggle.

"You really need to start taking your job more seriously, Chiharu," Kaname's tone became stern.

"Gotcha. I'll try dad," Chiharu replied in a less than serious fashion. "Anyway, I think I gotta run. See ya."

"It's been nice talking to you, Chiharu," Kaname replied with a smile.

"Yeah. Bye," Chiharu said before hanging up.

Kaname quickly stowed his cellphone away and picked up his pace in traversing the halls. He smiled as he thought of his beloved daughter; he worried over her. She was too easy going, too childish. It bothered him. Eventually he found his way to the door at the end of the hall that housed the President's office. He knocked twice.

"Come in, Kaname…" a voice chimed immediately. Kaname opened the door.

"Sorry for the delay, Ms. President. I got a call on my way here," he apologized as he entered.

The president offered him the charming smile that had easily ensnared the nation in the previous election as she stood up. "Oh, was it that wife of yours?" she asked with an amused sparkle in her bright eyes.

"No, my daughter," Kaname answered, still smiling.

"Ah, so how's Chiharu? I haven't seen her in so long," the president said with a certain vibrance, "I heard she's already advanced to lieutenant."

"True, but the girl lacks motivation and initiative. She approaches every new task as if she's asleep," the man verbalized his frustration.

"She's only 19. I'm sure something will force her to mature eventually," the president assured; her incredible charisma almost had Kaname believing it. "she is your daughter after all."

The man gave a quick laugh. "One look at that girl reveals which parent she took after more."

"She does look like her mother… there's no getting around that fact..." the president sighed.

"I'm not sure her generation, and the ones following it understand the reality of war. I'm not sure they understand what we went through twenty years ago," the man said through gritted teeth as he stared downward. "I'm not sure my Chiharu understands what that uniform she wears truly means."

"Maybe so, but isn't it still better that way? Isn't it better they don't have to see the horror of war for themselves?" the woman replied, smirking softly.

"You are very right... There's no need for the children to ever come to know true war," Kaname said with a firm nod. "It is better my Chiharu's head stays in the clouds than her hands become doused in blood."

"Well, let's hope this peace can last longer still, Kaname," the president said pleasantly.

"Yes, let's, Ms. President," Kaname smiled.

"Please, I've told you many times it's unnecessary to address me so formally when we're alone," the woman said in a bit of a huff. "We've known each other over twenty years now and it's doubtful the people would have even elected an unmarried 35 year old woman were it not for your full endorsement."

"I apologize. I'll try my best to remember in the future, Kaguya."

"That's better," President Sumeragi said with a wide smile.

"But enough about all this, you called me here for political advice if I'm not mistaken," Kaname said, shaking his head.

"Right," Kaguya nodded as she retook her seat.

---

Ava smiled as she stepped out of the car and gave Padriac a time later that evening in which to return to that location. She continued to smile as she turned to the large building in front of her and walked toward it. It was a huge building standing in the far south of Vortigern. It had heavy concrete walls and was surrounded on all sides by barbed-wire fences. It was the Vortigern Imperial Prison. It was where Ava would find what she needed.

She wore a confident smile as she approached two guards standing with guns at the entrance.

"Halt! State your business here!" one of the guards commanded, pointing his gun squarely at Ava.

"It's an awful rude thing, pointing a weapon at a member of your royal family," Ava said with a short laugh.

"R-royal family--!" the man stammered as he lowered the gun immediately.

"Correct. I am Ava li Britannia, Fourth Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire," the young princess announced proudly.

"S-so w-why do you grace us with your presence today, milady…?" the other prison guard spoke nervously.

"I want nothing more than to speak privately with the man in charge of this prison," Ava replied in a direct manner.

"Well… uh… I'll go inform him of your arrival then…" the first prison guard said tentatively, unsure if he was doing the right thing. He bolted off to find the prison warden.

It wasn't five minutes before the man returned with another man. This man was in his late thirties, wore a cheap suit, and had a thin mustache. He seemed to be quite nervous as he approached the young girl.

"Good day… milady…. I'm Warden John Paris," the man said, out of breath. "What can I do for you today?"

"Ah, it's nothing to worry yourself over, sir. I'd just like a word with you in your office," Ava offered a pleasant smile.

"A-as you wish…." the man stammered as he lead the girl behind the fences and toward the giant structure. No words were exchanged until they had penetrated the prison gates and entered the warden's office. When the door was shut firmly behind them, Paris spoke again.

"We just had our royal inspection… and doesn't Prince Schneizel usually handle that anyway…?" the man started very tentative; Ava's presence was obviously cause for alarm.

"Oh, this little visit is nothing like that, Mr. Paris. I'm here entirely of my own accord," Ava said shaking her head. "I'm here to strike a small deal with you."

Paris was surprised, but looked attentive. Ava smiled, she could tell now this man was as corrupt as she was hoping. The man spoke, "so what does listening to you get me, princess?"

"Nothing but peace of mind," Ava replied with a devilish smirk.

"What are you getting at…? You don't have anything hanging over me, princess…." Paris said with confidence.

"Oh but my sir, how can you say that, when in fact I know all your most guarded, damaging secrets…." Ava said with a short snicker.

"What?! How?! You couldn't know that…" the man said fear and alarm in his face. Ava knew for sure this man was easy prey for her now.

"Of course I know… or I will shortly… for you are going to tell me them… and I am going to record them with this…." Ava said as she puled out a small handheld recording device.

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to say anything!" the warden shouted.

"Am I now?" Ava giggled mockingly. She stared John Paris straight in the eye and clicked the button on her device. "What damaging things are you hiding, sir?"

"I've been borrowing prisoners to act as free labor to help expand my estate, I've been pocketing government given funds intended for prison use, and I've been cheating on my wife for two and a half years," Paris admitted simply, almost in a single breath. Ava felt like laughing. She stopped the recording and unfocused her gaze.

"Thank you, sir. With this recording I could now get you fired, divorced, and thrown behind those prison bars yourself," Ava said coldly.

"You--! What sort of trick…?! I'll…" Paris was fuming with rage. He rolled up his sleeve.

Ava took several steps back, "I suppose you could always decide to assault your nation's princess and see what damages that route would incur… but it's doubtful the end would be very different…"

Paris came to a halt at the words. He flopped down into his chair and gave a sigh. "What exactly is it you want from me…?"

"It's simple really. All I want is one hour. During this hour, you will shut off all security cameras and remove all guards from the facility and give me the keys to the prison. When this hour is up, you will treat anything found missing as if it were never there in the first place," Ava stated her demands coldly.

"That's… Just what are you planning, princess…?" the man snarled.

"It's not for you to know, Mr. Paris," Ava said with a smile. "All you need to know, is that if you refuse these full demands, the truth will strip you of everything."

"I see… I have no choice…." the warden spoke in a weary, beaten voice. "I'll go call a guard meeting and work on the cameras. You'll find a set of keys over there…."

"Thank you, Mr. Paris." Ava said with a smile. "Oh, and one more thing…"

"Yes, princess…" the man turned to face her.

"What is the cell number of the Blood Queen?" Ava asked with a smirk as she looked in the man's eyes once more.

---

Prison life was a life of quiet darkness. Solitude. Even when they were let out of their cells and allowed time to interact, it was still a lone existence. That's what the woman felt anyway.

There had been times when it wasn't so lonely. Early in her stay, they had placed other women in her cell along with her. The harsh ringing cries of pleasure mixed with pain that would leave those women's lips soon after saw that they were always quickly reassigned and the woman was left alone once more. How she hated being alone. It reminded her so much of what had been ripped from her when she was thrown behind the bars she now faced.

Then, just as she pondered her solitude, as she had for the last twenty years, a girl appeared before her. This was strange. Seeing her there suddenly was almost surreal. She had never seen the girl; she certainly wasn't a guard and visitors were never allowed this far in. She was young and beautiful, and dressed in fancy, regal clothes. The woman didn't want to get her hopes up. Really she didn't.

"You! Are you--? You are--. You're not---" as the young girl took step after step toward her, the woman found she knew not how to ask the question she wanted answered, but the excitement at the possibility was quite clear.

"You are Callista Blackwell, correct?" the beautiful girl spoke to her in a pure, silky voice. The woman's voice pounded with want to know.

"I am. You are?" she said hurriedly, excitement having not ceased,

"Princess Ava li Britannnia," the girl announced with a smile. Callista's heart fell; this wasn't the princess she had hoped it was.

"'Li Britannia'? So you're that woman's daughter?" Callista said, looking down.

"I once heard my mother say that you were among the more capable knightmare pilots she had ever seen in action," the young princess said, wearing a smirk.

"Heavy praise from the Witch of Britannia," Callista let out a dark laugh. "But then again, she was the only one of them who ever did have any respect for me."

"Well you are the woman known as the Blood Queen, said to have took pleasure in the carnage she created in the war," the girl said, giving her own laugh.

"You know your history well, girl," Callista smirked darkly. "But for people like Guinevere, Clovis and Schneizel you should realize my deeds had nothing to do with their dislike of me."

"I suppose not…" the young girl smiled.

"No, those royal children couldn't accept a woman as young as I hanging on their father's arm." Callista spoke with nostalgia in her voice.

"I see."

"I was but another conquest for that man. He had grown distant from the world. He only kept me around as my skills bore similarity to Marianne the Flash and I was enthusiastic to serve him," Callista said in a languid voice. With more venom she added, "I never met that one who killed him, Lelouch, until he threw me into this hell out of disgust, and only once met that sister of his who keeps me in here, on account of so called 'war crimes'."

"It must make you bitter…" the princess said.

"I had no real love of that man. It was only his power I coveted," Callista sighed. "I would have happily taken Lelouch as my new lord had he allowed it." Sadness entered her eyes. "but then he had to toss me in here and rip my happiness from my arms."

A silence fell briefly before the young princess said in a direct tone, "I wish to set you free, Callista."

"Now why in the world would you wish for something like that, girl?" the former Imperial consort said, smirking.

"I am in a position where I have need of skilled knightmare pilots. From what I have heard, you would be a viable asset to me," the princess said, a smile showing on her face.

"Just what could you be planning, princess?" Callista laughed, intrigued by her young companion.

"My aim is the Imperial throne," the young girl announced boldly. Callista's eyes went wide.

"My, my, an ambitious young princess, aren't we?" she laughed. "I like that. Unfortunately, I know not what should give me confidence that your goal is a reasonable one and not the foolish dream of a little girl."

"Perhaps it is as you fear. Perhaps I will lead you to nothing but your death. Even so, would you honestly prefer to stay locked within these walls?" the girl asked, smirking callously. The answer left Callista impressed.

"Those caged are easily enslaved by the promise of freedom, I take it that's your reason in coming to this prison?" Callista smiled.

"Is it fallible?" the girl asked, her eyes sharp and piercing.

"Not particularly," Callista laughed. She smiled silently for a bit before saying. "I will follow you, Ava li Britannia, but not unconditionally. You must promise me one thing, else I would prefer to continue rotting in this prison."

"And that would be?" the girl asked, surprised.

Callista looked down. In a somber voice, she began. "I wish to be reunited with my daughter."

"Your daughter?" the princess now had surprise on her face.

"Lelouch vi Britannia had a heart. He ordered the death of all the other nobility, the ties to the old system, but me, he just threw in here. He couldn't kill me with her inside. He was a murderer, but that was too much. I would have been killed instantly had my daughter been born prior to his death." Callista said, spite apparent as tears began to flow. "But when Nunnally took the throne she change my death sentence to a life sentence and, once my daughter was birthed within these walls, ripped her away from me before I could ever know her."

The sounds of a lock clicking open brought Callista's attention back to what was in front of her. The young princess had opened her cell and walked inside.

"I will reunite you with her. That is no lie," Ava li Britannia whispered, looking her straight in the eye, face to face.

"Then I will gladly lay my life on the line to help realize your dream." Callista bowed to the woman she hoped to soon hail as her Empress.

"I am pleased to have you." Princess Ava said. She motioned for the other to stand. Callista complied. "Now, you wouldn't happen to know of any others of skill at piloting knightmares, would you?"

"Just one. A Lord Niles Moore over in the men's prison," the soon to be free woman said after some deliberation.

"Ah, yes, I remember that man's story from when it hit the news. I had forgotten of him," Princess Ava said with a steady nod. She turned to exit the cell. "Let us try and see if we may find him."

"As you wish, my princess," Callista said softly as she followed the girl out and to her freedom.

---

Niles Moore sat patiently in his cell as always. He was a condemned man waiting to die. Why shouldn't he die? He deserved it. There was no redemption for his crimes. Wasn't that he were put to death for the best then?

As he counted the seconds to his eventual execution per usual, he was startled to find people walking toward him, people he had never seen before, people who weren't the prison guards who brought meals down to his solitary cell daily. It was two women. One was dressed in fancy clothes and was quite young and beautiful. The other was dressed in prison garbs, and was older, but still somehow quite beautiful. Niles knew not what to think of them.

"You are Lord Niles Moore?" the young girl asked, a strength in her eyes.

"Indeed I am," the man replied, his voice somehow tired though it hadn't been used in weeks.

"I am Princess Ava li Britannia," the girl introduced herself. Niles didn't have the energy to be surprised.

"What does a princess want of a common murderer?" Niles said wearily.

The girl laughed, "You are no common murderer, Lord Moore. You were a soldier of exceptional prowess twenty years ago. You fought for your country proudly and as a result assumed a place in the new order of nobility that arose after the war's end."

"Yet after the war's end, I spent fourteen years failing to adapt. After my wife was found murdered while on visit to the southern reaches of the Empire, I went out in an old knightmare I had been keeping and saw fit to massacre two whole villages of innocents, just like the damn thing had never ended," Niles recounted soberly, teeth gritted.

"I always thought yours was a simple crime of passion. They were the actions of a passionate man, not a cold murderer," the youth said, with a light smile. Niles gave a hard laugh.

"You're wrong about me girl, those fourteen years, I was just waiting for an excuse to go insane and recreate the surge I felt during that war," Niles said in a languid tone. "And it's best you understand this now girl, that even if there's passion behind a crime, if the crime itself is big enough you'll end up burning in hell along side me for it some day."

"Very well, if that's the man you are, I care not. My offer will remain unchanged," the young princess stated callously.

"What offer are you trying to make of me, girl?" Niles said, humored.

"I have infiltrated this prison looking for men of skill to aid me in taking the throne," the girl forwardly announced.

"The throne? A coup d'etat. What makes you think you can do it?" the man said, still far from surprised.

"I have the truth on my side. It'd be hard for me to say more than that here, since I'd prefer to attain your trust without using my power, as I did with Callista here," the girl nodded to the woman standing silently next to her. Niles looked at her and at once remembered the face, even if it was twenty years older.

"It's been a long time, Blood Queen," he said, smirking slightly.

"The same, Niles," Callista replied with a short laugh.

"So you believe this girl's plan can be trusted?" Niles asked.

"I know not of her plan. My belief is in Princess Ava herself, and the fire within her eye," Callista said, blackly.

"I see…" Niles sighed. "But unfortunately I must decline. I am to die for my crimes. It is what I deserve."

"Then I must apologize, Lord Moore, as I am forced to use it on you now," the princess said, sighing as well. She looked Niles straight in the eye. "Do you really, honestly want to die, Lord Moore?"

"Of course not. I fear it. Each seconds that passes is one of crippling anxiety, that is only made bearable when I hide behind the excuse that it is what I want," Niles said blankly, somehow unable to stop himself, as if he was bound to say the truth.

"Do you not want a chance to see the outside again, a chance to fight proudly once more and atone for your sins?" The girl next asked, her gaze still focused in Niles' eye.

"Even if I doubt blood can be washed away in more blood, I still desire that chance more than any other. That I could have a chance to find redemption outside these walls as I grow old, it is my only wish," Niles again could not say anything but what he truly felt, and he was compelled to say all of it. The girl then looked away.

"Come with me, Lord Niles Moore, your services are needed, and when this new war has settled, you will be able to find the new life you desire," the girl said in a softer voice. Niles began to smile.

"That's a nasty trick you just played, princess, but an effective one," Niles said as he stood up. "It looks like I will be joining you after all."

"Good to hear it," the girl said as she inserted the key into the small hole on the prison bars. Entering and facing the man, she then asked, "Now you wouldn't know of any other Knightmare pilots of skill inhabiting this place, would you?"

"I'm afraid I do not. Prisoners of my grade aren't permitted time to interact with the others and obtain knowledge of the newcomers, and I recognized not a name on any list as I entered," Niles answered apologetically.

"I see…" the young girl sighed. "Well, I suppose two is all I could find today, but for this operation perhaps that will be enough."

---

Ulric sat in his cell, agitated as usual. His cellmate was sleeping. He wasn't about to go to sleep, not when he knew something strange was going on around him. Not twenty minutes ago he had seen two women parading themselves down the corridor in front of him. One of them looked rich and fancy and the other was wearing the uniform of the connected women's prison. When he considered that he hadn't seen a guard in forty-five minutes, it all became a little stranger.

But he knew they'd pass again. They had to. When those goddamn bastard threw Ulric in his goddamn cage they chose the one closest to the prison exits, as if to mock him. he saw everyone who exited the prison exit, and everyone who entered the prison enter. It was like they were saying, "look there's the exit Ulric, but your goddamn ass won't be using it for another five years."

Oh how he hated that. It had only been four days since they had thrown him this fucking prison, but it had seemed like a goddamn eternity. He was still pissed about it too. So what if he had accidentally killed a man during a fight. Stuff like that happened all the time. He hated those mother-fucking cops who had busted into his house and taken him while he was sleeping. If only he'd have been awake; he'd have shown them. Then he wouldn't be forced to endure this place any longer, and they all wouldn't be able to see too good right now.

It was about as Ulric contemplated this notion for the twentieth time that day that the two strange women reappeared, but-- goddamn it! Now there was some old dude going with them. He wasn't about to just sit by and watch that go by.

"Hey you! Lady! take me with you too!" he shouted from his cell. The woman ignored him.

He wasn't going to have that shit. He tried again "Hey, I'm talking to you! You better listen!"

This time he succeeded in getting the girl's attention. She looked him straight in the eye, she seemed angry.

"What use could some low-born, Godforsaken piece of trash like you possibly be to me?" she asked, spitefully, glaring at him.

"I'm plenty use. I'm Ulric Cross, the best underground prizefighter who ever lived!" Ulric boasted fiercely.

"My Geass should have been active. It's sad when they're delusional and think so highly of themselves," the girl sighed and shook her head.

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, girl, but I ain't bullshitting you, if that's what you think! I've never been defeated at any sort of fighting," Ulric shouted, trying to regain the girl's attention.

"Truthfully? How many matches have you been in?" the girl asked, staring him in the eye.

"Hell yeah, it's the truth! And I've been in hundreds of matches. Hardly a day goes by I ain't pounding some unfortunate bastard's face in," Ulric said with a laugh.

"Either my Geass has no effect on this man, he is an idiot, or he is actually as strong as he claims," the young girl said to herself.

"Princess, please, don't waste your time with men like him. He is a vulgar, uncultured, brute, who finds his thrills only in creating violence," the old dude said in a snooty old dude way. Ulric felt like punching him in the jaw.

"Like you're any better old man. You're locked in this joint too!" Ulric shouted out.

"Please calm yourself, Mr. Cross," the young girl said. Making eye contact once more she then added. "And tell me, in terms of combat, you are just adept at hand-to-hand?"

"Fuck no!" Ulric declared. "I can do weapons too. Swords, knives, guns, anything people are willing to bet over."

"And have you ever piloted a knightmare frame?" the girl next asked, eye contact still preserved.

"'Course I have. Underground knightmare fights are a big sport for wealthy old men to bet on. And I'm one of the best at it there is," Ulric answered coolly. The girl smile.

"If I free you from this place will you pledge your unwavering loyalty to me?" the girl asked promptly.

"Fuck no! What do you think, I'm crazy? The second we hit the prison gates, I'm bolting the other way," Ulric answered. He had to ask himself shortly afterword, what the fuck was he thinking. A lie would have bought him freedom, but he had to say the mother-fucking truth like he was being forced.

"I see. What if I were to promise you amnesty, that no matter what act of violence you commit, you will never again end up in this prison or any prison so long as you are alive?" the girl proposed, still looking into Ulric's eyes.

"That's a damn sweet deal. I'd have to know what you'd be having me do though…" Ulric said, more subdued than before.

"I am Princess Ava li Britannia, the Imperial throne is my short term goal. In obtaining it I need men of skill who I can place confidence in," the girl announced powerfully, "Once I obtain, I will have need for your breed of violence in the following war."

"A princess--?" Ulric gulped, deeply surprised. "Well, I'll be… You'd be able to keep that promise of yours if you became Empress…"

"And I promise to you I will, Mr. Cross," the princess said, nodding,

"It's a deal then. You keep me out of these bars forever and I'll be your loyal dog," Ulric said, doing his best to bow like people did to royalty in some movie he had seen.

"You're making a mistake princess. Men like this aren't to be trusted," the old dude cautioned.

"Perhaps so, Lord Moore, but then again, perhaps I've made a valuable ally here in Mr. Cross," the girl said as she stepped forward and undid the lock on Ulric's cage.

"I won't disappoint you, Princess," Ulric spoke, unsure what to think. All he knew for sure, is that he was going to be using that exit that had been taunting him.

---

Rayner Wilde cursed his fate for the thousandth time as he drove his beat up old car through the night in the direction he had been instructed. He couldn't believe it, he the rising genius of the Imperial Colchester Institute, who had obtained a Ph.D. at the young age of 19, was now being blackmailed by an upstart 17 year old princess. Fate was laughing in his face yet again.

Of course he understood none of it. That princess had found some crazy new trick that got him to spill his guts about everything. She had quickly accrued knowledge that would put his crappy job at risk. He didn't really care about that even if he did need some source of income to buy his cigarettes and beer. He was mostly putting up with Ava, because she was interesting and he was bored.

Rayner took a sip of the cheap beer in a plastic cup he had in his cup holder and looked at the address the girl had given him once more. He was close now. He wondered what he would find there. The question was quickly answered after a short drive. There before his eyes was a small lot populated densely by knightmare frames.

Rayner WIlde parked his car at the side of the lot and exited it. He looked around expectantly.

"So you're here, Dr. WIlde," Ava li Britannia appeared out of the darkness from behind him.

"Just what are you planning, Princess?" Rayner said as he looked around the lot.

"These _Vincent Ward_s were to be dismantled, Dr. Wilde, four of the original twenty were in fact, but I stepped in and paid off the men in charge of the transaction for the remaining 16," Ava said wearing a smirk.

Rayner considered this a moment before speaking. "Hold on a second… I know you're a princess… but undercutting the military… you can't expect me to believe that's just allowed…."

"You'd be surprised how willing to bend the rules men are when you know both their breaking price and their darkest secrets," Ava gave a dark laugh.

Rayner sighed. He asked, "what do you want me to do?"

"You should have already figured that much out, I'd think Dr. Wilde," Ava laughed politely. "I want you to use these 16 knightmares, Dr. Wilde, to do what you never got a chance to do. I want you to design and build something unique."

Dr. Wilde gave a short sigh and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. He had known that much from the minute he had lain eyes on the knightmares. Something about the situation just seemed almost surreal to him.

Lighting his cigarette, he asked, "Should I ask why I would be doing this?"

"Because you want to, Dr. Wilde. Nothing beyond that should matter to you," the girl answered, smiling evilly. Rayner looked up at one of the _Vincent Ward_s.

"Designing something's one thing, building requires tools and manpower," Wilde sighed.

"Finding you the tools you need should prove an easy task, just tell me what you need, and you will have it," Ava said coolly. She then turned to her let and made a motion with her hand. "As for manpower, these two will serve you as laborers."

Rayner watched as two men stepped forward out of the darkness. One was a man of class in his fifties who looked to have even more sorrow in his eyes than Rayner did. The other looked like your common, everyday twenty-something street thug.

"Don't look like the most promising staff I could hope for," Rayner said, looking down and enjoying his cigarette.

"Bear with it. I'm not asking the impossible. Just one or two knightmares that could stand with the best," Ava said still smirking childishly.

"I guess I have my work cut out for me then," Rayner said, with yet another heavy sigh. This was acting in truth, at that moment, he was very excited.

"I'm counting on you, Dr. Wilde," Ava said, as she began to walk off.

"Wait, Princess!" Rayner called back to the girl, not looking back. Ava turned to face him.

"Yes?" she asked.

"If the knightmares I make work for you, do you think maybe then you could have me make some more?" he asked, the reality of his situation swirling in his brain. Very soon he could be done with that damn school forever.

"Of course. You needn't even ask. Dr. Wilde. If what you make works for me, you will find yourself in a new position," the girl replied with a full smile. Rayner gave an amused laugh.

He continued to stare at the sixteen knightmares all around him. He really did have a lot to do. It was best he got started.

A/N: End chapter 3. This chapter seems like it took forever to write. It is a little longer than the last two. Even so it's mostly a progression chapter. We see Ava announcing her plan and gathering the tools for it. Some interesting character introductions in there I think. More character development. Still no action or anything, but I assume you can all see how that will change soon enough. Andof course this chapter had the first appearances of any established characters with Ohgi and Kaguya showing up. More of them will show up pretty soon though. Anyway, I hope you liked it. Please review.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Warden John Paris

Callista Blackwell, "Blood Queen"

Lord Niles Moore

Ulric Cross

Vortigern Imperial Prison


	5. Turn 4: Before the Dawn

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I explained it in the opening of the last Bleach chapter I wrote, but lets just say something happen that momentarily derailed my recently announced weekly. My schedule is now in the process of returning to normal. As such, I'm going to try and catch up and make it up to you by releasing two chapters this week. Hopefully I succeed.

Disclaimer: Ulric: "The guy writing this shit doesn't own Code Geass. he does own all the original characters though, so don't mess with 'em... unless of course you want me to mess with your face!"

The reporter wore a smile as she was prepped for her imminent interview. Most reporters would approach an exclusive interview with her Nation's Empress with a little anticipation or worry, but this was not true for this woman. For her, this interview would be nothing more than a chat with a precious old friend she hadn't seen in years.

She supposed most reporters couldn't call their Nation's Empress a friend. Milly Ashford wasn't your average reporter though. Over twenty years ago she had made some friends in a lot of important places. Along with Empress Nunnally, she had actually crushed over her brother, the fallen Emperor Lelouch.

She had likewise known as a friend the equally long deceased knight of that man, Suzaku Kururugi; the Knight of One; and the head of Zero's personal battalion within the Black Knights. One of the most revered scientific geniuses of the world was once her fiance, and then of course another of the same had actually gone on to become her spouse.

She never would have thought back then that it would be her and Nina together in the end. She had always felt inclined to protect the soft-spoken girl. Their relationship didn't go beyond that until Nina offered her some harsh words one night in the Chinese Federation, that allowed Milly a chance to see things clearly for once. As a result she followed her dream as a reporter, and after the war ended, when her and Nina reconnected, things just sort of fell in place.

She had been a popular reporter in Japan, the former Area 11, where she had attended school. Still, after a few years of Japanese freedom, the inevitable happened and the Japanese station she worked for decided to let her and most the other Britannians go in favor of nationals. Her and Nina had had to leave that now familiar land in favor of their homeland. Perhaps in commemoration, they adopted an infant Miya and took her with them.

Back in Britannia, Milly's career exploded quickly. Her influential friends saw to that. Many of them only accepted interviews from her. The woman she was about to interview, Nunnally Vi Britannia, the 100th Imperial Ruler of the Holy Empire of Britannia, was one such friend.

"Ms. Ashford, we're ready for you," someone called to her from the interview room. She followed the voice inside. She smiled as her eyes met those of the Empress, who smiled beautifully back at her.

"Milly, it's been too long," the Empress said sweetly, brightly. She had grown into quite the beautiful woman in the twenty plus years Milly had known her.

"Yeah. You should really do more interviews," Milly laughed. "It's a good excuse for us to talk."

"It's busy being Empress. I really don't have time for too many. But when I do, don't worry, it'll be with you, just like it always has been," Nunnally responded, tilting her head.

"That exclusivity has certainly been a boost to my career, but mostly I just like the chance to talk with my old friends every once in a while," Milly said in a light voice.

"Have you spoke with Rivalz recently?" Nunnally asked curiously.

"Yeah. We keep in touch," Milly said, smiling as she remembered her old days at Ashford Academy and the oen of her friends who would go on to lead a normal life. "He's doing pretty well. Him and his wife just had their third kid."

"I see. That's good to hear!" Nunnally said with a warm smile. "And how are you and Nina doing these days."

"Oh, we're just great. Nina stresses this time of year, what with having to grade exams and all but she's fine," Milly responded, thinking of her love. "And I'm just great, my show still beats all it's rivals and every day is lots of fun!"

"And what about Miya?" the Empress asked.

"Still as carefree and energetic as ever. She's graduating school next week, and I'm not sure her or either of us know what she's going to do after that," Milly gave a long sigh.

"Miya's a bright girl. I'm sure she'll find something to do with herself," Nunnally assured with a small nod.

"Yeah," Milly smiled back. "Let's hope so"

"You guys ready?" one of the cameramen asked after a pause.

"Sure. Let's go for it," Milly chimed, sitting professionally in her large reporter chair.

"...and... you're on…." another of the men said. Milly prepared herself.

"Empress Nunnally, thank you for joining me again today," Milly said in a firm tone.

"It's no trouble," Nunnally replied with a friendly, camera-friendly smile.

"Tomorrow, you are to appear alongside Prime Minister Schneizel and Zero of the Black Knights at the Celebration of Peace" Milly jumped into the interview, looking down at her notes.

"That is correct," Nunnally chimed back.

"Could you tell us a little about this event and why it's important?" the reporter asked with a friendly nod.

"The Celelbration of Peace is a special event, orchestrated to commemorate that our Nation of Britannia has now had a sustained peace for a full 20 years. It will be honoring those who helped to create and maintain that peace," Nunnally said with a serene expression. "And of course, we'll see a lot of special guests there as well."

"Sounds like lots of fun. And since admission is free to the event, you must be expecting a lot of people to show up," Milly said, smiling.

"Yes, but we're well prepared for a crowd," Nunnally assured.

"Good to hear it. I'll expect turnout is high," Milly said. Turning to another page in her notes, she progressed the interview. "On another subject, as Empress what do you make of another three former South Britannian territories declaring their independence from the empire this month."

"If the people of a territory wish to govern themselves and are capable of doing so, I don't see why we shouldn't allow it," Nunnally answered with a benign smile.

Milly nodded at the response and readied her next of many questions.

---

Gino Weinberg sat casually in a large chair in his office. It was a nice, plush room; the sort one might expect would come with a title as prominent as Knight of One. It was a prominent title for sure, but an easy job. Life had certainly been harder when he was Knight of Three. The war he had seen twenty years ago seemed so distant now; he had grown so much since then.

He was willing to give up his career as a knight entirely back then. If a certain girl would have given him a "yes" instead of a "no", he was sure his life would have taken a very different turn. As it was, he had received that "no" and thus returned to his homeland with his head hanging. As the former Knight of One had been killed in the war, and Lord Marsh, the Knight of Two had missed much of it due to illness, he was almost immediately promoted to his comfortable position upon his return.

Luckily, he also almost immediately found another girl, and this one gave him an enthusiastic "yes". Soon enough, Gino had his very own little girl to help raise. Astrid was a bright little girl. She was also quite gifted. Halfway though her school years, the girl retreated into a bit of a shell, but at the same time her focus became magnified. Gino didn't know what to make of it when his 11 year old girl told him she wanted to be a knight. It was unexpected for sure, but Gino couldn't tell the girl no. He always had believed in following one's dreams.

"Lord Weinberg, we're here." A knock came on the man's door. He sat up.

"Yeah, come in," Gino said in a strong voice. The door opened. Two stepped in, a young man and a young girl, either with bright green hair.

"Knight of Seven, Devlin Granville reporting in as requested, sir," the young man said rigidly with a salute.

"Knight of Eight, Regina Granville, also reporting, sir," the young girl said in a much the same way.

"You kids really need to lighten up," Gino laughed and shook his head.

"Sorry, sir. We will try, sir," Devlin said, still in a forced, stiff fashion.

"Wow, he's not like this in private, is he?" the senior knight said jokingly, head turned to Regina.

"No, he is not, sir," the girl answered in a dutiful fashion. Gino sighed.

"Never mind…." he said. "Now, you two have already received details on the operation for tomorrow, correct."

"We have, sir!" Regina asserted.

"We are to be aiding you in providing security to Empress Nunnally a the peace event tomorrow, sir," Devlin recounted his briefing as strictly as usual.

"Seriously, kids like you have no reason to be like this these days," Gino shook his head some more. "You should smile more, like my Astrid."

Regina put on an oversized false smile while Devlin remained cold and expressionless. Gino gave a small laugh.

"I guess it's hopeless," he shrugged. "Anyway, looks like you understand. Be prepared for tomorrow. The safety of the Empress and the Prime Minister is in our hands."

"Understood, sir!" both the Granville siblings responded in unison, saluting again.

"You can be dismissed," Gino said, still shaking his head.

---

Margaret Enneagram beamed from ear to ear as she walked in the direction of her next class. The end of the school year always brought with it a sense of accomplishment for her. She never beat Ava at anything, that much was unfortunately true, but being second best was good enough for her. She was much better mannered than that lousy princess anyway, and that had to count for something.

She smiled as she reached her class. Strangely, it was empty. She looked around it for a while before turning back. Sure, it was only minutes after lunch break let out, and she was always the first student to arrive to class, but even so, shouldn't the teacher at least be there?

Margaret had always found the physical sciences to be fascinating. Her mother had taught her all about things such as sakuradite reactions in her youth, and she had listened to the information eagerly. She didn't particularly care for her physics teacher, Dr. Wilde though. He was an absent minded slob, who approached the subject with apathy. Now here he was, leaving his classroom behind unattended. Margaret snorted as she exited the room.

It didn't take Margaret long to find the careless man. When she did, however, her eyes widened. He was talking to _her_. What could Dr. Wilde possibly have to discuss with Margaret's sworn rival, Ava li Britannia? Margaret took to eavesdropping almost immediately.

"They'll be done… tonight… I'm sure…." Wilde said in a deliberate yawn. Margaret had noticed he had looked suspiciously tired of late.

"And both of them are as you promised?" Ava asked, nodding. Margaret could tell at once she held the power in the conversation despite being the student.

"Of course. Either one could maybe stand up to the best Earl Asplund ever designed," Wilde said, scratching his neck.

Margaret gasped. Asplund was a famous Knightmare developer. She had met him once at an event with her mother. Knowing Dr. WIlde's background, Margaret deduced there was only one thing he and Ava could be discussing. But why in the hell would that ill-mannered princess be having this slack drunk design knightmare frames for her?

"I hope that is not empty boasting, Dr. WIlde," Ava said darkly. Shrugging she said, "but even if it is, I doubt I'll need much power when every thing's become so soft."

Now Margaret was sure her rival was planning something serious. It made her blood boil.

"Right, well. I'll make sure they're everything you hope they are," WIlde assured the princess, looking strangely resolute for a moment. "You should probably stop by after school so I can explain the details of both models to you."

"I will do that. I'm counting on you, Dr. WIlde," Ava said with a short nod. "Now, you should be going. Don't you have another class starting soon?"

"Tch. Yeah," the man sighed as he began to slink in Margaret's direction. The girl hid out of sight.

Once WIlde had passed, Margaret emerged. She paced toward the princess at once, a resolute fire in her eyes.

"Just what are you up to, Princess," Margaret demanded, wearing a scowl.

Ava turned to her. She stared harshly for a moment. "It's you. What do you want, Margaret?"

"What were you and Dr. Wilde discussing?" the aggressive redhead asked bitterly.

"Oh? You saw us?" Ava said callously. She looked Margaret directly in the eye. "Just how much did you overhear?"

"Dr. Wilde is making you knightmares for something. That is all I could discern from the conversation…" Margaret blurted out, completely unable to hide that she had eavesdropped for some bizarre reason.

Ava scowled. With a bit of a growl she said to herself while looking down. "I've grown too anxious as the date approaches. I never should have asked him for an update here…"

"Why do you need two ninth-generation knightmares by tomorrow, Princess?" Margaret asked, unyielding.

"You needn't worry about it, Margaret. It goes beyond your little world," Ava laughed coldly. "I know how desperately you've always tried to compete with me, but that whole while you've been wasting your time. We're simply not on the same level."

"You insufferable little bitch…" Margaret fumed as she clenched her fist.

"Please, Margaret, you've never bested me at anything. Fisticuffs would be no different." the stupid princess rolled her eyes condescendingly.

"I hate you… I really do…" Margaret whined, looking down.

"Feel as you will, Margaret. In my eyes, you're too insignificant to hate," Ava said with a smirk. She began to walk forward, past Margaret.

Margaret shook as she looked down. The princess was allowed several steps before the red-haired girl spoke out. When she did, it was in a desperate voice. "Please… I want to help you…"

Ava turned around. She stared at the girl confused, "What was that?"

"With whatever this is you'er planning… I'd like to help you…" Margaret repeated, hating herself for being so low as to make the request.

"You'd throw yourself behind a cause without knowing it?" Ava laughed at the girl as if she were ridiculous.

"I would," Margaret replied strongly, bringing a halt to the other's laughter.

"Why?" Ava asked, looking the girl firmly in the eye.

"You've always been the goal I had my eyes one. I thought if I could reach your level, I'd be able to prove myself… I thought then I'd be able to make my mother proud… and restore her honor in front of everyone who criticized her because of me," Margaret said with a slight quiver. She couldn't help but reveal everything; she didn't know why. "I know, that if I let you get ahead of me now, I'll never catch up…"

"You're making a mistake, Margaret. You'd do better to just let me step ahead," Ava said slowly, surprised by the words.

"I can't do that. I've never seen you lose, Ava, and if you win this time, something tells me that will make everything I've done up till now meaningless," Margaret spoke weakly, the princess still staring into her eyes.

"I'm not going to be able to convince you you're making a mistake, am I, Margaret?" Ava frowned.

"No," the girl said simply. She couldn't manage a more clever response under the princess' oddly hypnotic gaze.

"As long as I've known you, you've always been more than little stubborn," Ava sighed, closing her eyes.

Margaret was literally shaking as Ava reopened her eyes. They didn't look at her again. She felt she was free from the other's spell now.

"You're obviously well beyond me, Princess…. please just allow me this delusion that you're still within my reach," Margaret said, knowing it sounded helpless.

"Margaret, tell me, has your mother ever instructed you in piloting a knightmare frame?" Ava asked, looking at the floor.

"She has," Margaret nodded. "I won't lie and say I'm on your little friend Astrid's level or anything like that, but I'm competent enough at it."

"Very well, Margaret. I accept your help. I trust you know my address," Ava said, smiling faintly.

"Yeah… I think I have it somewhere… I know my mother does..." Margaret replied deliberately.

"Go there after school today. We're going to discuss the operation we have planned for tomorrow," Ava said firmly.

"U-understood…" the redhead softly responded.

"Good. I'll have Dr. Wilde get an extra Vincent battle ready…" Ava said as she began to walk past the still Margaret. "See you tonight, Margaret."

Margaret gulped as she asked herself if she really wasn't making a mistake. She decided that even if she were, it was too late now. "Yeah, see you Ava…"

---

"So what do you think, it's the most serious mission either of us has ever been given?" Hiromi asked from her comfy chair as she watched her direct superior play video games on the Battleship _Hitokage_'s large monitor.

"What's serious about it? Nothing's gonna happen. It's the Celebration of Peace, I seriously don't see anything violent breaking out at something with that name," Chiharu replied flippantly as she continued to concentrate on her game, an aerial combat simulator.

"Probably not, but it's just us-- meaning your platoon, Chiharu, providing security for Lord Zero at this event," Hiromi argued, with some frustration in her voice.

"I know. They gave us three Akatsuki. Personally, I can't wait to climb inside mine…" Chiharu replied, shivering with excitement as she blew up several enemy knightmares in her game.

"Sometimes, I can't believe you're my superior, Chiharu," Hiromi said shaking her head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chiharu huffed. "I'm giving you one of the Akatsuki as well, you know?"

"O-kay…" Hiromi rolled her eyes. "I don't have your strange knightmare fetish, Chiharu."

"That's kind of mean!" Chiharu stammered, but didn't lose her focus on the game.

"You bring it upon yourself," Hiromi said pointedly.

"Whatever…" Chiharu said poutingly. Things went quiet as Chiharu concentrated on her game. Hiromi began to watch as well. Chiharu was an expert at a game. She would dispatch knightmare after knightmare all the while avoiding any serious damage herself.

After a few moments, Chiharu spoke again. "Hey, Hiromi."

"Yeah, Chiharu?" the other started back.

"Don't you kind of hope something does happen tomorrow? It'd be great to see some actual combat. If it's anything like this game I'm sure to be an ace," Chiharu said, she was wearing a slight smirk.

"It's not appropriate for us as Black Knights to wish for anything but peace, Chiharu," Hiromi said, shaking her head.

"I know… still…. " Chiharu started, but trailed off to face off against a boss enemy.

Hiromi sighed. Unlike her superior, she for one prayed nothing would happen the next day. Coming from a military family, peace had always meant happiness for her. She wanted peace to persist for the sake of them, for the sake of her parents and her beloved younger siblings.

---

Ulric leaned back in the big-ass fancy chair and stared up at the big-ass fancy chandelier that hung over the big-ass fancy table in the center of the big-ass fancy room. None of it really seemed real to him just yet. A week ago he was locked in a god damn prison, the week before that he was in the ring, punching faces in as usual. Now here he was in the banquet hall of some princess' house waiting for a meeting discussing some crazy plan to start.

He looked from face to face at the others gathered there. Sitting seemingly as far from him as possible was that old dude who was locked up in prison with him. Ulric didn't like this guy. He was stuffy and humorless. They had been forced to work nights together helping this other dude, Rayner, who was pretty cool despite being a smart guy, build some sleek looking knightmares. During this time, the old dude had really got on every one of Ulric's last nerves.

Next to the old dude, was this kinda crazy looking older babe who had also been in the prison that day. Ulric hadn't got much time to talk to this chick. He honestly didn't want to. She was kinda hot for a girl her age, with her long blood red hair and alluring figure, but she had this crazy look in her eyes, and just had this really cold, cruel air around her. Ulric figured she was the type of woman who was real trouble.

At the end of the table was a smokin' hot blonde chick of such quality Ulric had never seen before. She was dressed like a maid for some reason, but Ulric doubted a girl of such caliber worked such a stock job. She was gorgeous; incredibly stacked with just the sexiest eyes. Ulric so wanted to get his hands on her.

On the opposite side of the table, right next to the other end chair, which was currently vacant, sit another blonde chick. This one was a lot younger. She looked to be the princess' age. She was real cute too, but not on the level of the other blonde. She looked kind of shy and nervous.

Just as Ulric had finished stacking up them all, another new face showed up, entering the door quickly. It was a young redheaded girl with shoulder-length red hair and a cute face. Ulric had to wonder if Princess Ava's entire force was nothing but him, the old guy, Rayner and a bunch of hot chicks. If so, he was completely cool with that.

"Margaret?! W-what are you doing here?!" the meek looking blonde started, seemingly very surprised.

"The Princess… she said I could help you all… she told me to come here…" the young redhead replied somewhat sadly.

"R-really?" the blonde replied, looking as if she didn't entirely believe it. "Well okay then… take a seat…"

The redhead, Margaret apparently, nodded. She found a seat on the same side of the table as Ulric.

"So… Astrid… who are these people?" Margaret asked, looking around the room.

"I guess I could introduce them," the blonde chick, apparently named Astrid, said softly as she stood. She walked over to the older redhead and stood by her. "This is Miss Callista Blackwell."

"The Blood Queen?!" Margaret started with wide eyes. Astrid didn't answer, she merely walked over to the old dude.

"This is Lord Niles Moore," Astrid introduced softly.

"That crazed murderer?!" Margaret gasped. Astrid again didn't reply, but rather walked around the table to Ulric.

"This is Mr. Ulric Cross," Astrid said, in a weak voice.

"I don't think I've heard of that one…" Margaret, who was perfectly prepared to be surprised again, said in an unimpressed tone.

"That's bullshit! I'm Ulric Cross, the best fighter who ever lived!" Ulric shouted in contention, angered by the words.

"And this is D.D.," Astrid said, her and Margaret ignoring Ulric's outburst entirely and walking over to the really hot blonde. Ulric was more than a little pissed off by this.

"D.D.? That's an unusual name?" Margaret started.

"It's not really, not for an immortal witch anyway," the really hot blonde said in an apathetic voice.

"You're a… witch…?" Margaret started with a doubtful expression.

"I am," D.D. said very simply.

"No you're not! Ain't no such thing as witches, everybody knows that!" Ulric shouted, shaking his head with certainty.

"You really haven't realized yet, you foolish boy. Things beyond what your tiny brain can comprehend exist and are at work around us! Our Princess' power is proof of that!" the cranky old dude snapped.

"What power?" Ulric said, glaring. Astrid moved to retake her seat.

"Come now, you must have realized it. That girl has a strange power in her eyes," the old dude said contemptuously.

"I don't know what you're sayin'," Ulric shook his head.

"Do you honestly think you had perfect control of everything you said in that prison, Mr. Cross?" the crazy looking babe, Callista asked, humored.

"Huh? What are you--?" the young fighter started, confused.

"Looking in her eyes, we are compelled to tell the truth. Something like that, correct?" the young redhead, Margaret started deliberately.

"This one's bright, it seems," Callista snickered and took a long sip of the glass of wine in front of her.

"Wait, so that's why I--!" Ulric said, remembering the prison events more clearly. It was still hard to believe the Princess had used some sort of funky magic on him, but he supposed it did explain why he had been so damn honest with the girl.

"I think an immortal witch is then perfectly reasonable," the old dude said, nodding. "In fact, I would assume you have something to do with this very power our Princess possesses."

"Correct." D.D. gave a solemn nod.

"D.D. is actually fascinating company, Niles. You'd be surprised at the stories of long past times she's shared with me while you and Mr. Cross have been working with that Dr. Wilde, " Callista said with a light smirk.

"I'm sure," the old dude replied. "Right now I'm most curious to hear the two young ones here introduce themselves."

"I'm Margaret Enneagram. I'm the Princess'… ri--.. friend…" Margaret started brightly but became more somber in speech as things came out.

"A-and I'm Astrid Weinberg… also Ava's friend…" Astrid said quite meekly.

"What use to our princess are two of her little school friends?" the old guy spoke, not quite understanding.

"The Princess has told me that Astrid here is a Knight of the Rounds, Niles. I know nothing of this other girl," Callista informed.

"A Knight at such a young age?" the old guy seemed impressed.

"In our era the Knight of Six was just 15 if you recall," Callista reminded, smirking.

"Yes, I know. Still it's surprising a Round would support this Princess' cause," the old guy said, staring at the shy blonde. "Besides, this girl doesn't have the bearing of a knight."

"The Princess has told me Miss Astrid here is her most trusted friend, that she has nothing but faith in her abilities," Callista recounted, smiling at the young blonde.

"Ava said that…" Astrid absolutely beamed at hearing this.

"How long have you known the princess, Astrid?" the old guy asked, curiosity evident.

"Uh… twelve years now…" the girl replied slowly, a faint smile on the edge of her lips.

"Has she always been such an intensely driven young girl?" the man gave his follow up.

Astrid looked down at the floor, her face going pale as she remembered something. "N-no… she used to be very quiet and bookish; she never really had much aspiration and just kept to herself…" Her voice becoming a soft whisper, she added after a pause,"t-then something happened six years ago... that changed her completely…."

"Y-You mean when her mother died?" Margaret said, her voice becoming horribly morose and sympathetic.

"Ava maintains that she's still alive somewhere. No remains were ever positively identified after all," Astrid said very softly, sadly.

"Poor girl…. If Princess Cornelia we're alive… I doubt that she'd let herself be separated from such a precious child for so long..." Callista said, looking down, her incredible empathy clear.

"So after her mother's disappearance the girl took the world's lies as her enemies? Interesting…" the old guy said, impressed, his voice somewhat heavy.

"That's a powerful foe. It was that of the last master I served and it bested him in the end," Callista laughed. Wearing a smirk she added, "I'll be interested to see if our Princess fares any better."

"I wonder where our Princess is now," the old guy stated, looking at the clock.

"She's likely with Dr. Wilde. He's to finish his projects tonight if I'm not mistaken, and he wanted to go over the details of them both with her before she drew up her final plans," Callista responded, dryly.

A very brief silence fell before, as if on cue, the door to the massive hall suddenly opened, Ava li Britannia emerging into the room. Ulric was glad; the conversation had long since left him behind. He was eager to hear what the princess had planned for them.

"You needn't wait any longer. I am here now," the princess said, approaching the group.

"It's good to see you again, Ava," Astrid said with a smile as the princess took the seat next to her.

"Yes, Astrid," the princess nodded. Turning to the younger redhead she said, "It's good to see you showed up as well, Margaret."

"Y-yeah…" the girl replied unsteadily.

"Well then, shall we begin?" the princess asked the group, putting on her best smile.

"Of course, Princess, we're ready," the old guy assured her.

"Right. Well, as you all know, my friend Dr. Wilde has constructed two Knightmare frames that would be classified as Ninth Generation. Astrid and Callista will serve as our pilots. Additionally I have asked that one_ Vincent Ward_ be spared and made battle ready for use by Margaret here, who will serve in an auxiliary role. Lord Moore and Mr. Cross will provide direct support to me on foot," the princess explained.

"That's great to hear and all Princess… but am I allowed to ask what you'll be trying to do tomorrow?" Margaret asked, shaking a little.

"You don't even know that much and you're here, girl," the old guy said staring questioningly at Margaret.

"It's fine, Lord Moore, Margaret could prove a viable ally to us," the princess asserted. "As for your question, Margaret, I see no problem in telling you now."

"Good…" the young redhead said with a weak smile.

"Tomorrow, Margaret, the six of us here are going to assault the scheduled Celebration of Peace; our goal is Zero's mask, and with it I hope to take the throne," the princess announced.

Ulric still didn't get the plan entirely; he was curious as all hell as to who that Zero guy really was, but he wasn't so sure how that would get the princess the throne. Callista and the old guy seemed sold on the plan though, and they were smarter than him, so he didn't question it.

"You don't say Princess…." Margaret started very slowly, eyes wide with surprise.

"Do you protest, Margaret?" the black haired girl asked with a stern glare.

"Of course not; I already expected as much... just hearing you say it leaves me impressed," Margaret responded, shaking her head.

"Good," the young princss said with a smile.

"So, I believe we need further details on the operation now, Princess," the old dude said, looking intently at the girl.

"Right, let me explain," the princess smirked excitedly as she leaned forward, prepared to explain the intricacies of her plan. Ulric paid attention. He wanted to see the girl win. He'd do his best to make sure it happened.

A/N: End chapter. A bit shorter than the last few, but I think if I add another scene it would just be stretching things out. Major stuff will go down next chapter, as you can likely tell. Not many character introductions this time around. Gino, Nunnally and Milly were reintroduced and the Granville siblings made their first appearance. Still not much happening here. Mostly just more buildup, Margaret's joining the only real moment of event. The announcement of Cornelia's fate is I suppose worth mentioning. I tried to apply liberal hints that something like that was up the last few chapters, so hopefully no one is too shocked that she's dead/missing. I'm real excited for the next chapter, which I hope to have up this weekend.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Devlin Granville

Regina Granville

The Celebration of Peace

Battleship Hitokage

Oh, and I forgot to mention this, but I now have a forum on this site. Go ahead and visit it if you want to discuss this story or anything else.


	6. Turn 5: End of an Era

A/N: Less reviews last chapter, but I still keep getting new alerts and favorites and stuff so I guess that's fine. Anyway, hope this chapter is to your liking. Should be kinda exciting.

Disclaimer: Chiharu: "CrazyNinjaPenguin doesn't own Code Geass and any of it's characters and elements. However, he does own all the original characters… and knightmares…."

The man sighed as he stared at the sky from out the window. In his youth he had been bold and somewhat self-righteous. With age he had come to spent much time questioning whether or not the decisions he had made back then were the correct ones. He didn't have a straight answer. It had been twenty years now, and the world had seen no war. But this was a shallow peace. This was the man's peace. This was a peace he had created through deception.

"I wonder what you'd say, seeing the world today?" he muttered to himself as he continued to stare out the window of the aerial battleship that was transporting him. "This is the world you wanted; I wonder what you'd think of it."

The man sighed again as he thought of a lost friend. He didn't have any friends any more. He had become a shadow; an existence that no one knew. His life was one of emptiness, disconnection. He had discarded himself and taken on that role by choice when he tricked the world into peace. Sometimes he longed for what he once had.

"I wonder if this peace is something to celebrate…" he said in a low whisper. "What would you say about all this?"

As he continued to stare off into the distance and think, suddenly the man heard a loud knock at his door, followed by a young girl's voice. "Hey Zero, we're the people who are supposed to guard you. We we're supposed to come meet you and stuff."

The man turned round to face the door. He stared at the black mask in his hand for a while. It was incorrect to call it a mask. This was his face now. He was no longer the man he once was. That man was dead. He had visited that man's grave many times now. The mask in his hand was his real face. He was Zero and no one more.

Putting the mask on, Zero said in an even voice, "Please, come in."

The door opened slowly. In walked three young Black Knights. There was a tall, Japanese young man with a noticeable nervous twitch, a brunette Japanese girl with confident eyes wearing a slight smirk, and, at the center, a silver-haired, dark-skinned, beautiful young girl with an overly relaxed smile.

"Lieutenant Chiharu Ohgi, leader of the 9th platoon ready to serve you sir," the silver-haired one said with poor posture, an infirm salute and little emphasis in her voice.

"Sergeant Major Hiromi Todoh, sir!" the brunette girl said, much more soldier like in fashion. The name brought on more thoughts of the past.

"S-sergeant Kenichi Matsuki," the boy said unsteadily, obviously intimidated by the Black Knights' leader.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Zero said, motioning that they could be at ease. "I expect your platoon, Lieutenant Ohgi, to aid the Britannian military in keeping the crowd under control, and making sure any disorderly behavior is brought quickly."

"Got it," the young lieutenant replied casually. "And we'll make sure to handle any assassins or terrorists as well."

"Chiharu!" the brunette girl said scoldingly.

Zero smiled under his mask. He spoke, "Of course, Lieutenant Ohgi."

"You can count on me!" the girl replied brightly.

"I'm sure I can," Zero replied. "You may all be dismissed."

"Okay," the silver-haired girl said lightly, receiving a glare from her brunette friend.

The three turned to leave. Soon the man was alone once more. He turned back to his window. His mind turned back to the endless questions. A strange curiosity had him asking himself what would happen if the world found out the truth.

---

Av li Britannia could hardly contain her wild excitement as she waited. In just over an hour, she was confident she'd be Empress of Britannia.

"Are you ready for this, Astrid?" she spoke tentatively as she stared up at the radiant golden knightmare in front of her

"Of course, Ava… I understand the plan. I'll definitely see it through… no matter who gets in my way... You can count on me…" Astrid replied as she too admired the knightmare. Ava smiled at her. This girl would do anything for her. She felt sad for using her because of that. She knew it would cause her pain.

"And you two?" Ava asked, turning to the two others standing close by.

"It don't matter if he's Zero or whatnot, I'll have this dude down on his knees, you can count on that!" Ulric Cross said in an aggressive voice. Ava still wondered about this man. He was a fool. His boasting could all be empty. Ava questioned herself in placing such a crucial role in the man's hands.

"I'll serve you as best I can, my princess," Lord Niles Moore said with a faint nod, looking as resolute as ever. Ava had no reason to doubt this man. She only wished his body, which had grown somewhat thin with age and life in prison would not be overpowered.

"Good to hear it," Ava said smirking. Turning on her headset radio, she spoke once more, "Callista, Margaret, are you in position."

"_Morganna_ is in position… ready to sweep down and cast judgment upon your enemies, my princess," Callista Blackwell cackled with twisted laughter into the radio. Ava frowned. The problem with mentally unstable allies is that they are hard to control. She hoped Callista wouldn't lose herself and ruin everything for her by creating an ungainly bloodbath.

"I'm ready, princess. My _Vincent_ is right where you told me to hide it, just south of the park." Margaret Enneagram said in a soft voice. Ava still questioned much of this girl's reasons for joining her. She had no place refusing her assistance. Despite some personality flaws, Margaret was a quite capable individual.

"Great. Now just we must get into place," Ava said smiling and shaking with excitement. "Astrid, let's get inside."

"Yes, Ava," Astrid replied as she went around and hit the switch to open the golden knightmare's hatch. She jumped inside and then extended her hand back, pulling Ava in after her.

"Dr. Wilde really outdid himself with this one it seems, Astrid," Ava commented as her friend took the seat in front of the controls. Though the gold knightmare was thin and sleek the cockpit was just spacious enough to where Ava could find a place to sit comfortably at the side of her friend as she powered the machine on.

"Yes. It's b-beautiful. This _Viviane_ and the _Morganna_ too. It's really incredible that he could make things like this," Astrid commented as she admired her new frame's insides.

"I have reason to believe he's had their design details planned out long before we even met him. Who knows how many ideas a dreamer like him conceived whilst he was forced into a life of monotony," Ava sighed. "But, no matter. Let's start transporting her into position."

"M-mr. Cross, L-lord Moore, proceed with getting the transporter truck in order," Astrid instructed through the _Viviane_'s speakers. The two men went off to comply with the order.

"There's so much in this that can go wrong, Astrid. Do you realize that?" Ava said with a sigh as they began to wait for the knightmare to be loaded to a transporter.

"Y-yeah…" Astrid replied meekly.

"Why then am I so confident… so excited…?" Ava asked with a short laugh.

"Because you have hope, Ava. You know you'll succeed," Astrid replied brightly. Ava had no choice but to believe those words. For some reason, Astrid made her positive that she could do just that.

---

It was a bright and sunny day. Not a cloud hung in the sky over Vortigern City Park as the masses poured into surround the large stage setup at the center. Most of the people would hardly even see the stage. Large monitors were erected around the massive park to accommodate the crowd. Large cameras were erected before the stage to transmit the event to those screens, as well as to the televisions of the entire world. The air was heavy with a murmur of dissonant noise as all prepared for the Celebration of Peace.

The Empress was popular and beloved by her people. Her public appearances were always wonderfully attended. Zero too was a figure of immense pull. Factoring then in all the special celebrity guests that had been invited to speak or perform, the audience draw became even more incredible. No arena would have been able to hold the crowd. But the crowd, though restless was controlled; the six knightmare frames sticking out of the crowd would have been deemed unnecessary by just about anyone asked.

It was 12:58 P.M., just two minutes before the scheduled start of the show. People forced around through the crowd trying to stay together with their friends or family. Pizza Hut employees worked the concession booths tirelessly, trying to get food out from their trucks to the customers as quickly as able. Then suddenly, as if they were never there in the first place, those two minutes disappeared into the stream of time. The lights of the stage went on and the crowd went quiet, prepared to see a show they would never forget.

A loud, booming voice was soon roaring over the speakers. "Thank you all for attending today's wonderful event, the Celebration of Peace… Kicking off the festivities, please welcome the Empress of Britannia, Nunnally vi Brtiannia, and the Prime Minister, First Prince Schneizel el Britannia."

The crowd applauded as the tall, blond prince, handsome and distinguished for his 48 years of age wheeled, his younger sister, the beloved and beautiful Empress, up a ramp at the back of the stage, bringing her to the center of the stage. She readied her microphone.

"People of Britannia…. no, everyone the world over… thank you for joining me today, as we pay a special tribute to this peace we've enjoyed for so very long now…" the Empress said, smiling to the crowd. "Through today's entertainment, I hope that everyone remembers how precious this peace is, how we must treasure and protect it always." The woman looked down at the media crew, waiting for her cue. Receiving it she gave a very slight nod smiled again and then said. "Now please join me in graciously welcoming the leader of the Black Knights, our hero of Justice, Zero."

Applause soared again as another figure ascended to the stage. Schneizel wheeled his sister to the side of the stage as this man, dressed in his familiar mask and cape, strode down the center. He took a firm stance before the crowd as he prepared to speak into an upright microphone.

"Thank you, Empress. And thank you everyone for making this event possible," the masked man said in a strong voice. "That's right-- It is you, the people of this world who are truly the reason we have endured so long as this event is possible. It is all through the efforts of each and every one of you that we have warded off the burden of war for these twenty years.

"Twenty years ago our world was not the same one it is now. It was a world full of violence, oppression and uncertainty. It was only when people just like you banded together under the cause of justice, only when the banner of the Black Knights was raised against the cruelties of the tyrants who once held this fair Empire's reigns.

"It was through the power of the people, through faith in what was right, that the cold shadow of tyranny was struck down and this peaceful world was erected in its place. But the Empress is right. We can't stop now. People of Britannia, people of the world, for the sake of this Empire, for the sake of the rest of the world, I humbly ask you to protect this peace so as future generations may enjoy it as we do now."

As Zero's speech came to a close, applause erupted once more. It ended abruptly after about a minute. A horribly loud distortion sounded through the air over the park, followed by a voice.

"'For the sake of the Empire?' Is that a joke, Zero? If so, I don't find it a very good one." The voice was that of a girl. It held a certain darkness to it.

The crowd filled with panic and confusion. The six knightmares all took off immediately into the air and spread out at high speeds to survey the area for the disruption. Zero began to look around as well. He moved at once to Nunnally, prepared to help Schneizel escort her to safety.

Then suddenly a fast moving object came rushing toward the stage. It came to a halt just at the back of the stage. It was knightmare frame, painted a glistening gold. It was very sleek and thin, with long arms and a well rounded head. At it's back were two massive energy wings, each composed of seven small feathers. The sun reflecting off it as it floated in the air gave it an almost godly appearance.

At the same time, two men dressed in white suits jumped onto the stage. One moved incredibly fast, a knife glistened in his hands. He went straight for the man in the mask, who seemed startled, but still managed to evade the strike. The man in white caught him off guard with a follow up sweep at Zero's leg, destabilizing him. He brought the masked man into a firm hold as he fought to retain balance. The knife was placed at Zero's neck.

The second man, this one older moved more slowly. He moved to Schneizel and Nunnally. He rushed at the prince and hit him in the jaw, before forcing him to his knees as well, pulling a gun and putting it at the back of his head.

"S-Stop! Stop this! Why are you doing this?!" Nunnally screamed as she wheeled herself around in a panic.

"Why, you ask, Aunt Nunnally?" the original voice said, still over a speaker that roared through the crowd "Because it's necessary. This world has been too long controlled by lies. I believe it's time the world is made to know the truth…"

"A-Ava…?" Nunnally started, her eyes filling with tears as she finally placed the familiar voice.

"Correct," the voice said, still enhanced so it could be heard. The golden knightmare flew slowly just over the stage, coming to a halt in front of it, but not obscuring any of the cameras. A young girl with jet black hair, dressed entirely in pure white was left behind by it. "I am Ava li Britannia, Fourth Princess of Britannia."

"Ava, what's wrong with you?! What is this?!" Schneizel shouted in fear as he felt the older man in white's gun at his head.

"You are a liar Uncle, and you are going to announce your lies to the world on this stage," the girl said, firmly.

"That's far enough! We'll free you, lord Zero!" a strong female voice shouted from a knightmare speaker as three sparkling clean, well maintained _Akatsuki_ soared toward the stage.

The gold knightmare didn't move. Instead a second knightmare swept down out of nowhere. This one was pitch black, heavily armored and somewhat demonic looking. it had gigantic glowing red energy wings, each one composed of just two enormous feathers. It's hands were oddly oversized, and a blade ran down the side of either arm.

"Heheh, we can't be having you interfere now," the pilot of this new knightmare spoke out.

"I've never seen a knightmare like that on record, Lieutenant, do you think we stand a chance?" the young pilot of one of the knightmares said to another, fear in his voice.

"I'm sure. The three of us together should have no problem," the lieutenant responded excitement in her voice as she held her knightmare's sword up and ready. "Hiromi, Kenichi, let's take her down!"

"Right, Chiharu!" the other two replied, readying their _Akatsuki_'s custom hand guns.

"Take this, bitch!" Chiharu shouted as she thrust herself at the black knightmare.

"Burn, foolish insect," the pilot of the black knightmare shouted putting its right hand in front of it. A narrow black beam shot forth at high speed. Chiharu dodged it readily and closed in. Meanwhile Kenichi and Hiromi fired a barrage from their guns. The black knightmare remained untouched due to it's powerful shields.

"You're going down!" Chiharu growled as she increased her knightmare's output, launching her slash harken at the knightmare's flank while she aimed her sword at its head. Both were deflected effortlessly.

"You don't realize how weak you are," the woman in the black knightmare said excitably. "My _Morganna_ cannot be defeated by garbage. You'll soon learn why challenging Callista Blackwell is asking for death!"

"Bring it!" Chiharu beckoned as she made another strike. The _Morganna_ then moved it's arms out slightly and a red energy field soon emerged all around it in a sphere, pushing the _Akatsuki_ back. When the field cleared the _Morganna_'s right hand was pointed firmly at Chiharu's cockpit.

"Lieutenant Chiharu!" Kenichi shouted as he rushed his machine forward into his superior's. Chiharu's _Akatsuki_ was thrown cleanly out of the _Morganna_'s attack radius. Kenichi's was not so lucky. The _Morganna_'s hand beam, though thin, seemed to hold explosive power. As soon as it sliced through the _Akatsuki_'s Yggdrasil drive, the entire machine disappeared in a massive explosion.

"K-Kenichi…" Chiharu said, terror in her voice. "Please… answer me…:

"Heh, you see now? This is foolish. You'll all soon join that poor fool in death!" Callista cackled madly, high on the battle. She charged forward at Chiharu, a large vibration blade, shaped like the blade of a scythe popping out of _Morganna_'s arm to extend from its right wrist. Chiharu's _Akatsuki_ didn't react quick enough.

"Snap out of it Chiharu! There's nothing we can do now! We can't let his sacrifice go to waste!" Hiromi shouted jumping into hold off the scythe blade with her sword.

"Your puny weapon won't work on me, girl!" Callista scoffed as she threw off Hiromi's weapon. Seconds later an identical scythe blade popped out of the _Morganna_'s left arm and was cutting through Hiromi's _Akatsuki_'s middle.

"Shit! We can't beat her! I'm ejecting!" Hiromi said angrily as she pulled her ejection switch, launching her cockpit. The rest of the _Akatsuki_ exploded soon after.

"I hate it when they run away…" Callista muttered. " You won't, will you, girl…"

"I-I'll… I-i'll stop you!" Chiharu said, her usual reckless composure gone entirely.

"We'll see about that…" Callista laughed mockingly. Shortly after, the scythe blades were simultaneously thrown from the _Morganna_'s arms, revealing them to be some sort of oversized slash harken variants. They coiled tightly around Chiharu's _Akatsuki_, cutting into it slowly as Callista deliberately added more and more pressure. Chiharu could see the blades protruding into her cockpit. She was certain she'd be dead soon.

"This has gone on far enough! Enemies of Britannia shall be punished accordingly!" a new voice shouted as a bright green _Vincent Ward_ flew toward the _Morganna_, a soft purple one following after it. "Let's do this, Regina!"

"Of course, Brother!" the pilot of the purple _Vincent Ward_ replied both knightmares had their double-bladed lances up and ready, aimed at the _Morganna_'s back.

"You think more fools will make any difference? You'll die just the same!" Callista shouted as she recoiled her scythe weapons to their rigid position. Chiharu immediately ejected, thankful that she could.

"Maybe they won't, but what about me, Blood Queen?" another new voice said.

Callista turned the _Morganna_ around, finding that behind her was the knightmare of the Knight of One, _Tristan Aegis_, ninth generation, the best knightmare the Empire of Britannia still had in operation.

"Heh. I suppose you are a worthy opponent, Knight of One," Callista laughed. "Unfortunately you won't be fighting me."

"What are you saying?" Gino Weinberg asked, intense. His question was soon answered. The golden knightmare had appeared in front of _Tristan Aegis_ in a matter of seconds.

"So I'm fighting this one, huh?! Very well, take care of the black one, kids," Gino said, pointing his Excalibur at the golden knightmare.

"Yes, sir!" Knight of Seven, Devlin Granville, and his sister Regina, the Knight of Eight, said in unison.

"With him you may have stood a chance, but I'm sorry. It matters not what sort of knight you are. Your machines are simply inferior," Callista sighed as she repelled lance thrusts effortlessly. The skill of the Granville siblings saw them avoiding damage and turning the battle into the long one.

"I don't know what you guys are doing, but turning your blades to the Empire is not something I can just allow!" Gino shouted as his sword met the small dagger like vibration sword situated in the golden knightmare's left hand.

The pilot didn't respond right away. When she did, the man wasn't prepared for it. In a voice that was low, solemn and resolute she said, "Then I'll just have to stop you… father…."

"Astrid!" Gino stammered as _Tristan Aegis_ locked up. "Astrid, that can't be you, can it?!"

The golden knightmare promptly sliced _Tristan Aegis_' right arm from its body. "I'm sorry father… but for Ava's dream… I'll even fight you…"

"Astrid what are you--?! Please, stop this!" Gino demanded still unable to move his knightmare in the slightest. _Tristan Aegis_ soon had no arms, Excalibur falling to the ground below.

"You've lost, father. Please… pull back now…" Astrid said with a sense of helplessness.

"I-I cant's just do that…Astrid..." Gino said in a low whisper as he shifted _Tristan Aegis_ into it's jet like Fortress mode. He began to fly around the golden knightmare hitting it with his machine gun. The guns didn't come close to penetrating the knightmares shields. It was rather obvious that if they could he wouldn't be firing them.

"Father... I'm afraid, I have to end this…" Astrid said sadly. She stuck out the right arm of her knightmare frame. The hand retracted into the wrist, from which two large curved beams launched out of; they were connected to the wrist at their ends by a very thick cable, giving it the shape of a giant archer's bow. A large spike emerged from where the hand used to be, furthering the image.

Then in a split second, after some quick aiming, the spike, which revealed itself to be a large projectile version of a vibration sword, fired straight at the back of _Tristan Aegis_. It's velocity saw it easily penetrate the knightmare's legs, throwing it cleanly off balance.

"I'm sorry…" Astrid said as her father's ejection pod flew out, the _Tristan Aegis_ descending quickly to crash at the ground afterward.

"L-Lord Weinberg! N-no way!" Devlin stammered over his speaker, not believing it. "H-how?"

The golden knightmare flew toward him. Contacting him and Regina, Astrid spoke. "Father's Tristan just couldn't stand up to my _Viviane_, Devlin."

"A-Astrid!" Regina said, filled with terror and surprise.

"You'd raise your sword to your own father!" Devlin's rage soared. "That you'd be capable of such a disgusting act of treason…."

"I don't hate you, Devlin… I'm sorry…" Astrid said as she fired a second massive vibration blade arrow at Devlin's _Vincent ward_. It was pierced fully just below the cockpit. Devlin ejected.

"Brother!!!" Regina cried as she turned her back on the _Morganna_. One of the massive scythe harkens had soon cleaved her _Vincent Ward_ in two. She managed to eject just as her machine exploded.

"Looks like we won, Miss Callista," Astrid said to her ally.

"Yes, but more will show up as soon as news of the event spreads. We have to protect the perimeter for the princess, Astrid," Callista replied in a more level, ordinary tone.

"Yes, of course!" Astrid agreed, the two went off to opposite edges of the rapidly dispersing crowd.

Meanwhile, as all this was going on, a _Vincent Ward_ had appeared in front of the stage on which Ava, Zero, Schneizel, Nunnally and the two men in white still stood. it had already silenced any security officers on foot, Black Knights ad Britannians, who had made any move against the center stage. It's guns were now pointed rigidly at the media crew in charge of filming the event.

"If any one of you stop your camera for a second, I'll kill you all, I swear it!" the pilot, a young girl, shouted intensely. The cameramen followed the order. No one stopped recording, even as the more panic prone members of the audience began to storm out en masse.

"It seems things are coming to calm now, my Britannians. I think we may begin," Ava li Britannia spoke as she took a step toward the crowd. "This Celebration of Peace is a ridiculous farce. Why, Britannians, are we celebrating our own economic decline? When we had war, we were at the top of the world. The nobility was richer. The common people were richer. There was less crime. Drugs that were once in widespread use in the Areas we had taken are now all too common place here in the homeland. We were a prouder nation when we were at war.

"So why does no one question this ridiculous display? Can you honestly expect me to believe you are all happier now in this declining world? The answer my Britannians, is that men such as these have been deceiving you with pretty lies. 'War is horrible'. 'We must protect this beautiful peace'. 'The world is better as it is now'. People like this tell you these things ad nauseam and expect you to be stupid enough to believe it every time. I ask you, people of Britannia, isn't it about time you prove them wrong.

"Luckily for you, I am able to reveal their horrible lies to you,... This may seem unreal to you, my fair people, but I wish not to conceal things from you, no matter how they may lead you to doubt me. The truth is, my people, I have come to possess a pecuilar ability known as Geass which allows me to extract the truth from whomever I stare in the eyes. Supernatural perhaps, but if you can't come to believe that then merely think of it as a strong form of hypnosis. Despite this, I am not forcing them to say what they will say, my people, it is entirely their own thoughts being articulated.

"G-Geass?!" Zero, who had been mostly silent, shouted at the name. The princess was surprised that he found it familiar.

"Ava, please stop this already!" Nunnally demanded helplessly once again as her niece moved toward her brother.

During the knightmare battles, both Schneizel and Zero had been forcefully tied up, their arms tied to their backs. Ava motioned to the older man in white, who stood over the crown prince. The man in white moved the prime minister to the center of the stage, positioning him where the cameras would get a good shot of the side of his face. Ava bent down.

"Schneizel el Britannia, Prime Minister advising the Imperial ruler for over twenty-five years now, what would you say is your greatest crime against your nation?"

"I suppose that would be wiping out Pendragon with the F.L.E.I.J.A.," Schneizel replied without a shred of remorse in his voice.

"But history reports that Pendragon was lost to a stolen F.L.E.I.J.A. fired by Emperor Lelouch in his effort to cleanse the nobility," Ava prompted with a smirk.

"That's a poorly conceived lie intended to fool the ignorant masses," the man replied, callously. The remaining, still enormous, crowd, which had been chaotic for a long time, was now listening intently. Some started booing.

"After the death of Emperor Lelouch, why did you not ascend to the throne?" Ava asked next.

"Zero wanted Nunnally to rule," Schneizel replied casually.

"And why must you follow what Zero dictates?" the princess quickly made a follow up.

"Because of Lelouch's Geass, I must serve Zero. Always." Ava's eyes lit up with surprise.

"Y-you don't say… I suppose it really is the power of the king…" she murmured to herself. After a collective pause, Ava posed her next, perhaps most vital question. "Were Lelouch not to defeat you, were you not to come under his influence, were you to emerge victorious, what then would you have done?"

Schneizel almost smirked as he next spoke, like he was happy to actually be able to use his true voice. "I would have created my own peace with my Damocles and the F.L.E.I.J.A.. I would control the world as a god from my Damocles, striking fear into any foolish enough to move against me."

The crowd was now mad with rage. Ava looked away from the man, who soon began to laugh madly. In a very low voice he whispered, "I wonder what your mother would say to you if she could see you now, girl."

Ava did her best to ignore the man's words. "As you have heard, my people. This man who has helped govern our nation all these years, never once had your interest in hand. He is a murderer, a sociopath, he has only been contained though a hypnosis similar to the one I now use."

The crowd roared. The words "kill him" could be heard distinctly in the mess of noise. Ava wore a smirk as she strolled over to her second target.

"But, this man isn't the only liar on this stage, my friends, No we have another. This man here, Zero. People of Britannia, you don't know this man. He wears a mask and uses emptiness as a name. How can you trust such a man, how can you hail him a hero? Haven't you ever been curious as to who this man really is?" Ava started as the younger man in white moved the masked man to the center of the stage, right before the princess.

"Well, now is your chance! This is the true face of the hero you so revere!" Ava said, her immense excitement evident. She reached for the black mask, and in one clean motion, removed it.

There was something immediately familiar about the man's face, even if it was one no one had ever seen in its current state. He was a man of Asian decent, brown hair, in his late thirties. Ava met his eyes.

"What is your true name?" she asked.

"Suzaku Kururugi," Zero replied. Ava's eyes bulged as did those of most any who watched.

"Is that not a dead man's name?" Ava asked, blinking a few times.

"I let myself be defeated so I could fake my death," the man replied darkly.

"So you are that Suzaku Kururugi then? A man with no loyalties. You were the son of a Japanese prime minister yet you joined the Britannian army. You launched a F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead at your own people in the Tokyo Settlement. Then you switched loyalties and joined with Lelouch in his ascent to the throne as his Knight of Zero. Are you telling me that you then betrayed that master and struck him down?" Ava looked like she had just struck gold.

"All that is true, save it was not betrayal when I struck Lelouch down. It was part of the Zero Requiem," the man replied coldly, distantly.

"What is this 'Zero Requiem'?" Ava asked, intrigued.

"The plan me and Lelouch devised... I would help him amass all the hatred of the world on himself and then I would die. I would be reborn as Zero just as the world had lost all hope and strike him down, the aim being that in doing so the world would see the need for peace," Kururugi answered rigidly.

"So you and your friend put on an elaborate show for the world in order to trick them into this false peace?" the princess muttered her next question, obviously shocked by the truth she had revealed.

"That could be said," the man responded blankly.

"You're the same as the First Prince, a liar who wished to control the masses you deem so ignorant. The only difference is that you were successful where he failed," Ava said in judgement. "How can you stand up here and tell those people they are responsible for this peace that was single handedly fabricated by you and the friend you killed?"

"Because I promised Lelouch I would maintain peace," Suzaku said with little energy.

"Are you the original Zero who appeared in Japan with the aim to free it from Britannian control?" Ava asked, smirking. Everyone knew this should be impossible. One of Zero's first reported actions was freeing this very man from execution.

"I am not," the reply came quickly.

"Who was?" the girl asked, thinking she already had the answer.

"Lelouch vi Britannia," Suzaku said readily. Ava smiled.

"The man recoded by the naive fools who call themselves historians as the 'Demon King', was in truth the original 'Hero of Justice'. Only in such a distorted world as this could such an irony not be fiction," Ava shook her head as she moved away from the man.

"As you can see, my people, your hero is a sham. He is a traitor, a deceiver, one who thinks he is higher than you are, one who think it is his right to control your worlds. Yet here you have simply allowed this unquestioningly," Ava addressed the people again. They were mad with rage. Ava turned to the wheelchair bound woman sitting at the back center of the stage.

Ava made eye contact. "Aunt Nunnally, I have one simple question for you to answer: Did you know of these lies?"

"I did," the woman replied very simply, almost solemnly

"All of it?" Ava asked.

"Yes. All," the gentle Empress said softly.

"Nunnally, you couldn't have--!" Suzaku started in a loud voice.

"No. I saw it all, Suzaku. When Brother died, I understood everything. I always have known it was you behind that mask." Nunnally asserted to the beaten man. He shook his head.

"You knew of these lies and allowed them?" Ava said, looking into the woman's eyes.

"I did," Nunnally replied with a plain unapologetic nod.

"Why?" the princess asked tentatively.

"Things are kinder when the world is at peace," the woman replied. Ava shook her head.

"You'd allow such deceptions for so childish a reason?" she started in low voice.

"I would," Nunnally replied calmly. Ava turned away from her and back to her audience.

"Britannia, are people of this sort fit to rule and guide you?! Can you bear to be fed these lies any longer?!" Ava shouted to the audience, an intensity in her eyes. "Can you call a woman who stadns by and allows you to be decieved your Empress?!"

Sounds of chaos filled the park. They were angry sounds.

"I can tell your confidence is shaken, my Britannians, as well it should be, but let's not turn violent." Ava started, her voice becoming just softer. "We must remember that the only thing that deems one member of the royal bloodline ruler fo this Empire over another is her people's support. If you have lost your faith in this woman, she is no longer your Empress."

The crowd continued to shout madly.

"I ask you humbly then, nation, to follow me. I am young, I suppose, but my grasp on our world is strong. I will not lie to you, Britannia. When the words 'For the sake of the Empire' escape my lips they will have nothing behind them but the most honest of convictions. I will lead you into a new era of prominence, Britannia. I only ask for your support."

"All hail Empress Ava! All hail Britannia!" someone in the crowd shouted. Soon it was two men shouting, then four. Inevitably near the entirety of the crowd was roaring with the call.

"Thank you, Britannia. I shall serve you well," Ava said, turning around, smiling for she knew she had won.

Ava knew this was just the beginning of what would be a long battle.

A/N: End chapter. Hopefully I succeeded in making Ava's grab for the throne intense. I was a little shaky going for the third person omniscient point of view in the main scene, since I usually like to go with a third person limited one, but I really didn't have much choice there. I hope I didn't make anyone seem week. I didn't like making Gino use so handily but I really don't see him being able to lift a finger even to defend himself at the moment he learns Astrid is his opponent. Additionally, t felt kind of wrong to have Suzaku restrained so easily, but he's 38 years old and hasn't had to fight anybody in twenty years now and Ulric is a 26 and a professional fighter. Factoring then in that Suzaku was caught of guard, it seems reasonable. Schneizel of course, I don't see ever having had much strength at all (and he's 48 now), so even an old guy like Niles overpowering him doesn't seem unreasonable. I hope the Knightmare combat was adequate. it's kind of different writing that. My two original knightmare frames made their debuts. I hope they seemed cool. Anyway, thanks for reading, hopefully you'll continue.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Kenichi Matsuki

Morganna

Viviane

Tristan Aegis

Vortigern City Park


	7. Turn 6: Around the Table

A/N: I'll start by apologizing to the people who were looking forward to me stating my new Bleach fic. I just wasn't in the mood for it this week or something. I couldn't force myself to start it, and then when my copy of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon arrived this week, it became pretty much hopeless. I'll for sure start it next week. Still, I was able to find the time to write this. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Hiromi: "CrazyNinjaPenguin does not own Code Geass. He does own this story's original characters and elements; using them without permission wouldn't be very _nice_."

"A week has now passed since the unprecedented event now being referred to simply as The Unmasking unfolded at the scheduled Celebration of Peace. Join me now for a special report, as we look back at all of it, examining this event and what followed immediately afterward for the sake of those who still can't get their heads around it all," a somewhat somber Milly Ashford spoke through the television as Richter watched, his head feeling somewhat numb.

"After a rousing speech at the Celebration, Zero, on stage with former Empress Nunnally and former Prime Minister Schneizel, were met with a Knightmare descending suddenly from the sky. Zero and Schneizel were quickly restrained as our would be Empress was left on that stage.

"A confrontation of Knightmare frames ensued. One Black Knight pilot was killed, along with six other Black Knights and seven Britannian soldiers who tried to secure the stage. With the Knightmare skirmish, new Ninth Generation models, _Viviane_ and _Morganna_, reportedly designed by a Dr. Rayner Wilde, were revealed to be incredibly formidable. Their pilots, Knight of Twelve Astrid Weinberg and former convict Callista Blackwell managed to defeat the Knights of One, Seven and Eight along with three Black Knights' knightmares in a short matter of time. Eight civilians were killed from debris or crossfire during the fight and many more were wounded.

"As the battle quiet, then Princess Ava spoke to the world. Claiming to use a possibly supernatural ability known as Geass, which forced others to tell the truth, she interrogated Prime Minister Schneizel, Zero and Empress Nunnally. Suddenly the truth of twenty years ago was made public knowledge as we discovered, among other things, the identity of Zero to be one, Suzaku Kururugi, former Knight of Zero to Emperor Lelouch who was revealed to have been the original Zero who had sacrificed himself in order to create a peaceful world.

"Realizing they had been lied to, the Britannian people quickly threw their support behind the new Empress. The next day, Empress Ava was properly crowned in an elaborate ascension ceremony. Kururugi and Prince Schneizel were detained and imprisoned while the former Empress was moved from the castle to a manor in outer Vortigern.

"Empress Ava quickly unveiled her new plan for Britannia, which she believes has fallen from greatness. Her plan, which calls for the re-expansion of Britannia to reach it's former size under the rule of Emperor Charles, has already been enacted. Recently seceded territories are already being reincorporated by the Empress, starting with those most plentiful in Sakuradite. Force has been deployed as necessary.

"The Empress' plan has raised many questions. Where will she stop? Will just the recently independent nations be reincorporated, or will she fight to conquer back Areas long lost. As the Black Knights fall into chaos and discord without their leader, the shadow of a full scale war now looms high on the horizon after twenty years of calm.

"Unreal developments all. When we return, I will be discussing the Unmasking and Empress Ava's plan with experts. Don't go anywhere." the newswoman finished solemnly; the station went to commercial. The second Richter saw his father's pizzas displayed on the screen, he turned the damn television off.

He gave a long sigh. A week had passed. He still couldn't believe it. It didn't seem real to him. He had always known Ava li Britannia to be an exceptional mind. Nothing could have prepared him for this though. He had always thought the girl something of an equal; now that seemed like some bad joke.

He had watched it. He had seen the fire in the girl's eyes as she triumphantly ripped the mask from Zero's face. It was incredible; it was intimidating. Her sudden ascent to Empress made the elite business school that had accepted him-- no, all the dreams and goals he had set for himself seem juvenile.

His mind twirled with thoughts of how he'd move forward now. Richter wasn't the jealous sort nor was he particularly impatient. Still, the fact that he knew the girl who had done something so incredible and world changing was unbearable. He couldn't stand the thought of making his scheduled slow progression forward to the top anymore. He wanted to get there now just as she had. He questioned if he'd be able.

---

Ava li Britannia smiled as she walked into the large meeting room. She spied the giant round table at the center and found it yet another reminder as to what she had accomplished. She was now the empress of Britannia. The world feared her. Most of the useless semi-independent nations she had tried to reincorporate into what was now her Empire had given in without much of a fight. Most of their economies had fallen apart due to infirm leadership. Only the few successful ones had called for _Viviane_ of _Morganna_ to be deployed.

Ava could tell a war was soon upon her. Retaking miniscule Areas pretending they're independent nations one thing; when she next set her side on the Areas that had made something of themselves, the ones that had become prominent members of the UFN, then her battle would become a real one. For that fight she would need the support of as many of the people in that room as she could manage.

She looked from face to face; all eyes were upon her. She smiled briefly as her and Astrid momentarily locked gaze. She then decided to speak.

"Knights of the Round. This will be our first meeting. I am your new Empress, Ava li Britannia, and let me say that it is a pleasure to be meeting you all," Ava said smilingly, staring for a while longer at all twelve faces populating the room.

Well, it's about time. I've been waiting for the opportunity to tell you that I'm out, so long as your in control of this Empire. What you did back there was a disgusting act, throwing the world into the abyss of war. It's unforgivable!" Knight of Nine Larkin Ellison, a bitter man with dark hair and a thick mustache,

Astrid's unease grew with the man's outburst. Ava remained unfazed though. "Very well, if that's how you feel lord Ellison, you may be dismissed."

"You'd just let dissenters go like that, Empress?" one of the older knights, Knight of Two Damian Marsh, started, surprised.

"If anyone knows for fact they will never be able to follow me they can leave this room right now. Everyone else, I ask you at least allow me a chance to persuade you to follow me," Ava said smirking. Damian and a few others were impressed.

"I think I'll have to excuse myself as well then," said Benjamin Wakefield, Knight of Eleven, an older man who carried himself with an air of justice.

"I'm not sure I can stand for this either!" Lord Weinberg started, standing up as Wakefield followed Ellison out of the room.

"Please, at least listen to Ava, father!" Astrid begged helplessly. The man looked at her and sighed then sat back down.

"What about us, Brother?" Regina asked, turning to Devlin.

"We're soldiers of Britannia, Regina. It's our duty to serve the crown no matter who's head it rests upon, not throw fits and abandon the positions we fought to obtain. Nothing has changed for us," the upstanding young man said firmly.

"R-right! Of course," Regina said, smiling.

"So. Is everyone else staying then?" Ava asked, looking form face to face. No one got up to leave.

---

Rayner held a smirk as he walked toward the Maldini Private Academy principal's office, resignation papers in hand. As he sauntered down the hall, empty as school had been let out for half an hour now, a voice soon caught his attention. It was just inside the office.

"I tell you Jim, I always knew that girl was something special. Don't usually get ones so bright. I just knew she was destined for great things," said a man; an older teacher, conversing with the principal, Jim Cain.

"I still can't believe the Empress responsible for such a show was one of our students. I suppose there's a lot of this that's hard to believe though," Cain responded casually in a gruff voice.

"I always knew the history books didn't have the full story. I was always wary of that Zero guy. Can't believe he had us taken in for so very long. Now I'm kinda sorry I've been teachin' it wrong all this time," the old teacher scoffed and then nodded.

"I don't like it either, Scott. The Empress may take some slack from the rest of the world-- hell I'm sure there'll be war now, but even so this girl did a great service to us by forcing us to all see the truth." Cain grumbled, looking down at his desk. Rayner decided to enter the room; he wanted to get this over with.

"Oh, Rayner, good to see you, man," Cain started looking up and noticing the man. The teacher, Scott apparently, who Rayner had never met, turned around.

"Yeah…" Rayner started apathetically.

"You're Rayner Wilde than, aren't you?" the old teacher started, examining.

"Sure am," Rayner responded simply.

"It's another shock that such an accomplished Knightmare designer as Rayner here would come from this school," Cain stated, smiling slightly.

"It is. You did a good job, helping that young lady out, doctor," Scott said, nodding with approval at the younger teacher.

Rayner just stared ahead. "Mr. Cain… I trust you understand why I'm here."

"I take it you've been offered a position elsewhere," Cain said with a short laugh.

"Yeah…" Rayner replied blankly, smirking. He handed over his resignation papers.

"Well, okay then. Do your best for Britannia, Rayner," the principal said deliberately as he focused on the papers.

"Of course," Rayner said nodding slightly.

Rayner left quickly after that. Three days ago he had dropped the designs for two more Ninth Generation knightmares off at a Britannian assembly plan. He needed to hurry over there to oversee their production.

Lighting a cigarette, his smirk widened. He now had all that had been denied him. He had to do his best to keep it.

---

"It's a pleasure to be meeting with you, Lady Enneagram, Lady Waldstein and Lord Marsh," the young Empress spoke softly as the two female knights came to stand before her.

Hildegarde Waldstein didn't know what to think of this girl. She confused her. Young, beautiful, dark, quiet, but holding something so malicious and intense deep inside. She had shown the world the truth. And quite frankly, since then Hildegarde had been well sold.

"Its humbling to be in your presence, my Empress," Hildegarde stated boldly, bowing to the woman, ready to serve her with her life.

"My how, eager. You're regarded as a valorous warrior with a strong sense of justice, Knight of Four. I'm quite surprised to see you bow to me so readily without need to prove myself," the Empress smirked.

"You already proved yourself in my eyes. What you did last week, what you uncovered filled me with such disgust that I'm perfectly ready to plunge this world into the bowels of Hell itself for your sake, my Empress," Hildegarde curtly spoke, a glare on her face.

"I-I see… I'm glad for your support. Perhaps you could tell me it's root though?" Empress Ava started laughing, likely at how easy this was.

"When I was just seven my father was taken from me in the war by that… m-man.. .that damned Zero we praised for years… and all for some damn lie…. It's just infuriating...All that pain… none of it had to…." Hildegarde, as strong and bold as women got, was reduced to tears.

"I understand," the young monarch said gently. "And you miss, Enneagram, where do you stand?"

"Much with her. I'm shocked to find that Bismarck, Monica, Dorothea, Anya… all died for his little game and yet he lived among us as if it was just okay because he had brought peace with him," the older woman said coldly. "Besides, I trust your upbringing and you already have my daughter's loyalty it seems."

"Well, I suppose there's nothing left to discuss. Let me just ask for perfect clarity," Empress Ava said, focusing her eyes on Hildegarde's. Do I have your loyalty, Knight of Four, Hildegarde Waldstein?"

"All of it, my Empress," the girl replied firmly.

"And you, Knight of Three, Nonette Enneagram?" the black haired royal turned her attention to the other.

"Of course," Nonette said simply, giving a soft nod.

"Good." The Empress smiled. "Now, Knight of Two, how about you? Will you be joining me?"

Damian Marsh, an older man who had held his position for over twenty-five years now, stared straight ahead at the young girl.

"You impress me, girl, I'll admit that much but I'm not sure I agree with the philosophy at your core," Damian spoke in a heavy voice.

"I understand, Lord Marsh, but pushing that aside momentarily, don't you have your own reasons to fight?" started the Empress, smirking.

"What are you getting at girl?" the man spoke, staring at the girl peculiarly.

"Lady Waldstein's father was something of a rival for you, was he not? You were actually once considered the better knight before he began to associate with Marianne the Flash," the Empress started in a sly voice.

"You're well informed, young Empress. Correct on all accounts," Damian said looking down. Hildegarde gave a slight smirk. Damian Marsh had done a lot for her family following her father's death. He was someone she had nothing but respect for.

"During the war you were injured early on protecting a squadron of soldiers under your command from a surprise attack. While recuperating, in your weakened state, you fell ill and missed much of the battle. As a result, the much younger Knight of Three surpassed you to the top when things were done," the young girl recounted pointedly. Damian frowned.

"I'm not a vain man, Empress. You can't manipulate me with talk like that. And me and Bismarck shared the same philosophy when it came to war. It's something to be used only when there are no other options. Showing one's strength just because one can is something inexcusable. I don't think I can have anything to do with your Britannia," the gallant knight spoke forwardly.

"Can you truly, Lord Marsh, walk out of this room and turn your back on everything you've devoted yourself to for almost forty years now?" asked the young girl, looking the man in the in the eye.

"I don't know…. I don't know what I'd do with myself then… I never took a wife like Bismarck… I have no other skills…. I could never bring myself to fight against my country and my friends… I would have nothing…." the old military man said, a sorrow entering his eyes as he remained locked in the woman's gaze.

"Then do you have much choice but to fight for me, Lord Marsh?" she next asked, still looking the other in the eyes.

"I suppose not," the man stated blankly.

"Our differences in philosophy should prove trivial, good sir. Your job is that of a soldier, not a politician. All you have to do is fight for me, not ask why," the Empress said coolly, smirking as she removed her stare from the other.

"Perhaps so. It won't be the first time I fought for a master with whom I disagree. And you do posses a strong noble quality, not unlike the last such master," the man said letting a low sigh out.

"I look forward to working with you, Lord Marsh," the young Empress said firmly.

"Yes, Empress," the man said closing his eyes solemnly.

"Right. The three of you may then be dismissed," the Empress gave a firm nod and smiled. "Please send in The Knights of Five, Six and Eleven."

"Yes, my Empress!" both women responded as they turned and left, Marsh exiting as well shortly after.

---

Hiromi wore a painfully serious expression as she entered the room. She looked for a while at her friend and superior in the center of the room. Chiharu had had to spend a week in the hospital due to deep cuts, some burns and blunt shock she had received during the fight and in ejecting. This was their first meeting since. Hiromi approached the other with a heavy air.

"Hey…" she started in a low voice.

"Hi, Hiromi," the silver-haired girl said quietly, hardly looking up from her little desk.

"I'm glad to see you out of there. I was worried when you were hospitalized," Hiromi choked, feeling uncomfortable with the dense air that replaced the usual light air between them.

"I was going to die, Hiromi. If those Knights of the Round had arrived a second later, I'd be in the same place as Kenichi right now," Chiharu spoke in a somewhat tired, somewhat shaky voice.

"Don't blame yourself for what happened to him, Chiharu. Our machines were overpowered. There's nothing we could have done," Hiromi said gloomily, looking at the floor.

"He died saving me, Hiromi. I can't just forget that," the young lieutenant said very quietly.

"He did it because he had faith in you as his superior. He believed in you; that's why you're still here. Don't forget that Chiharu, but don't betray it either, or else I won't be able to see you as a friend any longer," Hiromi said sternly, prompting a very short smile on the other's lips.

"You know… I can't believe I wanted that, Hiromi... I wanted a chance to fight…" Chiharu choked in an almost pathetic voice. "I thought it was some damn video game...I didn't even know what war was…"

"We can't change what happened, Chiharu. We lost, we can't stay dwelling on it forever," the brunette said maturely. Her superior looked at her for a while.

"You mean you haven't been thinking about that nonstop? You're able to move on with your life already, Hiromi?" Chiharu challenged in a forceful voice.

"Honestly, my mind's been on something else all this time," Hiromi said softly.

"What else is there for us to dwell on but that battle… and Kenichi….?" the silver-haired girl asked, impassioned.

"What that Britannian girl did that day… that's where my thoughts have been…" Hiromi said deliberately.

"What's there to consider in that?! It's war, Hiromi. If Britannia defies the world we Black Knights will strike them down. It's as simple as that," Chiharu said definitively.

Hiromi spoke next in a very tentative fashion. "I'm not sure I am a Black Knight anymore."

"What the hell does that means?!" Chiharu said, sitting up rigidly, looking distressed.

"I'm not sure I can accept it, Chiharu. That the man we were supposed to protect, the man we hailed with admiration as our leader was such a notorious traitor. Stuff like that really gets to me, you know… and if part of being a Black Knight is accepting such lies with open arms, I'm not so sure I can do it anymore…" Hiromi explained almost apologetically.

"Come on, Hiromi. I don't like the truth either, that doesn't mean we can just quit like that!" the older girl said with intensity.

"The Black Knights weren't the organization I thought they were. I'm not sure I want to be a part of it, Chiharu, and I'm not sure you can dissuade me. I'm sorry," Hiromi said in a very earnest fashion.

"You'd be wasting your time trying to leave now, Hiromi," said a voice that was neither girl. Rather it was a man's voice; a very familiar man's voice for Hiromi. She turned around immediately.

"Dad?! What are you doing aboard the _Hitokage_?!" Hiromi exclaimed, incredibly surprised to see the decorated General standing in the doorway.

"As of today, Battleship _Hitokage_ is the flagship of the Japanese military," the man responded, the most serious of expressions on his face.

"J-Japanese military? What are you talking about?!" Chiharu started, confused by the words.

"In the previous week over forty precent of the Black Knights' personnel began thinking like you, Hiromi, and decided to quit the organization. This coupled with the fact that Zero is no longer available to lead, the other higher ups and I came to the decision to disband the Black Knights. Independent armies controlled by each of the UFN member nations are to be organized from the remnants," General Tohdoh said staunchly, scowling.

"So, I guess I'll be losing this cool uniform then…" Chiharu sighed. Hiromi shook her head.

"Is it really a good idea to separate our forces when Britannia has such powerful technology at its expense now?" Hiromi asked, furrowing her brow.

"No. But we're already divided. The world is split, Hiromi. Our nation, the Chinese Federation, we're prepared for war with Britannia at a moment's notice," Tohdoh said solemnly. "But the member nations within the EU feel differently. They don't wish for war with Britannia unless it is forced upon them. Without Zero here to coordinate things, it's a rift impossible to close."

"And since _Hitokage_ was Japanese made and has a Japanese crew, it's now our ship then?" Chiharu started, letting things fall in place.

"Correct," Tohdoh replied.

"I guess I don't have to go anywhere after all," Hiromi sighed.

"I wonder if things will become easier…" Chiharu muttered to herself.

"I'm sure they will. It won't be just you guys fighting alone anymore, after all," a soft, feminine voice said from the door. Hiromi turned around.

"Y-Yasuko?" Hiromi stammered as she caught sight of a familiar young girl with long black hair and a peaceful smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Since mother and father both needed to be here, me and Katsuo are here as well, sister," Hiromi's soft-spoken little sister said sweetly. Hiromi smiled. Even if she was unsettled by the girl being there, it was good to see her again.

"But what you said, Yasuko…" Hiromi started, slowly.

"I'm going to fight too, Hiromi. I've gotten really good. I think I can help!" the bright girl said softly.

"You can't allow this, father," Hiromi started, looking at the General.

"In times of war it becomes necessary to take all those who wish to fight and are able, Hiromi. Yasuko is just a year younger than you. She's the same age General Kozuki was when she first entered battle," the man said not looking at either of his daughters.

"What's next you going to let, Katsuo fight as well?!" Hiromi challenged, clearly angered by the decision.

"Don't be ridiculous, daughter. You need to stop being so protective of your sister. She's a strong girl. She'll go far," the man assured.

"Or at the very least, Hiromi, just learn how to protect your sis on the battlefield as well," Chiharu suggsted smilingly.

"I'll have to!" Hiromi stammered. Yasuko pouted.

"No one thinks I can take care of myself," she huffed.

"I do, Yasuko. I have faith you'll be an awesome soldier," Chiharu said in a kind voice, still smiling.

"T-thank you so much, M-Miss Chiharu," Yasuko said with a heavy blush as she looked at the floor in front of Chiharu's desk.

"Little Yasuko's as cute as always it seems," Chiharu laughed. "Maybe with a cheerful girl like her on our side, we'll make it through this after all."

"You need to have more confidence, Lieutenant," General Tohdoh chided.

"Sorry," Chiharu chuckled, looking more herself.

---

"It's good to see you again Lord Darlton, and nice to meet you Lady Winfield and Lord Kennard," the Empress spoke in an inviting voice.

Rowena Winfield stared at her sizing her up. On appearances she was just a pretty teenage girl, tall, flowing black hair, glamorous body, pretty face. Rowena knew there was more to the girl than this. Ava li Britannia was a girl who made things happen.

"It has been a while, prin-- I mean Empress…" started Claudio Darlton, Knight of Five, a veteran of the war twenty years ago, apparently the sole survivor of some special unit of Knights.

"It has, Claudio. I trust you've been well," the Empress said softly.

"I have," the man replied firmly. With concern in his eyes, he then asked, "How's your father been holding up lately, if you don't mind me asking?"

"He's much as he's been these last six years, unfortunately," the Empress said with somber eyes.

"I hate hearing that. To think such a strong man could be reduced to such a state… I think I can understand why you saw all this necessary," Claudio said in a low voice, looking down.

"So you'll follow me then, Claudio?" the Empress asked, looking the man in the eyes.

"My father died in service to your mother. I'll do the same for you if necessary," the man said plainly.

"I pray that isn't necessary, Claudio," the Empress said with a smile, taking her eyes off the man.

"If it means going against my brothers' killers again, I have even less reason to hesitate then," Claudio said with a fire in his eyes.

"Of course," the royal girl said still smirking as she turned to face Rowena. "Now then, Knight of Six, Rowena Winfield, I hope I can succeed in recruiting you as well."

"You don't need to bother with that, Empress, you already have my total loyalty," Rowena said readily, confidence in her voice.

"Is that so?" the Empress asked, looking in the girl's eyes.

"As long as I get what I want," the girl said callously.

"And what is it you want?" the Empress next asked, not breaking eye contact.

"Fame, wealth, power, influence, all those sorts of things," Rowena said, actually wearing a smile. Any doubts about the new Empress's proclaimed supernatural truth getting power vanishing in her mind entirely.

"So the Knight of Six reveals herself to be a greedy and selfish sort of woman," the Empress said looking down.

"I'm sorry…" Rowena said, embarrassed for herself. She couldn't really help who she was though.

"One's character is never something to apologize for, Lady Winfield. And you will find much fame and influence following me, I can assure it," the Empress said smirking, seemingly having gone into manipulation mode. It wasn't really necessary Rowena had been certain the young Empress was the path to wealth and importance for her since first sight.

"Then I'll follow you," Rowena said with a short nod.

"I'm glad to have you then," the Empress spoke. "You, Lord Kennard?

Alastair Kennard, a fairly young man of little character, stepped forward.

"I'm not as sold as them. No matter the reason, purposefully disposing of peace doesn't feel right to me," the young man started rigidly, somewhat intimidated.

"Then use that door. There's nothing keeping you here. An accomplished young man like you has no place following a cause with which he has little faith," the Empress said dismissively. Rowena was surprised. It was almost as if the Empress didn't even want Alastair's help.

"You sure… I mean I'm sure I could still…" the young man started, a little uneasily.

"I don't want to force anyone to fight for me who doesn't wish to. I let Lord Ellison and Lord Wakefield go and I intend to let you go free if that's what you wish, Lord Kennard," the Empress said very reasonably.

"Uh… okay… I will then…" Alastair said, unsure what to say. The young girl smiled.

"You may be released then. Bring me the Knights with whom I have yet to speak,"

"Right away, your highness," Claudio said with a bow as he and Rowena left. Alastair left the room and the Castle entirely shortly after.

---

"It's been too long! It's so good to see you again!" Kaguya Sumeragi called in almost the same fashion she would have twenty years ago as she ran toward her closest friend of many years.

"Yes, it is nice, Kaguya," the other woman snickered as her friend pulled her into a sudden deep hug. The security officers surrounding either of them seemed to sigh collectively. The woman was a little embarrassed by her friend's somewhat childish behavior, but this woman was important enough to her that she was willing to let it slide.

"It's more than just nice, Lihua. We should really get together more often, just like we used to. Just talking on the phone isn't enough" the Japanese President said with unmatched enthusiasm. The other woman chuckled; Kaguya never change it seemed. She didn't even feel like saying anything about how it was considered improper to speak the true name of the Chinese Empress in public

"I'm the Chinese Empress and you're the President of Japan. We can't help it if our meetings are now major diplomatic happenings," the beautiful silver haired woman said with a warm smile.

"Well, I believe we have some things to discuss," Kaguya said as she motioned for the Empress to join her in her private jet. Tianzi did just that, her security following after her.

They both found seats on the jet fairly quickly. Former Japanese president Kaname Ohgi was seated close by. Tianzi smiled at him.

"It's great to see you again Mr. Ohgi," she said politely.

"Likewise, Empress Tianzi. I trust you've been well?" he started back.

"Yes, fine. And you, Mr. Ohgi?" Tianzi turned the question around.

"It's been up and down," the man replied, giving a sigh.

"You may not have heard, but Kaname's Chiharu was one of the Black Knights defeated in the Unmasking last week," Kaguya explained, her smile evening out.

Tianzi gasped. She had never imagined she'd have known any of the young Knights who had fought then; she hadn't bothered to be briefed on details like that. She had met Chiharu many times though. "I'm so sorry to hear that. She's okay now, I hope?"

"Her body's made a full recovery. Her broken spirit might take a little work though…" Ohgi grumbled, looking down.

"Wounds like that are the hardest to heal. When the heart is crushed, you need a good friend to rely on. I hope Chiharu finds one," Tianzi said, staring fondly at Kaguya, recalling how the girl had saved her spirit from darkness twenty years ago, after her first love succumbed to disease and death.

"She has General Tohdoh's oldest girl, but that one doesn't have an exactly gentle touch," Kaname said with a smirk. "Though I suppose now Tohdoh and his whole family will be on that ship with her as well."

"I still can't believe the UFN has fallen apart and the Black Knights have disbanded," Tianzi said in a very soft voice.

"I find the truth harder to believe…" Kaguya said, looking down a the floor.

"The man we persecuted as a demon was in truth a martyr with a vision for peace," Ohgi articulated the thought, a heaviness in his voice.

"Even if I don't care for this chaos that was unearthed, I am grateful to this Ava for letting me understand what happened back then," Kaguya said, sighing.

"But in the process, the peace those two sacrificed so much for was destroyed; now that Empress surely has her eyes on your nation," Tianzi said articulating her understanding of her friend's position.

"Yes… and without the European Universe, there isn't any other major power for us to rely on…" Kaguya said in a down voice.

"I'll mobilize my Empire's armies for you, Kaguya. You needn't worry," Tianzi assured. Her friend smiled.

"So few girls have best friends who will tell them that and actually mean it," she said with a quick laugh. "Thank you, Lihua."

Tianzi just smiled back.

---

Regina Granville contained her shivers as she entered the small room that was being used as an audience room along side her brother Devlin; Gino Weinberg, the Knight of One; and his daughter, Astrid, the Knight of Twelve. She stared at the Empress a while, anticipating what the woman would say.

"It's a pleasure to be meeting you Lord and Lady Granville. It's good to be seeing you again Lord Weinberg," the young woman spoke in an agreeable voice.

"Yes, Your Highness," Devlin said readily. Regina echoed the words quickly after.

"I understand the two of you along with you, Lord Weinberg, did battle with the Knightmare of Astrid here as well as the _Morganna_," the Empress said, looking down. Regina looked over at the young girl, Astrid Weinberg. Astrid had always been a good friend. Devlin, her and Astrid were the youngest of the Black Knights; her and Astrid had always got along well and had a lot to talk about. Devlin had always thought well of the girl as well. Now Regina wasn't sure what to think of the meek blonde.

"Correct, Your Highness." Devlin responded militantly. Regina just gave a firm nod.

"Then Astrid and I really must apologize for any injuries you sustained in that skirmish and allow you the knowledge that we do not hold anything against you and in fact look forward to having your support if you would lend it to us," the young Empress said in a very relaxed way. Astrid turned to Regina and her brother.

"I'm sorry, Regina… Devlin…." she said very softly, genuinely. Regina smiled; Astrid was still her friend, regardless of anything that had happened that much hadn't changed. Still, Regina wanted to know why. Why would such a sweet girl support one with such malicious intentions.

"None of this is necessary. It is the duty of a soldier of Britannia to fight for Britannia. No matter who is in the wrong, no matter what I personally believe, I remain a Britannian soldier, Your Highness," Devlin said strongly. Regina smirked. She then gave a heavy nod in accordance with her brother's statements.

"Do you truly believe that?" the Empress asked Devlin, looking him square in the eye.

"Every word," Devlin said evenly. The Empress smiled. She looked in Regina's eyes, causing the knight to step back.

"Do you feel the same as your brother?" she asked in a deep voice.

"No. I'm not so sure. I mean, I don't agree with what you're trying to do, and it bugs me that Astrid is following you when I don't understand why. Even if I am a soldier, it's hard for me to just pledge myself to you like that when I don't like any of this," Regina said very quickly; she couldn't not say it. She knew it must be the reputed "Geass" the Empress was so proud of it. Astrid and the Empress stared at her in shock. Devlin smiled. Lord Weinberg still stared ahead.

"I see…" the Empress stated deliberately, not looking away. "So you will not follow me then?"

"No, I will," Regina replied blankly, smiling.

The Empress stared at her questioningly for a while before asking the obvious question. "That seems like a contradiction. Why would you follow me then?"

"Because Brother is going to," the girl said with a sense of finality. The stiff, upright Devlin gave a quick laugh.

"Very well… I think I understand then…." the Empress said in a humored voice. "Now then, Lord Weinberg, I hope you too will not prove a hopeless cause in persuading."

"I don't understand why you would do something like this, destroy our world's peace and bring my Astrid into it as well," the man started in an intense voice. Usually laid back; Regina had never seen the Knight of One like this.

"Tell me Lord Weinberg, how much did you know about Mr. Kururugi and Emperor Lelouch's plot?" the girl asked, being careful to keep her eyes off him, allowing him to make his own answer.

"I knew Suzaku well; I struggled to believe that he was on the side of evil, but I knew none of what you showed the world that day," the Knight of One recounted darkly. "Knowing now, I can only applaud the difficult decisions made by my old friend."

"You have a strong sense of justice, Lord Weinberg. I admire that," the Empress said, simply.

"I have to wonder, Princess, where you went wrong. What happened to that sweet little girl your mother raised?" Weinberg challenged. Astrid looked terrified.

"She disappeared six years ago, when she realized the world stood on a hollow foundation of lies…" the Empress said somberly, a genuine sadness in her eyes as they found the floor.

"You think what happened to your mother is unfair, so you take it out on the world?! Can't you see how selfish and juvenile that is?" the man was infuriated.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Lord Weinberg. My struggle against lies is not to avenge my mother, nor is it out of unchecked malice," the young Empress spoke with a cold intensity. "Six years ago, my eyes were merely opened; I decided then that the truth needed to be unveiled, that the ridiculous farce that had played out for the last twenty years needed to be revealed to the people. The liars who controlled our world needed to finally get what they deserve."

"And what about the Empire? Where does this plan to forcibly retake lands happy with peace and independence factor into your noble struggle to bring the people the truth?!" the Knight scowled, almost as intimidating as the young girl. Almost.

"People still suffer when the world is at peace, Lord Weinberg. If I can revitalize our Britannia from it's current state of decay, I will do everything in my power to do so, even if it means dragging the world into war," the girl responded soberly.

"I can't agree with a philosophy that puts one group of people above another just because they're Britannians," Weinberg said resolutely.

"Then what will you do about it sir? I don't want to use your daughter as leverage against you; that seems something cruel. But can you honestly oppose me knowing Astrid stands at my right hand?" the Empress said with a sadness about her. Astrid's face was paler than usual.

"Astrid… I… there's so much I've wanted to ask you this week… so much I don't understand…" the man became less angry and more grim as his focus came to his daughter. "I couldn't have asked for a better daughter. When you came to me six years ago and told me you wanted to become a Knight, I was so proud.... I can't understand where such poor judgment could come from. I know she's your friend, Astrid, but you must realize how wrong this is…"

"I-I don't expect you to understand, father… but Ava's very important to me… I will work to make her dreams real… no matter who it is who gets in my way… You're precious to me, father, as are all my friends… but it is for Ava whom I will always draw my blade in the end," Astrid spoke very quietly. It would be hard to miss the romanticism in the statement and how it was spoken. Regina knew then and there that Astrid was exactly the girl she thought she was.

Gino Weinberg looked down at the floor, his eyes narrowing. "I… see…" he said very deliberately. He turned to the Empress, fire reignited in his eyes. "And you'll just sit there and use my daughter for her devotion to you?"

"I hate it. Lord Weinberg, I hope you understand that this is no lie. It's painful for me; I manipulate others with my Geass, but I do not like to lose those close to me. Astrid is the first and closest friend I have ever have. If I hadn't met her by chance twelve years ago, I'd be someone completely different now. I would never force something upon her for which she didn't wish. You see, it is entirely her choice to serve me, Lord Weinberg," the Empress said; real emotion in her eyes.

Lord Weinberg looked at his daughter. "Are you sure this is what you want… my daughter?"

"Yes father… I am sorry…" Astrid started quietly, but with focus.

"Very well," the Knight of One closed his eyes. He looked at the Empress once more. "Ava li Britannia, I will retain my position as Knight of One."

"Will you now? I'm quite happy to hear this," the Empress said with a small smirk.

"But know this, Princess, I will fight for Britannia, I will fight to protect my daughter but I will never fight for you," Weinberg said spitefully as he turned to make an abrupt exit.

"Of course, Lord Weinberg. I wouldn't expect it any other way," the Empress said, nodding.

"I'm sorry, Ava. It must hurt to hear him say things like that," Astrid softly spoke.

"Not hardly, Astrid. Any pain inflicted upon me is insignificant compared to what must be gripping you," the Empress said with sorrowful eyes.

"I'll endure it… for you… Ava…." the young girl spoke with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, Astrid. That means a lot," the Empress replied smiling. She then gave a long sigh. "But it looks like this was a successful enterprise. Counting your father and you I have the support of nine of the twelve Knights of the Round."

"I saw Lord Ellison and Lord Wakefiled leave, but who was the other? Lord Marsh?" Astrid asked, curiously.

"No I managed to sway him in my favor. It was Lord Kennard," the Empress replied.

"R-really? B-but Alastair isn't very steadfast a soldier… I'm surprised he'd be so hard for you to recruit… especially with your Geass…" Astrid started, finding this odd. Regina agreed. Alastair Kenanrd was an ace pilot, but his character was far from spectacular.

"I wanted Twelve Knights, Astrid. I had Marsh out of the way and had faith in your father's love for you. I didn't see a reason to persuade a man who would be of little use to me," the Empress said with a smirk.

"T-twelve? Y-you're going to… you're going to make the three of them Rounds?" Astrid started in a very shaky voice.

"I see no reason why I shouldn't, Astrid They are all most accomplished pilots, well deserving of the title, more so than some unsteady rookie like Kennard at least," the Empress said assured.

"I-If you say so…" the blonde replied uneasily.

"Well anyway, I needn't keep you any longer, Astrid," the Empress said with a short sigh. She then looked at Regina and her brother. "And you two really could have left a while ago."

"As a soldier in audience with his Empress, it is entirely inappropriate to move until one is told!" Devlin replied rigidly. The Empress gave a shot snickered.

"The two of you are dismissed then, soldier," she said, smiling.

"Yes, Your Highness!" Devlin and Regina said as they turned to leave.

"You don't think I could stay with you a while longer, Ava?" Astrid asked hopefully.

"Of course you may," the Empress replied kindly, prompting a wide smile from the other.

---

Richter sighed as he turned his television on once more, now a day later. He was to turn it off immediately, as the first thing that ran before his eyes was a Pizza Hut logo, but the commercial was over before he had time to react. When it did, Milly Ashford was on screen once more. This was strange; it wasn't time for the news hour. Miya's mother wouldn't have been on that screen this early unless it was for something serious. He turned the volume up and paid close attention.

"In just a few moments, the President of the United States of Japan, Kaguya Sumeragi, is prepared to make an important speech to the world, likely in response to the Unmasking which took place last week. We will bringing you a live feed shortly and afterwards expert analysis."

Richter's eyes widened as he took in what the woman said. This was it. A foreign President's speech had only one reason to land on a major Britannian network as anything but an after thought. This was sure to be the war they were all waiting for.

After minutes of repeating herself in a number of way so as most wouldn't notice, Milly finally made a new announcement. "it seems President Sumeragi is prepared to speak. We are switching feeds now."

Soon Richter was staring at the Japanese President. Standing just behind the woman was the Chinese Empress. Empress Ava had a hard fight ahead of her. The President soon began to speak in a strong voice into the microphone in front of her.

"Citizens of the world. Twenty years ago we were granted a gift of peace. Perhaps deception was used to grant the gift, maybe we continued to be deceived in the years after, but none of that changes that during this time our world escaped the horrors of war. For twenty years, we managed to avoid that orchestrated violence that had gripped the world for so very long.

"Now our peace has been threatened. Ava li Britannia, 101st Imperial ruler of Britannia, has cruelly set her sights on destroying that peace in conquering numerous independent nations which had once been Britannian Areas. She has publicly stated she will not stop until Britannia is as strong as it was under the rule of Emperor Charles.

"My nation of Japan, as most know, is one such nation. We fear that the Britannian Empress already has us in her crosshairs. As such, and in hopes of preventing other nations from suffering the fate of so many already, I have decided to take a stand.

"With the full backing of the Chinese Federation and a coalition of other independent Asian nations, the United States of Japan hereby declares war against the Empire of Britannia. We will prove to Empress Ava that forcing the shadow of war to the surface once more is a grave mistake for her Empire," the woman finished to cheers and applause from the Japanese crowd.

Milly Ashford reappeared on the television screen. Richter shut it off.

He began to think. The world was on the path to war, his Student Council Vice President at the center of it all. He quickly decided he couldn't waste any more time. Tomorrow he'd visit the Royal Castle.

A/N: End chapter. Longer than the last couple. Maybe not as exciting. Mostly talk and character introduction. Watching R2, the Knights of the Round fascinated me. I was disappointed we saw so few of them, and fewer still were fleshed out at any length. I figured I'd introduce the entirety of the current iteration in my story. I cut a few corners. The three who didn't join are pretty much throw away characters who might not ever show up again. I already had those other three to fill the Rounds with. I decide to give Claudio Darlton a spot for some reason and Nonette retained a position, so the only new characters really introduced here are Hildegarde, Damian and Rowena (and of course we have Yasuko as well, but she's in a different category). It seemed like more though.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

The Unmasking

Larkin Ellison

Damian Marsh

Benjamin Wakefield

Jim Cain

Hildegarde Waldstein

Yasuko Tohdoh

Rowena Winfield

Alastair Kennard


	8. Turn 7: Chaos Closing In

A/N: Already Turn 7. I got a lot of notice in reviews about errors in the last one; allow me to apologize for that. Hopefully this one is better; if it isn't, feel free to tell me, either in a review or my forum.

Disclaimer: Yasuko: "Mr. NinjaPenguin doesn't own Code Geass. He does own me, my brother and sister… Chiharu... and all the rest of us OCs though…"

Ava smiled as she walked down the old staircase. She liked sneaking off to the dusty basement room to peruse the old books that populated it. Mother didn't like her doing this; she said it wasn't good for her health to spend so much time in a damp, musty old room. Ava still went down there; aside from going to school and seeing Astrid and her friends, there was nothing more engaging for her.

Ava stopped just before she reached the bottom of the staircase. There were voices. It was Mother. Ava came to a complete stop and listened.

"You can see what this is clearly about. This is a veritable chronicle of it existing as far back as hundreds of years ago. There's no way we've cut off all the heads of this hydra just yet," said Mother in a tired voice. Ava peered out from behind the stairwell and saw that the woman was positioned at a desk, staring down at a handwritten book.

"I don't think there's anything else we can do, Princess Cornelia. The world has moved forward. We can't waste resources searching for something which we can't explain and may not exist in the first place," said a man in serious voice. Ava couldn't see him from where she stood and she didn't recognize the voice.

"How can you say that?! I have some leads I've been following. I'm getting closer with each passing year, I can tell. And you know as well as I do that at least that woman is out there somewhere," shouted Mother, anger in her voice.

"She isn't any danger to us anymore…" said the man, giving a sigh.

"You would know that, wouldn't you…" Mother grumbled, looking down. "Don't you ever remember her, don't you want to rid the world of any future victims like her?"

"I don't know of whom you speak…" the man said morosely.

Mother gave a forced laugh. "Heh. I know who you are… I know what you did to manipulate us all. I've thought about it these past eleven years… there's really only one thing that makes sense…."

"I am Zero, no one more," the man said as he suddenly walked over to a place where Ava could see him. He wore a cape and mask and looked sort of scary.

"Of course… if it got out who's under that mask… I'm sure the people would turn on you… You can't be anyone other than Zero... even when it's about her…" Mother spoke in a downcast fashion.

"I'm busy, if that's all you called me for, Princess Cornelia, I'll leave now," Zero said, turning around.

"Hmmph. Suit yourself," Mother said dismissively. Ava decided to scurry up the stairs as quick as she could. Unfortunately she tripped over a step and suddenly the masked man was behind her.

"Looks like our important meeting was overheard, Princess," said Zero helping Ava up and pushing her out toward her mother.

"Ava, what have I told you about coming down here? The dust will surely aggravate your sinuses," chided Mother, offering a stern stare at her daughter.

"I'm sorry, Mother," Ava said, rolling her eyes a little, but not to the point where the older woman noticed.

"Good girl," Mother said, patting Ava on her head, causing her to blush. Then rather proudly, she introduced, "Zero, this is my daughter Ava, she'll be nine years old this January." She then looked at Ava and said to her, "Ava, this is Mr. Zero."

"It's nice to meet you, Princess Ava," said Zero looking at the young girl.

"Why do you wear a mask, Mr. Zero?" Ava asked, tilting her head to a side.

"That's rather rude of you, Ava," Mother scolded, prompting the young girl to roll her eyes once more.

"But it's strange. Most people don't wear masks like that," Ava said, staring up at it.

"Who I am is not important, young princess, only what I represent. That is why I wear this mask," Zero responded in a dry voice. Ava looked up at him, unsure of what to think.

"But isn't hiding who you are the same as lying?" Ava started curiously. "Mother's always told me I shouldn't lie."

"You'd do well to listen to your mother, Princess Ava. There's no limit to the damage lies can do... Sometimes, however, they are necessary," Zero spoke in a low voice. Ava stared at him.

"Don't tell my daughter that; unlike you, she'll remain committed to telling the truth," Mother said, mostly to spite the man. Ava smiled.

"I see. I apologize then," said Zero. "I'll excuse myself now."

Mother offered no parting words to the man. Ava followed suit. When he was gone, Mother smiled brightly.

"Thank you Ava, that was wonderful," she said with a soft laugh.

"What was?" Ava started confused.

"What did you think of Mr. Zero?" Mother asked, avoiding the question.

"I don't like him. He's weird," Ava responded immediately.

"Isn't he?" Mother laughed again. Ava was now really confused. Mother then suddenly embraced her.

"Mother…." Ava gave an embarrassed sigh at the display of affection.

---

Ava was smiling brightly as she awoke from her dream in the large, soft bed of the Britannian Empress. She had forgotten most of that day nine years ago. She supposed it was more than intuition that had told her that her Unmasking would be successful, even if she hadn't previously recalled the conversation.

Yawning, she thought to get up. It was then that she noticed a strange heaviness across her chest. Tilting her head to the side, she was alarmed to see a blonde head nestled against her shoulder. Her eyes widening, she shook the woman lying there off her arm.

"Eh, what's wrong…" the woman said rubbing her eye.

"What are you doing in my bed, witch?!" Ava shouted, glaring hard at the other.

"Sleeping alone is boring… " the immortal witch, D.D. said in a sigh.

"Get out of here!" Ava yelled as she pulled the blankets of her bed, under which D.D. still remained, off suddenly. To her absolute shock and horror, the blonde was completely naked.

"What's wrong with you?!" Ava shouted again, shaking her head furiously.

"Like what you see?" D.D. teased as she got up to her knees on the bed and crawled slowly up toward the Empress.

"Put some damn clothes on!" Ava demanded, shutting her eyes. To her dismay the order wasn't followed, and instead, the woman was soon on top of her.

"Let's see…" D.D. cooed as her hand found Ava's inner thigh, Ava struggling to keep her eyes off of the woman's flawless naked figure. She didn't understand why it should be a struggle; she couldn't seriously be interested in such things. It was just the damn witch's lubricious nature that made her lose her right mind.

"Get off of me," Ava demanded feebly, as she felt the woman's fingers upon her. She moaned softly as her head became slightly fogged. She cursed in her head.

"Come on, let' have us a little fun, Empress…." D.D. cooed into Ava's ear, before running her tongue over its edge. Her free hand went to grab Ava's arm and slowly bring the hand up to one of her ample breasts. It felt really soft. Ava blushed.

A loud knock then sounded at the door. "Empress! The private jet and escort you requested to take you to the EU has arrived!" the unmistakeable voice of Devlin Granville said very rigidly, causing Ava to completely freeze.

"Uhh… okay… I'll be ready in a second… please don't open that door…." Ava started in a tentative voice, a hard blush on her face.

"Of course, your highness!" Devlin responded immediately. His heavy footsteps cold soon be heard, gradually becoming more faint.

"Get off me, please…" Ava spoke in a serious voice.

"No. We're just getting started," D.D. said forcibly.

"I have things I must accomplish today. I have no time for your lewd desires," Ava said with a frown.

"Well, damn it," D.D. started, disappointed. She grumbled, "that man just had to come and kill the mood…."

Reluctantly, she pulled herself off of the Empress. Ava stood up and moved to prepare herself for the day. She would never admit it to anyone, and certainly not to the witch herself, but a slight disappointment existed within herself as well.

---

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you... Rayner, was it?" the famed scientist said, wearing a strange smirk.

"Yes. And the feeling is mutual, Earl, it's an honor to finally meet someone as influential in the field as you," Rayner said with a nod. He wasn't lying. He had been reading every piece of writing released by this man, Earl Lloyd Asplund, for as long as he could recall.

"Please, from what I can gather based on your work, in history's pages my name and yours will likely reside in the same footnote," Asplund said, shaking his head.

"Not at all, I'm just making adjustments to what you and the other innovators uncovered," Rayner said.

"No need to be humble, sir. You're understanding of Cecile's energy wings is particularly acute and your creativity with weapons systems, is truly something of admiration," Asplund assured in a somewhat pushy fashion. "I was impressed when I saw your_ Viviane _and _Morganna _fly across my television screen that day, and now that I've seen _Agravain_ and _Dagonet... _I must say I'm certain you've got a real knack for this…"

"Let's hope they can withstand actual combat," Rayner said with a slightly nervous laugh.

"Of course," the Earl said in a low voice. "Well, I look forward to having you as my Assistant Director of Technology, Rayner, even if I will miss having Cecile at my side."

"Yeah…" Rayner said in a low voice, the name bringing back memories.

"I'm honestly surprised. Personally, It's always been my thoughts that it was my place to work for the sake of science regardless of the political implications. I figured she was the same as me, but I suppose that's the way it is… We did put a lot of work into that Suzaku, I suppose," Asplund muttered in a dry voice. Rayner looked away.

"Yeah. I'm sure that's all it is," he said in a voice that lacked confidence, his mind going back 23 years.

---

"So even you're allowing her to do this, mother?" Hiromi huffed as she stared the older woman down. Yasuko sighed. Her sister was so overbearing; it was embarrassing.

"It's good for her Hiromi. Your sister wants to prove herself; she wants to risk her life for her country, she wants to become stronger. You can't just deny her all that because you worry," Nagisa Tohdoh, Yasuko's mother, said harshly, glaring at her older daughter. Yasuko's little brother, the twelve year old Katsuo, was running around them playfully, oblivious to the serious conversation.

"But, Mother, don't you see. We're on path to join the Western front. We're all going to see very real combat soon!" Hiromi continued to protest.

"Yasuko is a soldier as much as you are, Hiromi. She's completed almost as much training as you. Besides, I have faith in you and your Lieutenant to support her," Nagisa said, with a firm nod.

"Wow, that means a lot to me, General…" said a very deep yet feminine and beautiful voice. Yasuko didn't have to turn around to know it.

"What are you doing, Lieutenant Ohgi?" asked Nagisa. Yasuko decided then to look anyway. The alluring silver-hared beauty was holding Katsuo back at the head with one hand, forcing him to run in place. She gave a firm laugh as the boy shook free.

"Sorry," Chiharu said with a soft smile.

"What are you doing here, Chiharu?" Hiromi asked.

"Just give up, Hiromi, you aren't going to persuade anyone to pull Yasuko out, and the three of us need to report to General Todoh for final orders," Chiharu said, shaking her head several times.

"But I--"

"You just need to deal with it. Now get yourself together. We'll likely be flying Knightmares over southern Federation territory in the very near future," Chiharu cut the other off. She was so cool.

"Let's go, Miss Chiharu," Yasuko said, stepping forward, smiling.

"Yeah, just stick close to me and you'll be okay, Yasuko," Chiharu said with enthusiasm. Something told Yasuko this was largely to spite her sister, but it still made her blush slightly.

"O-okay…" Yasuko responded, hurrying along after the other.

"Damn you Chiharu…" Hiromi growled before walking after them.

---

The older man smiled as the young Empress sat before him. She had a powerful energy around her. This coupled with her youth and beauty left him impressed. This new Empress was an instant star on the world stage.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, President Nemesio," the girl spoke in a quiet voice.

Belisario Nemesio, President of the Universal Commission, the veritable head of the EU itself, smirked back at her for a while before speaking. "Yes, it certainly is, Empress."

"Very well. I suppose you understand what it means to meet with me, sir. There are no secrets. Whatever you and your Universal Commission are scheming is as good as my knowledge while you are before me," the young woman shrewdly stated. Belisario, fairly young and suave for a politician, gave a short laugh. He liked this girl; there was something about her that was just incredible.

"I don't wish to keep secrets, Empress of Britannia, merely make a proposal," the President spoke in a dark voice, folding his hands together.

"I'll listen," the Britannian youth said simply, straightening her posture.

"As we all know, Japan, with the full backing of the Chinese Federation and a myriad of other Asian nations, has declared war on your Empire," Belisario spoke in a resolute voice. "We, the Commissioners of the Euro Universe's Universal Commission, have come to the decision to hereby offer you our full support in the coming fight."

The young Empress gave a healthy laugh as if it were a joke. "You don't say. Now why would you decide that, Mr. Nemesio?"

"It's simple, Britannian Empress. The things that you revealed in relation to the leader of the United Federation of Nations, who's banner our flags once flew under, have come as a shock most inexcusable to us. The EU sees the act of courage you showed that day in revealing to us all the lies that had taken us as something we must advocate and support," the man spoke in a steady voice. When he was done the Empress laughed at least ten times harder.

"Please, Mr. Nemesio, I'm young, but I'm not a fool. What rulers of nations make decisions like that? 'I like what you did back there, now I'm going to join you in battle against all of Asia?' Ridiculous!" the Empress mocked. Rather than offended, Belisario was deeply amused.

"Say what you will, Britannian Empress, but we of the Euro Universe, remain stalwart in our decision," he said, unflinching.

"Would you be more offended if I used my Geass or didn't in revealing your juvenile scheme, Mr. President?" the Empress said with a smirk.

"It's no scheme, I assure you…"

"It's no secret that the Euro Universe has been taking an unusual shift of directions since your party took the top position. What was once a league of completely autonomous nations, joined only in name in hopes of being an effective rival of Britannia, has become increasingly centralized, more and more power being collected under your Commission and yourself with each passing day. Meanwhile, while the rest of the world was completely at peace, your little collective of Nations has been building it's likewise centralizing military at a very steady pace," the Empress stated the facts.

"We have made the necessary adaptations these past twenty years to pull the Euro Universe up from the decimation it suffered in the fight with Britannia. If that means some autonomy was lost for our member nations, it's a small price to pay," Belisario said, stroking his facial hair.

"Don't try and pretty things up, Mr. President. The truth is that the Euro Universe remembers what fighting the Empire of Britannia has brought it. During the peace, due to some strong leadership and smart decisions your EU came to prosper. Now that its old enemy has regained its fangs, cowardice has you bow your head to us," the Empress, pointedly surmised. Again, Belisario was not easily offended. He just issued a short laugh.

"That's quite the accusation, young Empress," the man said softly, impressed.

"Isn't it true, sir? You must have realized that when I announced that I sought to restore the borders of my Empire to what they were under the rule of my grandfather, Charles, that many of your own territories happen to be within those borders?" the Empress said, smiling. "You have every the same right to feel threatened that Japan has."

"Maybe so, Empress. Maybe so," the man said, looking down.

"And of course, in joining us in battle you'll expect us to split the spoils of war…" the Empress continued to smirk.

"So you'd deny our support then? You'd create an enemy where you could have an ally?" Belisarios asked, eyebrow raised.

"Of course not, sir, but can you rightly deny anything I have claimed?" the girl asked, her eyes shooting suddenly up to his.

"No. I can deny nothing," the man said simply, unable to doge the question. The woman's "supernatural hypnotic power" was real it seemed.

"Very well. We are grateful for your support, Mr. President, but remember that this is foremost a Britannian war and will always remain as such," the young woman said, commanding power.

"Of course, Empress..." Belisario said in a low voice, realizing now how truly amazing Ava li Britannia was.

---

Miya remained silent as she lie on the couch at home, music playing softly into the headphones in her ears. Her mother Nina had been at the stove working up some dinner for some time now, her morning classes at the university well over. Her mother Milly had just returned home from a days work at the TV studio. A strange silence, a silence that Miya could somehow sense over her music, now existed between the two.

"So, you have to talk about it all day… what do you make of all this?" asked Nina after a while.

"I don't know. I was kind of angry with the two of them when you told me the truth as they told you… but now that the world knows about it, and it's all completely broken… it's kind of a little frustrating in a different sense… Makes me long even more for those pleasant days back then," Milly murmured, obviously down.

"I've grown a lot since then; I'm not sure I'd give up what I'd have now to go back. But to see the world I helped Lelouch create back then get tossed aside by that girl using that cursed power… It's just…" Nina said in a very stressed voice. Her wife stood up, strolling slowly over to her.

"You know I feel the same… I wouldn't go back either. You and Miya are everything to me… it's just that I'll never forget my time as President of the Ashford Academy Student Council… and the friends I made back then..." the blonde said, putting her arms around the other woman in a comforting manner.

"I know… I won't either…" said Nina, smiling. The smile fell quickly. "But speaking of the Student Council… you do remember that… Miya…"

"I know. She was Miya's friend. She must be going through must the same things we were back then, when we found out the truth about Lelouch…" Milly said, looking away.

"Don't worry about me, guys… Princess may be my good friend, but I'm not really troubled by this all… I mean, it's shocking and all… and I can't say I agree with her… but I'm not hurt or anything," said Miya from the couch, smiling brightly.

"So, you were listening in, you mischievous girl," Milly snickered as she left Nina to cook and moved toward her daughter.

"Sorry…" Miya said with a firm nod as she sat upright.

"It's okay," the girl's mother said, smiling back. "But Miya, there is a discussion we've been putting off for a while now."

"I know… you want me to finally make a decision…." the young girl said, her smile lessening.

"I don't want to force you, Miya, but now that you've graduated you can't just stay on our couch your whole life…" said Milly, giving her daughter a serious look.

"It's just such a difficult thing… deciding…." said Miya. "There are so many things I'd like to do, it's just impossible selecting one…"

Milly sighed. "It can't be that difficult. There has to be something that just calls to you…"

"Not really…" Miya chimed. "I don't think I have anything like that… I'm good at a lot of things, and like almost everything, but there's nothing I just feel that I absolutely have to do…"

"Okay. In that case maybe I'll just have to do what my parents did, and force you to make a decision…" Milly said with a devious expression.

"You mean that arranged marriage you had setup before you met mom?" Miya asked, tilting her head.

"Sure! I'm sure that'd force you to make a decision, having someone try to decide things for you!" Milly said with a whimsical certitude.

"I'm cool with that. I wouldn't mind just getting married off and starting a family," Miya said in a very soft, easy voice. Her mother's excitement instantly dissipated.

"Nina, I think there's something wrong with your daughter…" the blonde called to her partner in the kitchen. Nina shook her head and sighed, but didn't turn around.

"What's wrong with me?!" Miya said with a pout.

"Nothing, dear…" Milly said. Sighing she then said, "I guess I'll just have to give you a little more time to lounge around and think it over…."

"Cool," Miya said, turning her music back on. Milly returned to her wife.

"Anything I can help with?" she asked.

"Sure," Nina said, moving to a side.

---

Astrid smiled as she stared into the _Viviane's _monitor. The woman she loved appeared there.

"So how did it go in the EU, Ava?" she asked, smiling. Ava smiled back.

"Well, I suppose. Those fools have blindly decided to throw themselves behind or cause. They'll prove useful pawns, I suppose…" she spoke, in a somewhat dark voice.

"That's good. The EU models aren't as advanced as ours, but their numbers should be a great relief to our forces," said Astrid, giving a firm nod.

"It's rather amazing seeing you in your element, Astrid, you know that?" Ava said giving a soft laugh. Astrid blushed a deep red, bringing about another laugh.

"R-really…?" she said meekly, looking down at the controls.

Still amused and softly laughing, Ava started taking the conversation in a new direction, "So, how's the war front progressing?"

"From what I've heard Lord Marsh, Lady Waldstein and Lady Blackwell are making great headway against the enemy on the Eastern front over the Pacific Ocean, while Lady Enneagram, Lady Winfield and Lord Moore are doing equally well with their forces coming form the west out of our African territories," said Astrid, a slight smile in the corner of her lips as she noticed Ava's expression remain a content one.

"And you, Claudio and Mr. Cross? Are you prepared for your part?" Ava asked, nodding softly.

"We've penetrated the front and landed in Southern Federation territory. We're ready to tear through and split the Federation down the middle on path to the Capital," Astrid said, a confidence in her voice. War was easy when Astrid remembered it was for Ava she fought.

"Good! And with the fools of the EU now pledging their aid, we'll have them on all sides, divided and broken. The Federation will see the folly in joining Japan as our enemy!" Ava seemed deeply excited; this made Astrid happy. "This is shaping up to be a short war, Astrid."

"I wouldn't underestimate them, Ava, but I hope you're right…" Astrid said, smiling at the screen.

"Of course, Astrid," Ava said with a warm smile. Sighing she then said, "The jet's preparing to land. I'm afraid I must leave you now."

"That's fine. See you later, Ava," Astrid said affectionately.

"Good luck, Astrid. Please, be careful..." the Empress said before she cut out. Astrid was left feeling very warm.

She quickly turned to another communication channel though. She couldn't waste time. She had to focus and do what was needed of her. Ava was counting on her.

"Yo, Astrid, babe! What's goin' on?!" the excitable Mr. Cross said through the monitor.

"How's it looking out there, Mr. Cross?"

"It's stupidly clear! The fuckin' morons don't seem to have a single Knightmare stationed between where you're at and the Forbidden City.

"Great! That's more than Ava was hoping for. If we can take the Capital right away, the Federation will fall apart, and it'll just be a few poorly organized nations we have to deal with at that point" Astrid started, excitedly.

"Hate to say it, but I wouldn't get ahead of yourselves, kids," Claudio Darlton appeared on the monitor, a dour expression on his face. "An aerial battleship, Japanese model, has appeared just southeast of my location. A full squad of Akatsuki is headed right in our direction."

"Fuck! What the hell, man?! Now I gotta get all the way back down there!" Ulric said, agitated, cutting out.

"What do you propose we do, Lady Weinberg?" Darlton started.

"Engage. It may just be the three of us, but Akatsuki are nothing to the _Viviane. _If we can manage to take out a Japanese flagship before the Chinese forces arrive to reinforce them, Ava will not be so disappointed," Astrid said deductively.

"Are you sure? That would put you at a lot of risk. My lower spec _Vincent _won't be able to provide you much support, and that dammed over zealous fool is still about fifteen minutes away. _Akatsuki_ may be nothing for you, but there's no guarantee that's all there is on that ship," Claudio tried to reason.

"Mr. Cross will engage the enemy first thing, the second he arrives without contacting us. Hiding or taking any other action would thus prove useless in the end," Astrid reminded, looking down.

"What is the Empress thinking making that man the Knight of Twelve?! He's an incompetent, incorrigible, cocky fool, liable to get us all killed!" fumed the Knight of Five.

"You should get to my location, Lord Darlton. There are lots of trees here to act as cover. We could get a real upper hand," Astrid said, ignoring the outburst.

"Will do, Knight of Nine," said Darlton with a firm nod before cutting out.

---

Ava wore a heavy smile as she sat atop her throne, now back safely at her new home in the Royal Imperial Castle. She was having a good day. It had started kind of strange for her tastes, but now everything looked up. The war with the Japanese led coalition would be over in a matter of days. After that, even in splitting the territory with the EU, she'd have amassed more than enough resources to revitalize her Empire. Then she'd just have to move onto the next phase, regulating and maintaining that Empire. With military force, that was sure to be an easy task.

But Ava couldn't get ahead of herself. She had to focus on the present. Presently, Regina Granville was kneeling before her, looking somewhat nervous.

"Yes, Lady Granville, what do you have to report to me?" the Empress asked, motioning for the other to stand.

"Yes, my Empress!" Regina said forcefully. "A young man showed up early this morning seeking an audience with you. We tried to refuse him, but he persists and tries to throw money around to get in."

"You don't say?" Ava started, surprised by this. "Did you catch his name?"

"Novak, I believe," Regina said, looking down.

"Richter? I wonder what that fool could want now?" Ava said, curious.

"So you know him, Empress?" Regina perceived.

"Yes, I do," Ava responded. "In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing Mr. Novak, if he's still interested."

"Of course! I'll go see if I can find him right away, your highness!" Regina said with energy, before hustling off with heavy steps.

Ava spent the next five minutes thinking as to what Richter Novak could possibly want with her. After those five minutes she was still completely lost. Luckily at that time, Regina had returned with her brother, the two of them escorting the familiar young man.

"It's been a long time, Empress," Richter started in a low voice. Ava smirked.

"I wouldn't have thought you a man so impatient to call something just over two weeks a long time, Richter," Ava chuckled, nodding as she stared at her old Student Council President. President of the Student Council seemed like such an insignificant position after having met with the President of the Universal Commission only a matter of hours ago.

"Perhaps not, Empress, but time's seemed to stand still for me of late," the young man spoke in a disconcerted voice.

"I have to ask, Richter, what is it that you came her for? You're no longer a part of my world…" Ava said quite coldly.

"I'm here because I want to be part of it again," the young man said readily. Ava smirked.

"Do you now? What use could you possibly be to me?" Ava asked, humored.

"You are an intellectual whom I've always respected, Empress... but even you can't run this massive Empire on your own. You'll need other intelligent minds to help guide you," Richter said in an easy tone. Ava snickered.

"Richter, you really think you'd be of any use to me as an advisor? I have access to the best minds Britannia has to offer; what makes you think I could possibly make use of a simple rich kid right out of high school?" she said, trying to break the other's composure. It failed for the most part.

"My entire life, I've been privy to the secrets of running a hugely successful business. My test scores are uniformly some of the best in the Empire. I'd have graduated years ahead of my class were my damned father not so adamantly against it due to his misguided fear that I would become socially awkward," Richter tried to sell himself. Ava still wasn't interested.

"So you honestly think running Britannia is the same as running Pizza Hut?" Ava asked, laughing at the notion.

"Not the same, no, but similar…" Richter started. "You've seen my intelligence. Don't you think it has any value?"

"Go to your fancy business school, Richter and wait for your father to retire. There's no place for you here," Ava said, shaking her head.

"I would not do that, even if you turn me away! I am a man with ambition!" Richter said, seemingly sickened by the notion of waiting to inherit.

"Oh? You don't say? Out of curiosity, what did you have planned, before this crazy notion to suddenly become an advisory to the Crown entered that head of yours?" Ava asked; for amusement's sake, she activated her Geass.

"I was to finish business school at the top of my class, start my own pizza company: a company that would deliver pizza in just thirty minutes, a company that used better ingredients and made better pizza; and with this pizza I would smite my father and his company into the ground!" Richter said with exuberant energy. Ava began to laugh.

"You're an amusing man, Richter Novak," she said releasing her Geass and putting her head in a hand.

"You made me say everything…" Richter said, looking down, maybe a little embarrassed. Collecting himself he then said, "Will you really refuse me, Empress, when you're even making use of someone like Margaret."

"Margaret is the daughter of the Knight of Three, and a massive help in securing that woman's loyalty. She is also a capable, though inexperienced pilot in her own right. Inserting her as a Captain into the army and placing her under the direct command of the Knight of Two seems a reasonable decision on my part," said Ava nodding.

"But I'm useless to you?" Richter asked for confirmation.

"Not entirely," Ava said, much to the man's surprise. "You're intelligent, ambitious, resolute and strangely amusing. I could keep you around if you insist…"

"W-what made you change your mind?" asked Richter, taken aback.

"Your great ambition…. I haven't laughed that hard in a while…." Ava said, now certain the other was embarrassed. "And you should be thankful that I'm having such a good day today."

"I-I see…" Richter said, looking down.

"Now, in the capacity of an advisor, it'd be best for you to be up to speed on things as they stand at the moment," Ava said, prepared to fill the other in.

"Of course, Empress…" said Richter, bowing. Ava laughed again.

---

It was the dead of night over a remote corner of a southeast region of the Chinese Federation. The Battleship _Hitokage_ flew high in the sky, flanked on each side by a bevy of _Akatsuki. _Spearheading everything out front was the Ninth Generation model, _Zangetsu Tensai_, darkly colored with jagged armor, with large, sweeping Energy Wings jutting from its back, and hair like extensions jutting from its head. The pilot of this machine, Kyoshiro Tohdoh, addressed his force.

"Alright men, listen up! High-end enemy Knightmares were spotted in this area. Federation forces are on path to join us and fortify this location, but we can't wait for them. We must find and eliminate these enemies quickly and then hurry in joining General Minami on the Western Front!" Tohdoh said to his force, who fired back with words of understanding.

"Sir, we're approaching the area we saw that _Vincent _fly to. It could be around here, anywhere," said a soldier in a serious voice. Tohdoh nodded.

"Be on alert men! They could be hiding anywhere in the trees below!" he shouted to the force. As if on cue, an assault rifle blast soon shot at a steep angle from behind the unit, hitting the float system of an _Akatsuki_ with deadly accuracy, making the machine explode.

"There!" many men shouted as countless Knightmares swoop down in the direction of the fire.

A large, cylindrical projectile with a pointed tip shot at high speed into the crowd of _Akatsuki_ from a wildly different angle. It then detonated, revealing a massive explosion that wiped out 15 units at once.

"There's more than one!" Sergeant Major Hiromi Tohdoh shouted, as she turned toward where the second attack had come.

"Of course! We don't know how many there are, Hiromi, they could have us surrounded!" Lieutenant Chiharu Ohgi replied, determination in her eyes.

"We'll just have to force them out!" called Private Yasuko Tohdoh, who had been given one of the few _Akatsuki Jikisanshiyo _for safety (much to her chagrin). She fired her Radiant-wave surger rockets straight at the trees from which the projectile explosive had been fired. A number of trees were cleared all at once, revealing the shimmering gold of the knightmare _Viviane._

"That's the one from the other day! The _Viviane!"_ started Chiharu, in surprise and fear.

"Shit! I'm not sure even all of us together can take it!" Hiromi stammered, glaring at the machine on her display.

"Leave that one to me, girls!" Tohdoh said boldly, flying in front of his daughters and the others.

"Lead it to the _Hitokage_, if you can, Kyoshiro. As powerful as it is, it shouldn't be able to resist direct fire from the main cannon," said Nagisa Tohdoh, commanding the battleship itself.

"Sounds like a plan!" the man called, as he drew his frame's trusted Seidoutou and charged the _Viviane, _which pulled it's own small forced and met him in a clash.

"Kyoshiro Tohdoh, I will soon be presenting your head to my Empress!" shouted Astrid Weinberg, recently appointed Knight of Nine, the _Viviane'_s pilot, in a determined voice.

"We'll see about that, girl!" Tohdoh called as their swords met again and again with incredible intensity, neither pilot missing a step.

Meanwhile the _Vincent_ still hiding in the trees continued to fire with incredible accuracy, picking off one unit after the other, and avoiding detection despite a barrage of shots being fired toward its location. Hiromi, Chiharu and Yasuko all set their sights on it and swept down with machine guns blazing.

Finally, the enemy closing in, the _Vincent _showed itself, charging at the thee young pilots with Master Vibration Sword drawn. All three drew their own swords at once. Chiharu engaged the lone knight as he was soon surrounded by the countless other Akatsuki.

"Lady Weinberg, this doesn't look good. We didn't get enough and I'm severely outnumbered," Claudio Darlton, the _Vincent_'s pilot, the Knight of Five, said with frustration in his voice as his armor took several gun blasts.

"Hold on, Lord Darlton! Mr. Cross will be here soon, and this man shouldn't take much more time.

"I can only hope so…" Claudio replied as he dodged Chiharu and Yasuko's sword strikes and launched his slash harkens precisely at two other Akatsuki, forcing their pilots to eject.

"Looks like I have to change my plans, General," Astrid spoke as she stared _Zangetsu Tensai _down, readying her MVS bow. "Saving my fellow knight comes before killing you!"

"You can't hit me with that weapon, girl," Tohdoh said as he charged once more with Seidoutou.

"You think so?" Astrid smiled. "Well, take this!" she shouted as she initiated her Energy Wing System's offense capabilities, manifesting in a massively bright flash of light that blinded everyone save Astrid within a wide radius of the _Viviane_. Tohdoh, no exception to this, was completely incognizant as his opponent slipped behind him and fired a sharp projectile straight into the core of his machine. _Zangetsu Tensai_ shut down completely and began falling rapidly to the Earth below.

"Some sort of acute Gefjun technology!?" Tohdoh stammered as he tried everything he could, including ejection. Nothing worked.

"Don't worry, Dad, I got you!" Hiromi said as she caught the _Zangetsu Tensai _with her own knightmare, having caught her father's plight out of the corner of her eye and raced toward him at first signs of trouble.

"Thanks, Hiromi," Tohdoh said, even though the other couldn't hear him with his systems off. Hiromi and another Akatsuki who had come to the General's aid, began to fly the powerless machine to safety.

_Viviane _was soon surrounded on all sides by Akatsuki, which bombarded it with fire. Astrid fired a couple more explosive rounds into the crowd of machines, destroying many of them, but they continued to encroach, and her Energy Wing shields were being stressed to the limits.

"Looks like you guys started without me!" started an excited voice, as the sounds of three _Akatsuki_ blowing up in quick unison reached Astrid's ears.

"Mr. Cross! I'm so glad you've made it!" Astrid stared with a smile, using her sword to impale an Akatsuki.

"Fuck yeah! I'll show these fuckers what this baby can do!" Ulric Cross, recently appointed Knight of Twelve, shouted as he flew his knightmare forward through the crowd, ripping through a number of Akatsuki with his long blades as he did so.

His machine was very small in comparison to most knightmares, only about half as tall as the _Viviane. _It had a sleek design, with a dual horned head, lightly armored shoulders, angular plates, and very short, tri-feathered Energy Wings. It was a deep blue in color, with red effects. A long, sharp, viciously curved Master Vibration Sword rest in either of its hands. It moved with incredible speed.

"Damn! Another one?!" Chiharu started, giving a growl. "Without the General, how the hell are we going to do this!"

"We gotta try, Miss Chiharu. I know we'll do it," Yasuko commented, as she flew forward, at the two Ninth Generation machines.

"Wait! Yasuko! That's suicide! Don't go in alone!" Chiharu demanded, but it was ignored. She decided to try and catch up.

"Well, I'm at my limit…" Darlton spoke, his weapons were depleted, as was his armor; expert piloting, the only thing that had saved him. "I'll leave this to you two for now," he said before pulling his eject switch, his cockpit flying off a distance. The _Vincent _exploded soon after.

"Let's get them, Mr. Cross. Show our enemies what your _Dagonet_ can do!" Astrid excitedly called. She continued to cut through _Akatsuki _with her sword.

"Will do, Astrid babe!" Ulric said as he launched all nine of his machines boosted slash harkens at once, each finding an enemy knightmare. He seemed to deliberately destroy every knightmare that attacked him directly. This did not go unnoticed.

"Miss Chiharu, the little one doesn't look like it has much armor and the pilot seems easily provoked," Yasuko started. "One strike from Mom's cannon should destroy it entirely."

"You're right, it's like all offense, and has yet to use any sort of gun. I'll try to guide it to the _Hito--" _Chiharu started; unfortunately Yasuko had already taken off toward the _Dagonet, _obviously intent on playing the lure herself.

"Hey, Me. Pilot, why's your machine so small? It's kind of pathetic," Yasuko taunted innocently, as she fired two shots at the _Dagonet._

"What the fuck you say?! You're dead, bitch!" Ulric, predictably, lost sight of the other machines surrounding him and went straight for the young girl, who turned right around and began to fly toward the _Hitokage. Dagonet'_s speed unfortunately had it overtaken almost immediately.

"Yasuko!" Chiharu shouted, wanting to ride to the other's rescue. Unfortunately, _Viviane _had appeared just in front of her.

"You think I'm stupid enough to follow you to you big ass battleship, bitch? Ulric scoffed. "I ain't as dumb as I look!" he challenged as he effortlessly removed both of the Akatsuki Jikisanshiyo's legs.

"Yasuko!" Chiharu repeated, as she used all the strength she had to slip past the _Viviane, _losing an arm in the process.

"I'll tear your machine to pieces, then I'll kill you!" Ulric shouted, as he next removed both arms and the head of Yasuko's machine.

"Yasuko!!!" Chiharu screamed, as she threw herself forward at the area between Yasuko and the _Dagonet_.

She was in time.

She could feel the sharp blades cutting into her machine at the side. She quickly pulled the ejection lever, which she was surprised to find still worked. Her cockpit flew far into the distance.

"Oh, hell no! You're not getting away with getting in my way, bitch!" Ulric shouted as he held an arm out. He quickly proved that he had a gun after all, as a small blaster appeared from out of _Dagonet'_s underarm. He fired it straight at the ejection pod. It missed a direct hit, but melted the roof from the cockpit, and sent it on a spiraling course to a nearby river.

"Miss Chiharu..." Yasuko said, tears in her eyes, as her broken machine began to fall.

"I got you, Yasuko," Hiromi, who had returned to the field, said as she saved the second member of her family from death by crash that day.

"Hiromi…. Miss Chiharu… she…" Yasuko cried uncontrollably.

"Have faith, Yasuko. She's strong…" Hiromi said in a despondent voice.

"Y-yeah…" the younger sister sniffled.

"I don't know what the fuck you think your doing, but you aren't saving that one!" Ulric shouted as he appeared in front of Hiromi and Yasuko.

"Shit! What are we going to--" Hiromi started in an exasperated voice. She was cut off when the sound of heavy fire raining down upon their enemy was heard.

"Mr. Cross! It's the Federation!" Astrid started to her comrade. There was a literal swarm of Chinese Federation knightmares on the horizon

"FUCK!!!" Ulric shouted, obviously angered. "The two of us can't fight all these bastards with all the energy we've already used!'

"Right, let's collect Lord Darlton and escape!" Astrid suggested in a strong voice.

"Damn! I fuckin' hate running away!" Ulric complained as he and Astrid bolted off in the opposite direction of the Federation swarm.

"Looks like we were lucky, Yasuko," Hiromi told her sister as she began to fly toward the _Hitokage_.

"Miss Chiharu…" Yasuko muttered, tearfully, gripped by fear and worry.

---

The man stared up at the sky that hung over his small plot of grassy, lightly wooded land nestled between a river and some mountains in an isolated, relatively uninhabited part of the Chinese Federation. Moments ago, he had heard sounds off in the distance, sounds he knew well, sounds he had hoped never to hear again.

He tried his best not to think about it, though he couldn't deny that it bothered him. He found himself guiding his horse on the path to the river, which made up the southernmost part of his land to see if her could see anything.

As he approached, his eyes immediately caught something strange. There was a mass of debris scattered in the river's water. He rode as close as he could and dismounted to investigate. He could see lots of metal parts flowing rapidly down the deep river.

But then his eyes caught something that wasn't metal at all. It was the body of a young girl; at first he thought her a corpse, but he soon realized she was clinging desperately to a light metal plate that kept her afloat. The man decided at once to lend a helping hand. He climbed down the river bank and reached out his hand.

"Your hand!" he shouted, hoping the girl would hear him. She did, just barely lifting her head and outstretching her hand. The man grasped it. He used all his strength to pull her ashore. The girl immediately began coughing up water.

The man realized several things about her. With dark skin and silver hair, she had a very foreign look to her; she was clearly not from the Federation, and rather looked strangely familiar to the man. She was wearing what appeared to be some sort of military uniform. And she was very deeply injured, blood pouring from a stomach wound and a shoulder wound. She was soon unconscious.

The man acted quickly in doing his best to tend to her. When he was confident she'd make it he put her on his horse with him and began to ride home.

A/N: end Turn 7. Hopefully this was an exciting chapter for you. One of the longer ones so far, hope you didn't mind. Lots of stuff happening here. The flashback scene didn't really reveal as much as the last one of those, but was still cute. More D.D. was fun; so close to lemony goodness there, but it's too soon for that. Lloyd made his first appearance; he's a fun character. Then you get a better introduction to Yasuko; she's cute. Of course, after that, the scene with the EU guy where Ava takes on some more easy pawns. Miya reappeared along with more Milly and Nina's first appearance; such a cute family. More Ava/Astrid interactions, finally showing Astrid's more serious, resolute side. Richter's reunion with Ava was an interesting scene I thought; lots of pizza talk. Then the big battle; Ulric getting his shot to really show off; I thought it shaped up well. So, who is this mysterious man who pulled Chiharu from the river? You'll find out next chapter (though I'm sure you've all already guessed correctly).

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Katsuo Tohdoh

Belisario Nemesio

The Universal Commission

Zangetsu Tensai

Dagonet


	9. Turn 8: A Phantom's Commitment

A/N: Well then, moving along, here's the eighth chapter of this epic story. Hopefully you all continue to enjoy.

Disclaimer: Richter: "The one known as CrazyNinjaPenguin does not own Code Geass and its elements or Pizza Hut. He, however, does own the original characters and elements in this story. Stealing them would be a criminal breach of copyright law." (if they were copyrighted; but they're not...)

"I'm sorry, Ava…" said Astrid, a downcast look on her face. Richter stared at her; he still couldn't picture the soft spoken girl behind a knightmare's controls, fighting the Japanese forces with everything she had.

"It's alright, Astrid. I'm confident none of it was your fault," the Empress said with a comforting smile. The way she acted toward this girl always baffled Richter. With Astrid, the empress seemed to have limitless patience.

"Even so… you must be disappointed that we got pushed back…" Astrid spoke softly.

"We simply couldn't have predicted that a fully manned battleship would appear in such proximity to the three of you. No one is to blame for this, Astrid. It's unfortunate, yes, but it just means we'll have to come up with a new strategy. I don't hold it against you, Claudio, or Mr. Cross. It was all a matter of coincidence. I'm just pleased that the three of you returned safely," the Britannian ruler spoke in a kindly voice.

"I see… I'm glad to hear that," said Astrid, giving a faint nod.

"We won't fail you again, your highness," said the Knight of Five, who was kneeling beside Astrid. The Knight of Twelve was on Astrid's other side, giving a weak bow.

"Yeah! Next time, we're gonna kick those bastards' asses!" this man said loudly. Richter looked down and shook his head softly. How did a man like that become a Knight of the Rounds?

"Good to hear it. Richter and I have spoken on the plan, and he believes it too ambitious. Says we should hold off on a move so bold and simply focus on crushing them at the main fronts. After these events I'm tempted to agree," said the Empress looking over at Richter, who stood a bit to the right of her throne. Astrid looked up at him.

"I've been meaning to ask… Ava… why is Richter….?" the meek blonde started, head titled.

"Richter has been recruited as an advisor. I am hoping his keen mind will guide me to the best course of actions when it comes to governing this Empire," said the Empress firmly. Richter smirked.

"I see… I-it's good to have another of our old friends helping us…." said Astrid with a weak smile.

"Yes… But anyway, it is my decision to now send the three of you out, to aid in the struggle on the front lines," Empress Ava said in a soft voice. "Claudio, you and Mr. Cross, will head for the Eastern Front and aid Marsh, Waldstein and Blackwell."

"Yes, your majesty!" said the Knight of Five with enthusiasm. The Knight of Twelve just sort of nodded blankly.

"Astrid, you will head to the Western Front to assist Moore, Enneagram and Winfield," the Empress said, turning to her friend.

"Understood, Ava," Astrid said with a soft nod.

"Good. The three of you can then be dismissed. You may have the rest of the day off to rest," she said with a smile.

"Fuck yeah… I don't remember the last time I slept…." the Knight of Twelve said, turning around prematurely and yawning loudly.

"Thank you, My Empress," the Knight of Five said as he rose and gave one final bow.

Astrid still stood there, looking at the Empress with a smile, not looking like she was going to leave.

"Astrid, go home as well. You need rest, and your family surely wishes to see you," the young girl said, with a long nod.

"A-alright…" Astrid replied reluctantly, turning then looking at her friend again and smiling. "Bye, Ava…" she whispered as she and the others left.

"You're quite protective of that girl. _Viviane_ would be more beneficial in the fierce fight on the Eastern Front. Even with _Morganna, Constantine, _and _Galahad Renascence, _the fight against _Guren_ is clearly the more difficult struggle. Those Gefjun Bolts you mentioned could do wonders in that fight," Richter spoke in a dry voice when all was gone.

"Only a few hours talk and you think you already know our knightmares so well? How amusing, Richter," the Empress said in a superior tone. Richter snarled.

"You know I'm right, Empress. _Dagonet_ lacks the defenses needed for that fight, and whatever machine you give the Knight of Five will be entirely useless," said Richter with intensity.

"I've made my decision, Richter. I wouldn't question it if you value that position I so graciously awarded you," said the Empress sternly.

"Yes, your highness," he said in a low growl.

"Good," the girl smiled. "Now, advisor, is there any other pressing advice you have for me?" she asked, as if in a challenge.

"There is something I've been curious about," said Richter, not about to back down.

"Yes? And what would that be?" asked the Empress a smirk on her face.

"The fate of the criminals; Zero and the First Prince. When are they to be executed?" asked the advisor. The Empress frowned.

"Why is killing them necessary? Simply leaving them imprisoned removes them from the picture," said the Empress with a pleasant nod.

"It would serve to reinvigorate your supporters and come as a crippling blow to your enemies. Powerful images like those of an execution can affect the masses in incredible ways," said Richter with a crispness to his voice.

"Even so, it doesn't seem something necessary to me," the Empress sighed.

"I don't believe it. You have no issue sending men to die and kill in war, yet you lack the courage to issue an execution order?" the advisor boldly challenged.

"You'd do best to watch you tongue, Richter," the Empress said with a deep frown.

"Of course," the advisor said with a short snicker.

The Empress sighed. "But maybe you're right… I did promise them a strong Britannia…."

It was at this moment, that the Knight of Eight suddenly appeared, looking stern and resolute as ever. She bowed deeply before her liege.

"Yes, Lady Granville? What news do you have for me? Word from the front lines?" the Empress asked, curious.

"No, nothing of that sort, your highness," she said, shaking her head. "An influential member of the nobility has filed an official request to meet with you at his manor."

"You don't say? That is interesting news. Tell me, what is this Lord's name," the Empress ordered, smirking.

"Ah, yes…" said the female knight as she took out a very small sliver of paper and looked down at it. "It's a Lord Guilford… Gilbert G.P. Guilford."

Richter shook his head while the Empress looked down, a somber frown on her face. "Y-you don't say…"

"W-what is it, your majesty? Do you know him?" the Knight started, head tilted in surprise.

"I'd think a knight would make some effort to familiarize herself with her Empress," Richter spoke coldly. The knight looked at him, clearly not following.

"An official request for an audience….? Why would he think that much is necessary…?" the Empress said with a deep sorrow in her eyes. A silence fell for a minute before the Empress spoke to the still lost knight once more. "Send word back that I will speak with Lord Guilford, Lady Granville."

"At once, your highness!" the Knight of Eight replied readily, standing at attention. She turned and left immediately. Richter could only guess a single question to just about anyone she passed on her way to deliver the message would lead to intolerable embarrassment for the young knight.

When it was just the Empress and Richter again, the Empress' mood did not lift. She stared down at the floor looking horribly distraught.

"Father… have we really grown so distant…?" she muttered to herself. Richter closed his eyes. He hated his own father. Something told him it'd be easier for this girl if she were the same. Empress Ava li Britannia was not like him though. Despite the coldness, the ferocity, the ambition, this woman's heart was full of a beautiful sort of compassion.

---

The young girl wore a look of cold confidence as she approached the large mansion. Determination, the will to succeed, shone in her eyes as she reached out and knocked at the door. In only a few moments it opened. To her surprise, she was not greeted by a servant, but rather the master of the house himself. A false smile appeared on her face at once.

"Hello, sir. Would you be Lord Weinberg?" she said in a charming voice, head titled to the side.

GIno Weinberg. The Knight of One. Getting close to this man was an important part of her objective. She surveyed him closely, using her expert skills to read him. He was buying her acting entirely.

"Why, yes, my young lady," the man said, smiling back at her, looking down at the maid's outfit she wore. "From the uniform, I take it you're the new maid my wife hired."

The girl gave a soft nod and smiled wider. "Why yes, sir. My name is Amy. Amy Glen." This of course was a lie.

"It's nice to meet you, Amy." Weinberg said smiling back at her. "You look a lot younger than I anticipated. Just how old are you?"

"19 years, sir," "Amy" said pleasantly. Another lie; she was just sixteen. She was confident the Japanese blood in her veins would be enough to convince the man that she just looked young.

"Well, I hope you won't mind. Maria, whom you're replacing was the personal attendant to my daughter who is just two years your junior," Weinberg explained with a slightly serious explanation.

"I don't mind at all. I look forward to working for her," the girl said brightly. Of course she didn't mind. The organization were the ones who paid off this Maria to create the opening in Weinberg's staff.

"I'm glad to hear that, Amy," said Weinberg in an easy voice. "Now, I'm sure you know, but both myself and my daughter are active in the Britannian military. Your work load may be very light for a while."

"I'm sure your wife will find work for me even during your absences," the girl said, still smiling sweetly.

"Looks like your young mistress has arrived, Amy," Weinberg said, nodding behind her. Amy turned her head; sure enough a pale blonde girl was stepping out of a black limousine.

Astrid Weinberg. The Knight of Nine. Getting close to this girl was absolutely crucial to her objective. She surveyed the girl closely. She approached her father with hesitation; apprehension. It was like she was unsure if he would accept her.

"Ah, Astrid, it's good to see you," said Weinberg; there was a slight inflection in his voice that revealed a sort of somberness, distance. Yet the man sought desperately to hide this. He wanted to still put up a kind, inviting face to his beloved daughter.

"Hello father, how have you been?" said Astrid, smiling. She was confused; unsure; unsteady. She tried not to show any of this.

"Well, Astrid," The man said with a forced smile. In truth he had clearly been troubled for some time now. "I heard you had some trouble yourself."

"Yeah…" Astrid said, afraid to look at the man. She was distraught, but not willing to yield in whatever quarrel was between the two.

"Astrid, I'd like you to meet someone," Weinberg said suddenly, nodding at the young maid. "This girl is the one your mother hired to replace Maria."

Astrid looked at her and smiled. She seemed bothered by "Amy's" appearance. The girl chocked it up to her young age. She smiled back at the young knight.

"It's a pleasure to meet you…" Astrid started with a smile, obviously searching for a name.

"Amy. Amy Glen," the girl said brightly, wearing a cheery fake smile.

"I'm Astrid. I hope we can be friends, Amy," Astrid spoke in a friendly voice. "Amy" gave a soft laugh. She felt sorry for this girl. She hadn't anticipated the knight she was to watch and deceive being such a naive young girl.

"But I'm supposed to be your maid, Lady Weinberg… we can't…" the girl started acting tentative, deciding it was the reasonable response.

"No, I insist, Amy. You may work for me, but that doesn't mean anything…" Astrid said with a firm nod.

The girl laughed again. She was honestly taken aback by the young Astrid; she was such a warm girl. "I can tell you'll be a kind employer, Lady Weinberg."

"Astrid, please," the blonde insisted.

"Right… Astrid…" "Amy" smiled. She decided it may be harder than she anticipated to deceive this girl. She was too easily deceived.

"Anyways, let's go inside. Your mother's missed you recently, Astrid. She'll be happy to see you," Weinberg said, leading the other two forward. It was at this exact moment that the cellphone "Amy" wore in her pocket began to ring softly.

"I'm sorry, but I have to take this… My mother's really ill…" she said in a soft voice, placing sadness in her eyes. One look at the two told her they bought the cheap lie entirely.

"Its okay, Amy. We understand," said Astrid, smiling softly. "Come inside when you're done. I'm sure mother will want to finally meet you."

"Thank you kindly, Astrid," she replied as she watched her two "employers" walk inside the house. She answered the phone.

"I have successfully infiltrated the Weinberg home. No one suspects a thing," she said coldly, the stern look reappearing in her eyes.

"Good… I shall relay the message… keep up the good work, child…" said a dark voice that she did not know. She didn't know anyone within the organization except for her family. This wasn't unusual for an organization that had popped up out of the shadows.

"Will do. For the glory of Absolution, I, Amelia Gottwald, swear not to fail," the girl said resolutely as she hung up abruptly and stowed her phone away.

She placed the blissful smile back on her face and moved back toward the house.

---

Kyoshiro Tohdoh wore a dour expression as he faced his two daughters, sitting as his desk aboard the _Hitokage_. He hated to disappoint these two, but his position as a general demanded it in this case.

"We saw her eject! The pod was damaged but it's very possible she's still out there some where! Please, let me at least go look! I'm sure I can catch up before the _Hitokage _ reaches the front!" Hiromi demanded, a fire in her eyes. The loss of Chiharu Ohgi was a real blow to the man. She was the daughter of a good friend, and her closeness to Hiromi saw him warming to the girl. Still, Kyoshiro knew war. The chances of surviving a crash landing in a heavily damaged ejected cockpit for this long were miniscule.

"Hiromi… we can't waste the resources…" he spoke, a deliberate somberness in his words.

"How can you say that, father?!" Hiromi demanded, emotionally. The younger girl, Yasuko, was quietly sobbing.

"We took too many casualties in the fight. If we lose even one soldier more, our assistance may prove negligible to Minami and the others. We have to concentrate on winning this battle, Hiromi," Kyoshiro said in a cold voice, pained at having to say the words.

"Then you'll just have to penalize me father. I'm not leaving my friend to die," Hiromi said boldly, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Kyoshiro growled, causing his daughter to turn back. "All right, I give in. I'll authorize you to search for Lieutenant Ohgi for one day. If you do not find her in that time, you are to return immediately. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, of course! Thank you, father!" Hiromi said, smiling.

"Please, Hiromi, promise me you'll find her…" Yasuko whimpered to her big sister. Hiromi nodded.

"You can count on me!" she assured.

"Please be safe," the younger sister softly said, flashing just the slightest smile.

---

Life had become quite strange for the chief Britannian ambassador to Japan. Villetta Nu was Britannian, always had been, but Japan was her home; it had been for some time. When the war had broken out it hadn't even been a decision. Despite the embassy shutting its doors and everyone else fleeing for the homeland, her primary loyalty was with her loving husband and two daughters.

Right now things had become especially tense in her household. Her husband, former Japanese President Kaname Ohgi, had received a call that morning. The whereabouts of their older daughter, Chiharu were currently unknown. It was frightening; unsettling. She was sick with anticipation as she waited.

"I see… let's hope she's successful…" her husband muttered into the phone in a low voice. "Thank you for calling, General," he said as he hung up, and held his head low.

"W-what's the news?" VIlletta asked tentatively, in a hopeful voice.

"Hiromi's gone out looking for her," Kaname replied wearily.

"We can only have faith then…" Villetta said deliberately, looking down.

"Yes…" the man replied.

"This cursed war… why was it necessary...?" Villetta said in a deep sigh.

"It might be our fault deep down… if we had made more of an effort to understand that man and his vision back then we could have built a different sort of peace at his side," Kaname said, staring at the floor.

"You've been thinking about that a lot since you heard, haven't you, Kaname?" Villetta asked with a grim expression.

"You can't blame me. When you first told me what we both thought was the depth of the truth back then, I was furious. We all fell so easily into Schneizel's hand, when in fact he was the true villain," the man said in a a low, almost whispered voice. "He had done horrible things and we could see them; we let that cloud our judgement when we didn't understand what was really going on."

"You can't beat yourself over such things, Kaname. We did what we did back then. If this war is somehow related to all that, all we can do then is clean it up." Villetta spoke in a long voice.

"We're losing right now, you know," the man said, stress clear in his face.

"They have better knightmares at the moment. You know how war is though; that won't be the case forever," Villetta said, sure of it.

"Yes; Rakshata's already submitted several new designs. We have to survive long enough to see them built, for them to be of any use to us though," Kaname said in a low grumble.

"As I understand it, the way the battles are now it's pretty much boiled down to just Kallen, Tohdoh, and that Chinese woman, Xianglin, in addition to the three battleships fighting against the Britannian army lead by the Knights of the Round," Villetta said, considering the grim accounts she had heard.

"We're lucky that with Kallen and the current _Guren_ we have both the best pilot and the best machine," Kaname said with a nod.

"Kallen can't win this war alone. None of them can. Japan's going to need new heroes," Villetta said, the sickness in her stomach not dissipating.

"I'm sure Chiharu will end up one of them," Kaname said, somberly, as if he was trying to force himself to believe it.

"Yeah… she will…." Villetta choked. A tear escaped from her eye.

"Our daughter is strong, Chigusa. She'll make it through this… I'm sure," Kaname said with an infirm smile, using the name that only he called her. She smiled just slightly as well.

---

Chiharu Ohgi stared groggily up at the ceiling as she awoke. She gave a healthy yawn and then sat up, finding a deep pain running through her bandaged shoulder and stomach. She looked around. She had no clue where she was. She was lying in a bed, in some quaint little room.

She tried to piece everything together. She remembered the fierce battle. She had thrust herself headfirst into danger to spare Yasuko's life. She had managed to eject just in time, but the enemy had coldly targeted her pod and damaged it and sent it off course straight into a river. She vaguely remembered grabbing hold of debris in that river and fighting with her life to stay above the water. She didn't remember much beyond that.

"So, you're awake?" said a voice from behind Chiharu. She turned around. A woman was standing at the door, smiling kindly. She looked to be a Britannian woman in her late thirties or early forties and had green hair and a pleasant expression.

"Are you the one who saved me?" Chiharu asked with a tilted head.

"No, that would be my husband," the woman replied in a soft voice, walking over and placing a small glass of tea at Chiharu's bedside.

"Thank you," Chiharu said, smiling.

"You must be hungry," the woman said, with a nod.

"Uh… sure… I guess I am..." replied Chiharu, looking around the room once more.

"Good. I'm baking a pizza. It'll be ready in just a few minutes," the woman said fondly as she left the room.

"Pizza...?" Villetta started, surprised. What sort of strange hermits isolated in the Chinese Federation went through the trouble of making pizza?

A few minutes passed and the woman returned holding a plate. She placed it in Chiharu's lap. Sure enough, it was a slice of pizza. It looked quite tasty. The aroma was amazing, and one look showed that the ingredients were all fresh. Chiharu picked it up and took a bite. It was delicious.

"This is amazing… thank you so much, miss…" Chiharu said with a big smile as she devoured the tasty, cheesy goodness.

"You're quite welcome," she said with a smile. "Please call if you need anything more."

"Okay," Chiharu nodded. She went back to work at the pizza. Her plate was soon empty.

"It's good to see you well," said another voice. Chiharu turned toward the door once more. A young man was standing there. He was Britannian with black hair and looked to be about Chiharu's age.

"Hey…" Chiharu started. Nodding she said, "you must be their son..."

The young man laughed. "I suppose it would look that way by this point…" He looked at the girl and smirked. "In reality, the woman with whom you've spoke is my wife."

Chiharu's eyes widened. There was something seriously wrong with these people even if they saved her life and made good pizza. "You have to be like twenty years younger than her?!"

"More than that actually," he said with another well placed laugh. "She's older than she appears… then again, so am I..."

Chiharu was even more freaked out. Just what sort of crazies did she stumble upon here? "Y-you don't say…"

The man ignored her discomfort. Instead her prompted her, "Could I have your name, miss?"

"Chiharu," the girl said casually, with a smirk. As she was in a weird mood and talking to a weird person, she decided to get just a little more formal. "Chiharu Ohgi. Lieutenant of the Ninth Platoon of the Japanese army, stationed aboard the Battleship _Hitokage_, under the command of General Kyoshiro Tohdoh."

"Y-you don't say…" the man said, a strange smile appearing on her face. "Ohgi is a Japanese name... From your appearance, I take it your mother must be Britannian woman."

"Yep! The great Villetta Nu, top Britannian ambassador to Japan!" said Chiharu proudly. In a lower tone she added, "or she was, until the war broke out and the embassy closed…"

"War, you say?" the man said tentatively. "Would you tell me, girl who this war is between?"

"You don't know?!" Chiharu stammered. "You really are some backwoods hermit, I guess…" rolling her eyes, she said in a sigh. "It's us, the Japanese and our allies here in the Federation and surrounding nations versus the Britannian Empire."

"Who started this war?" the man said, his brow furrowed.

"Britannia. Their Empress, specifically," Chiharu said with a nod.

"Last I heard, the Britannian Empress was a very kind woman, not one to bring on war…" the man said, concern in his eyes.

"Empress Nunnally was. The new Empress… not so much…" Chiharu said, shaking her head.

"Tell me, what happened to Nunnally?!" the man said, with a scary intensity that shook Chiharu.

"Uh... she… the new Empress girl… Ava… she had the old Empress moved to a manor where she's been placed under a sort of house arrest," Chiharu replied tentatively. The man became more calm.

"Tell me of this Ava, who is she?" the man asked, curious.

"Ava li Britannia. Some upstart young princess with a desperate need for a good slap," Chiharu said coldly, nodding.

"If it's 'li Britannia', I'd think that'd be a fulfilled need…" the man said very softly. Chiharu stared at him questioningly.

"You really don't get any news out here? I'd think if your... uh… wife, were able to get all the ingredients to make a pizza you'd at least hear something of what's happening..." Chiharu said, shaking her head.

"I've purposely chosen to distance myself from this world. My life in it is over. I left it in what I thought wee steady hands, but it now seems.. perhaps I was too hasty…" the man said, a general unease about him. "How in the world did this young Empress win the people and convince them to immerse themselves in the pain of war again after all this time?"

Chiharu was definitely curious about this guy now. Something about him was so strange. "She unmasked Zero. Showed the world, he was this Japanese traitor guy, revealed the plot he and his buddy the Demon King used to deceived the world, and pledged she'd restore Britannia to the place in the world it belonged."

The man's eyes widened. "How on earth could a young princess do all of that?"

"Some hypno-trick thing. She calls it Geese or something like that..." said Chiharu, somewhat callously.

"G-Geass?!" the man stammered, looking horrified.

"Yeah, that's it…" Chiharu said, shaking a little.

"Tell me, where did she find this power?!" the man still was very intense.

"How would I know?! If I knew where the Empress got her special super power, don't you think I'd try and get it myself?" the young girl said, rolling her eyes a little.

"I… see…" the man calmed. "He didn't... that order… they didn't… there was a source somewhere that I didn't account for…"

Chiharu shook her head at the man's babbling. She'd just have to act directly. "Just who are you?"

"Call me L.L." he said. Chiharu stared back at him with an eyebrow raised.

"'L-two'? Seriously? What sort of name is that?" she said, eyes narrowing.

"It is the name of an immortal witch. I was once a human man, but it is the name that suits me now," said the man, nodding his head.

"You're saying you're a witch?" Chiharu sighed. Why'd her savior have to be a psycho?

"Yes. That would be correct," said L.L. smirking.

"That's impossible," said Chiharu resolutely.

"I know it may be difficult to believe, but I have not aged in twenty years," L.L. said, in a dark voice.

"Yeah, but even if that's true, you're not a witch," Chiharu said firmly.

"What makes you say that, miss Ohgi?" L.L. said, curiosity in his eyes.

"You're a guy, Witches are always girls." Chiharu said with finality. Nodding her head.

"I-I see…" the man gave an amused laugh. "I suppose you could call me a wizard then."

"Wrong! I know my RPG classes! Wizards use magic but not explicitly witchcraft! You'd be a warlock," Chiharu said with energy, gleefully remembering hours she had spent playing video games.

"You did say you're name was Ohgi... you're mother was Villetta Nu… you were a soldier and you served under Kyoshiro Tohdoh, correct, miss?" the man started, unsure of how to take the strange outburst. Chiharu laughed.

"Yes. You have a good memory, remembering all those names. Must be your powerful warlock memory…" Chiharu said, nodding.

"Maybe so," L.L. said, giving his own laugh.

"So, how'd you become a warlock, L.L.?" asked Chiharu, interested, though not quite believing yet.

"The power that makes one an immortal is this mark here," the man said, pulling at his collar and revealing a mark at the side of his lower neck. It looked sort of like wings. "It is called a Code. Twenty years ago, this Code belonged the my wife."

"So she used to be a witch?" Chiharu started. Now very curious. "Why'd she give her immortality to you?"

"Geass is the power a witch grants a man through a contract. Twenty-one years ago, my wife granted me Geass. With my Geass, I committed sin for the sake of justice. I died for my sins, as rightly I should have, but for her sake, I began this new life," L.L. explained cryptically. Chiharu was intrigued.

"She wanted to give you her immortality... her Code… you called it?" the girl started, curious as to why.

"My wife lived a long life, in which she sought two things. Though my sins meant my death was necessary, I could not break my contract with her. I could not die without getting her those two things," the man spoke with a somberness in his eyes. Chiharu nodded.

"What were these two things?" Chiharu asked.

"A full human life filled with genuine love, and then a peaceful human death," said L.L. with a definite heaviness.

"Aww, how sweet," Chiharu swooned, smiling.

"I opted to end my human life, but live on as an immortal for her sake. When her life has passed, I planned to live on here alone forever, keeping the witchcraft known as Geass isolated within me forever in hopes of preventing it from once more corrupting our world," L.L. said with a stalwart expression.

"But this Ava found another witch--or warlock-- somewhere, and messed everything up, huh?" Chiharu said, nodding her head, following the unique story.

"Correct," the man said, staring down.

"So, what are you going to do about it? If you're really immortal, you'd probably be able to do a lot yourself," said Chiharu, head tilted. "You could use your warlock magic to--"

L.L. cut the girl off. "I'm afraid I cannot show my face in this world anymore. I am dead. If I were not to be dead, the clear sins I committed would come to question and the people may fall even further into this Ava's hands." He paused a minute before adding, "And a Code is not the proper weapon with which to battle a Geass. Only another Geass will do."

"So, does your wife have the Geass thing now, then?" asked Chiharu.

"If my reason in taking her place in the eternity of time was to grant her a normal human life, do you honestly think I'd tarnish that human life with such a cursed power?" asked L.L. smirking.

"Guess not," Chiharu said shrugging.

"Tell me, Chiharu Ohgi, do you believe in fate?" asked the man looking in her eyes.

"I guess… I mean it's kind of cool to think there's some higher order guiding our lives to where they take us," Chiharu said after thinking about it a moment.

"I didn't believe myself until the day that woman in the other room first appeared before my eyes," L.L. said, his voice steady. "I believe fate may have guided you to me."

"Seems more like a coincidence to me. I mean I'm just some random soldier…" Chiharu said doubtingly.

"We are more connected than you may think, miss Ohgi," the warlock said with a careful nod. "Earlier you said, that if you knew where Empress Ava got her Geass you'd want it yourself?"

"Y-yeah…" Chiharu said, flinching just slightly.

"In a world full of darkness, I took on the Power of the King even knowing it would inevitably lead me to solitude. For the sake of peace, for the sake of bringing justice to those who evaded it, it was necessary," L.L. said, his voice heavy and grim. "I won't force anyone else to make that decision, miss Ohgi, but fate has guided you to me, and I at least wish to ask." He stared into the girl's eyes. "Chiharu Ohgi, will you take on the task of bringing justice to the new sinners of this world in my place?"

Chiharu gulped. Up until a few moments ago she had still thought this man some crazed loon. The intensity in his eyes now told her differently. If this man was speaking truthfully, if his strange tale was the truth, then what should she do? It was almost surreal. Chiharu didn't know what to say exactly. Power? Solitude? Justice? Sins? She could barely comprehend these words as she stared into the supposed warlock's eyes.

"I-I…" Chiharu stuttered. She was lost. She was just the carefree slacker girl with famous parents. She wasn't a hero of any sort. She was intimidated. She was unsure. It seemed like this would be a lot of work. Her thoughts drifted to Kenichi, her parents, the General, Hiromi and Yasuko. Someone needed to step forward for their sake. It could only be her.

"I will," she said simply, looking down.

"Are you sure?" the man asked forcefully.

"I am." Chiharu wasn't about to go back now.

"I once swore I would never do this, that the power of Geass would be imprisoned within me for the rest of eternity. But I am left with little other option," L.L. said as he outstretched his hand. "You understand that this is a contract, Chiharu Ohgi?"

"What are the terms?" Chiharu asked lifting her own hand but not taking his.

"The power for Geass for granting a single wish of the contractor," the man said with a nod.

"What is your wish?" she asked.

"That you right the wrongs in this world and restore peace," L.L. said resolutely.

"I accept these terms," Chiharu said boldly as she grabbed the man's hand. She felt something bright flow into her.

"There. It is done," L.L. said, shutting his eyes.

"So, this power… is it the same trick the Empress uses?" Chiharu asked, feeling somewhat tired.

"Not necessarily. Geass manifests differently in all users. You will come to understand yours in time," said the warlock with a steady nod.

"I see…" the girl said, smirking.

"There is a large hill just south of here. If your friends are looking for you, it would be the easiest for them to find you. I will take you when you are ready," the man said, as he turned around.

"Thank you," Chiharu said in a weak voice. After a while the green haired woman reappeared in the doorway.

"Would you like some more pizza, miss?" she asked.

"Yes, please," Chiharu said with a smile.

A/N: Shortest chapter since the fourth, but I just want to leave it cut off here. I suppose this is a controversial chapter. The fate of Lelouch at the end of R2 is the biggest debate surrounding the series. Personally, I wasn't sure how to approach the subject in this story. The first time I saw the ending scene of the series, I thought it was indicating he was alive, even before hearing the debate. I just thought, C.C. wouldn't be so content if Lelouch was gone and she was left to continue on in her immortal life. I realized soon after it wasn't so clear cut, but that initial feeling I had never cleanly subsided. I deeply respect what the series writer Ichiro Okouchi says when he says with finality that Lelouch is dead. I also respect how Goro Taniguchi, the director, says he wanted to leave the fate of Lelouch up to viewer interpretation. It is just the latter who I decided to go with in the end. This was my interpretation. Lelouch is still self-sacrificing; maybe even more so than had he just died. But mainly, I like C.C. getting all she wanted, both the honest love her Geass never got her, and humanity with an eventual end. If you still vehemently disagree with what I've done here, then just try and bear with me. They probably won't show up again really. If you disliked it, just pretend it didn't happen and I just used some other random plot device to give Chiharu a Geass. That's the important part to take from this in regards to this story after all.

But enough about that. Some interesting developments here. In addition to all the Geass stuff we have Richter starting his "advising", Ava preparing to visit her father, Amelia was introduced, VIlletta appeared, and you all got your confirmation that Kallen is still out there being awesome. The next chapter certainly should be exciting. Look forward to it.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Amelia Gottwald (Amy Glen)


	10. Turn 9: Awakening

A/N: Turn 9. Don't have much to say here. Just hope you all continue to enjoy.

Disclaimer: Niles: "Lord NinjaPenguin does not hold legal right to the anime Code Geas and it's associated elements; however, the original elements within this story do belong to him."

Richter wore a frown as he walked around, admiring the royal castle. An advisor's job was limited when the one whom he advised was not present. It wasn't like his advice had much sway. The Empress may have conceded that maybe Richter was right about the fates of Schneizel and Kururugi, but Richter knew that that woman would never issue the order. She was too kind. She didn't realize the crippling fear one could inflict with death.

"Oh my, I don't remember seeing you before," a high voice hit Richter's ears. He turned from the massive portrait of Empress Nunnally he faced to find its source. She was a woman, late thirties, somewhat attractive, though in an artificial way, dressed in frilly clothes with an oversized, fancy hat. She looked to be the annoying sort of person Richter detested.

"I'm Richter Novak, the Empress' personal advisor," he said putting on a slight smirk. This woman was clearly a noble of some sort. It was best to act the gentleman.

"Oh my, you don't say? It's a pleasure to meet you Lord Novak. I am Arienette mi Britannia, the second-- er, first-- er, I'm not really sure any more-- princess of Britannia," the woman said in a haughty tone.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, my Princess, but you are mistaken. I am no lord," Richter said, forcing politeness into his voice.

"What?! Really, but why in heavens would little Ava let a commoner on staff?" Arienette started with a heavy gasp, her hand going to her mouth.

"Business sense, milady. I am owner of an exceptional mind, cultivated in one of the best environments for such a mind. My father is the chief executive officer of one of the most successful businesses the world over," Richter said charmingly. Arienette gave a girlish giggle.

"My, you don't say? What business is that?" the woman asked, smiling.

"Pizza Hut," he said, trying not to frown as he said it as was usual.

"Never heard of it," the woman said, shaking her head. Richter was strangely impressed. "But I like you, Richter, you're a very distinguished, charming young man."

"Thank you kindly, milady," Richter said with a soft bow.

"Yes, my opinion of the commoners has certainly increased. An upright, fine young man like you, I'd even consider introducing to my Jacquelyn," the woman said with a nod.

"You don't say," Richter said, giving a short laugh.

"You don't already have someone do you, sir?" the princess said, head tilted.

"No, not at the moment," Richter replied. He wasn't entirely interested in romance, but entertaining princesses could get him places he wanted to go. The princess Jacquelyn mi Britannia was also rumored to be quite beautiful.

"Good to hear it, Richter," the woman said with a nod. "You'll be pleased to know you made quite the strong impression."

"Thank you, my princess," Richter said as the woman began to walk away. Richter's impression of the princess wasn't so high. He figured that if the world had lost Arienette mi Britannia in addition to the majority of the royal family at Pendragon, it wouldn't be out for much.

---

Xuemei wore an expression of content as she entered the small room beside her mentor, Zhou Xianglin. The Japanese Battleship was a suitably impressive vessel. She was certain it would aid when they tried once more to best the Britannian forces.

"General Tohdoh, it is a pleasure to see you once more," Xianglin started in a level voice.

"Yes. We got here as quick as we could," the man said with a quiet somberness. Xuemei had never been in the presence of the famed general, but she could tell at once that he was every bit the man she imagined him to be.

"_Hitokage_ looks to be a sturdy ship. Minami's _Hikyuu _took some serious damage in the initial fight, so its good to have another ship. It and its crew will surely be an asset to us," Xianglin spoke in a heavy voice.

The fight had been a difficult one. The enemy had two ninth generation knightmares, the Knight of Three's _Lamorak _and the new model built for the recently appointed Knight of Eleven, _Agravain. _The battle had been a complete rout. Despite the Japanese General, Minami's skill at piloting his battleship, and Xianglin's superiority in her knightmare, those two machines were just too much to handle. Battleship _Hikyuu _had been forced to retreat from the lines, allowing the Britannians to move forward.

"I understand Rakshata has flown some new machines in. What exactly did we receive?" Tohdoh asked, looking stern and serious.

"Four custom model knightmares. Two intended for use by the Federation forces, two for use by the Japanese forces," Xianglin explained.

"I see, I suppose we'll take one of the Japanese models and leave the other one in General Minami's hands," said Tohdoh deliberately.

"No need for that, General Tohdoh," said a voice from behind Xuemei. She moved to the side to allow the man to pass by her. It was general Yoshitaka Minami. He gave a nod to the other Japanese General.

"Should you really be away from your crew right now, General?" Tohdoh started, nodding back at the other man.

"I had to come greet you, General Tohdoh, and thank you personally for answering our distress call," said Minami graciously.

"It's only natural. For a Japanese victory, we could not let _Hikyuu _fall," Tohdoh responded.

"Right. But, I want you to have both the knightmares General. General Zhou here and her forces are currently stationed aboard _Hikyuu; _it's only natural that your _Hitokage_ would get the Japanese machines," said Minami, rigidly.

"If you insist, General. I'll find pilots for them right away," said Tohdoh, with an understanding nod.

It was at that moment that an out of breath soldier arrived at the general's door. Again Xuemei moved to the side to allow the man to pass.

"G-general Tohdoh, General Tohdoh, sir…" the man stammered.

"Yes? What is it man? Is the enemy on the offensive?" Tohdoh asked, concern in his face.

"No, sir. It's Sergeant Major Tohdoh, she's just returned," the man said after a moment to collect himself.

"That's good news, sir," the General said smirking a little. "Was she successful?"

"She was," the man replied. The stone-faced General actually broke into what could be called a smile.

"That is excellent news. Is the Lieutenant well enough to be brought here, or must I go to her?" he asked, his expression not fading.

"She's well enough sir, I'll bring them both immediately," said the man, as he left.

"Sergeant Major Tohdoh? That's your Hiromi, I take it?" Minami started, smiling.

"Right," Tohdoh nodded.

"I'm glad my kids aren't the right age yet. I wouldn't be able to take seeing them off to war, even if I had them under my command," said the younger General.

"It's hard seeing anyone as young as them fight, whether they're kin or not," Tohdoh said. He then stared directly at Xuemei. "You look to be around my daughter's age, soldier. I'm don't believe we've met."

"Lieutenant Hu Xuemei, sir. It's humbling to be in the presence of a General so legendary in skill," Xuemei started in a strong voice.

"If only all Lieutenants your age had the fire I see in your eyes, Lieutenant Hu," praised Tohdoh. Xuemei felt proud.

"Xuemei is a prodigy, General. She was abandoned as a child at the palace in the Vermillion City. She's been training to fight for years now. Though she's a Lieutenant and I'm a General, she's a better pilot than I am; her skill is strangely reminiscent of him," Xianglin explained.

"I see. Most impressive," Tohdoh said, smirking again. "I'll be very much excited to see what you can do, Lieutenant Hu."

"Of course, sir," Xuemei replied, readily.

"Hey, General! Look who's back!" a loud, excited voice called from behind Xuemei again. She stepped once more to the side of the door.

"Lieutenant Ohgi, I am so relieved to see you alive. You don't know what relief this will bring your parents," Tohdoh started as the girl entered the room. Her hair was a similar color to Xuemei's own, but the woman had much darker skin, was taller, and much more fuller in figure. She looked more Britannian than Japanese actually.

"Come on, you didn't actually think I was dead, did you, General?" Ohgi challenged, head tilted to the side.

"Hey, Chiharu," Minami waved, seemingly used to the strange personality.

"Oh, General Minami, you're here too?" Ohgi started, looking over at the other. "How's the battle going?"

"Not well. We lost the first round handily. But we've just received four new customs knightmares, so we hope to win the second," said the man, looking down.

"Wow, cool, can I have one?" the girl asked. Xuemei simply couldn't believe the girl's behavior.

"Chiharu, don't you know how to behave in front of three important Generals?" another voice said from behind Xuemei, she let this girl pass too.

"Oh, she's a General too, Hiromi?" Ohgi started looking back at Xianglin.

"General Zhou, Lieutenant. I once fought alongside your father just like these two," the female General introduced herself with a very slight smile.

"Nice to meet you," she said with a nod. She then moved toward Xuemei. "You too… uh…"

"Lieutenant Hu," Xuemei said coldly, not taking the hand that was extended to her.

"Right... well, I'm Chiharu," Lieutenant Ohgi said. Xuemei shook her head. Whereas her opinion of Tohdoh and Minami was high, apparently not all the Japanese military had worth.

"You did a good job in finding her, Hiromi," Tohdoh spoke in a warm voice to the second girl to enter, obviously the aforementioned daughter.

"Yeah, well I knew not to give up on her. She was pretty easy to spot, actually," Sergeant Major Tohdoh addressed her father.

"Right, well must say I am surprised you look so well, Lieutenant. Tell me, how did you survive so much almost unscathed?" asked the General.

"I was saved," said the Lieutenant, looking down and smiling.

"Saved? By who?" asked Tohdoh.

"It was a phantom," said the girl with a soft smirk. "A certain phantom from the past."

"Phantoms? You don't say…" Tohdoh said, curiosity in his eyes.

"Phantom?! You told me it was a warlock, Chiharu?!" the Sergeant Major stammered.

"It can't be both?" the silver-haired girl responded with a snicker.

"I really wonder what you tried to eat in that wilderness…" the girl's friend sighed loudly.

"Nothing strange, just pizza," the Lieutenant responded.

"You're just trying to be strange now!" the Sergeant Major said defiantly.

"Regardless of the details, it's best you contact your parents Lieutenant, they are horribly worried," Tohdoh reminded. The girl nodded.

"Of course," she said with a smile. "But about that new knightmare…"

"We'll see, Lieutenant. We'll see…" the General responded. He seemed somehow serious. Xuemei hoped he wasn't. A girl like that one couldn't be of any use to them.

---

"It's great to have you, Lady Weinberg," said Niles from the seat of his _Agravain_, a giant, heavily armored fortress of a knightmare.

"From what I hear of the initial struggle, you won't need my help so badly," the girl said in a bright voice from her _Viviane_.

"I wouldn't be so quick to say that, Lady Weinberg, there are reports of them getting some pretty heavy reinforcements," said Lady Enneagram, the Knight of Three from her _Lamorak. _

"No matter how many of those boorish worms there are, we'll just crush them. Our machines are simply better," said Lady Winfield, Knight of Six, piloting a _Vincent Ward._

"We can't count on that, Lady Winfield. We much treat this fight as one which we may lose. If we go in there overconfident, we will become sloppy. If we become sloppy, we will fail even if our machines are better," Niles spoke in a strong voice.

"He's right Rowena. I remember in the war twenty years ago, the second we got too confident, they'd come up and surprise us," Lady Enneagram said in an excited voice.

"I know that! Still, we Britannians are superior. Victory is surely on our side," said Lady Winfield with confidence. "We'll ride to victory for our glorious Empress!"

"Calm yourself, Lady Winfield. There's no reason to get so ugly," said Niles, slightly bitter at the woman's words.

"I don't need to be berated by some barbarous convict," the woman scoffed.

"Is it really necessary to say that, Lady Winfield?" asked Lady Weinberg, shaking her head.

"I can say what I want, Knight of Nine. I think highly of your little friend, but the decision to put knaves straight from our prisons onto the Rounds is not something I can condone," Winfield replied with a firm nod.

"Say what you will of that Cross, Rowena, but Lord Moore seems a fine soldier," Lady Enneagram said in a sigh.

"Cross isn't even worthy of mention. Lady Blackwell is a woman of character though, Princess Arienette and I have had some quite engaging conversations with that woman," Winfield conceded what she apparently could. "But this man is a simple murderer; a brute who has somehow got the idea he is something more."

"If you're trying to bait me into a fight, Lady Winfield, give up now. Fighting amongst ourselves will get us nowhere," Niles said in a unfazed voice. "I have no issue with you."

"Yes, let's just focus on the battle," Lady Enneagram insisted.

"Hmmph, if you insist," Winfield huffed.

---

Ava shook slightly as she approached the home she left behind. She hadn't been back since she had claimed the throne. It had only been a number of weeks, but now the manor built by Brighton Ellesmere seemed like something from a past life time. She knocked at the door. The door was promptly answered by Ava's one time personal servant, Padriac Princeton.

"My lady, you've returned…" he spoke in a heavy voice.

"Yes, Padriac. Father has requested a talk with me," Ava said in a sad voice.

"So I have heard," the man said. "Please, come in."

Ava walked in, staring around at the familiar sights. The place had lost its comfort.

"Hello, My Lady. It's good to see you again," said Anne Levine, the head maid, shortly after Ava was inside.

"Yes, Anne, it's good to be back," Ava lied. She was filled with unease by this place and these people.

"Your father is waiting for you in his study," Anne said in a solemn voice.

"I see. I shall not keep him waiting then," Ava said as she walked past Padriac, Anne and the rest of the staff and down a long hall. She stopped at a large door. She knocked as she opened it and stepped inside.

Father was sitting at his desk in the very dimly lit room. He was as thin and pale as usual. He stared down at the table through the thick, dark sunglasses that protected his nearly completely degenerated eyes. A half-depleted small vial of liquid attached to a sort of applicator device rest on that table hidden clumsily under some papers.

"F-father… are you…" Ava started, tears already entering her eyes.

"I know what day it is, Empress," the man replied in a tired voice.

"F-father…" Ava muttered, unable to look at the man. "Please don't… I'm still just… I'm still just your daughter… I'm still just Ava…"

"My Ava wouldn't have chosen such a path to take?" the man asked, a coldness in his voice.

"I'm just doing what I believe in, father," said the girl meekly.

"Then I am disappointed in you, daughter. You've destroyed the world's peace and left it in the hands of chaos. Can you truly call actions so selfish and vile what you believe in?" said father. Ava felt her heart fall.

"I can, father. I believe that it is a price to pay in ridding the world of its lies," said Ava, her usual rhetoric sounding so forced in front of her beloved father.

"My child… I wish now I were stronger," the man said in a very sad voice. "I've fallen, daughter. Without your mother, I've let myself, I've let you down. I understand this… and I am sorry."

"It's not your fault father, it's not…" said Ava shaking her head.

"Even so it is inexcusable. There's no hiding that I am a broken man, living in the past. These six years, I've let you go, my child, while I lost myself in behavior most shameful," the man said. "I've been selfish, Ava, and I can understand no other reason but this selfishness bringing about your actions."

"I can't blame you father. I've had this in mind all that time. You were no part of it," Ava fought, not wanting to hear her poor father blame himself further.

"You strike for vengeance for your mother than? While I took to destroying myself in grief, you take to destroying the world?" said father in a cutting voice.

"You're wrong!" Ava insisted in an emotional voice. "I've said it before, father, I don't think she's gone. She's still out there. I've seen nothing that tells me otherwise," she added, her heart full of pain.

"You don't know how painful those words are, Ava…" the broken man said. "You assault lies yet you continue to refuse the horrible truth yourself."

"What makes you so confident then, father? How can you say with so much certainty that Mother is no more? I was told that no recognizable remains were ever found…" Ava said, the subject tearing her spirt even further to shreds.

"Once long ago, your mother disappeared, and though everyone had lost faith in her survival, I alone remained certain that she would return to us," said father. "This is not the same as that, my daughter. I wish it was, but it is not…"

"How can you say that with confidence? Is there something you're hiding from me, father?" Ava asked with a slight shake.

"Why don't you use that cursed power of yours to find out?" father challenged. Ava grew pale.

"I couldn't, father! I could never use Geass on you… it just wouldn't be… it wouldn't…" Ava cried, feeling so miserable.

"In all of this it is that curse within your eyes which I have the most disdain for," father said. "That you would take that power into your body… it pains me to a degree you could seldom understand."

"Y-yeah… and why's that, father?" Ava asked innocently, feeling very small.

"Geass is your mother's killer, Ava," the man sad simply. Ava froze as she was filled with an incredible misery.

"What do you mean? How can you blame her supposed death on an abstract power?" Ava asked tentatively, though she already understood.

"Geass robbed your mother of her most precious sister. She blamed the chaos it wrought for not just her death but that of many others with whom she was close. She could never forgive it for what it took from her and sought to rid the world of it. It was amidst this quest that she met her end," said father, his voice heavy.

"But I don't see how… it's up to the individual what something like Geass is used for. The power of Geass can't be blamed itself," said Ava in a shaky voice.

"Then you have a fundamental disagreement with your mother," father said directly. "She believed that that power corrupted men, that it was a blight on their hearts that led them on a path of darkness. She wanted that blight to be destroyed."

"I did not know that, father," said Ava looking down, feeling somewhat ashamed.

"Every time you use that power, it is a disrespect to your mother's memory," the man said in a weary voice, looking at the girl.

Ava closed her eyes. She knew this was hard. She knew the truth could be cruel; that was the basis of her power. She didn't know it could feel so painful to learn a part of that truth.

"I'm sorry father, but even knowing that, I cannot turn back now," said Ava earnestly.

"So, you've made your choice then, my daughter…?" the man said in a low voice. "I realize there is nothing I can do to dissuade you… I just pray that you do not forget all that I have told you… that someday you may realize the mistakes you are making"

"F-father…" Ava choked out emotionally.

"The Empress of Britannia must be busy… I'll waste no more of your time," said father.

"I'll visit you again, father… I promise…" Ava said with tears in her eyes. Her father didn't respond. "I love you, father," she began to cry in full. "good bye…"

Father still didn't respond as Ava turned from him, trying to conceal the fact that tears were now streaming endlessly from her eyes. She exited immediately, not stopping to exchange goodbyes with the servants, before leaving the manor altogether.

As she entered her limousine and gave the driver the simple order to "drive" the tears did not stop still. She felt so broken and emotional. Part of her wanted to be comforted, part of her doubted she deserved comfort.

---

It was daybreak over the Chinese Federation's western border. A force of roughly one hundred Britannian knightmares spearheaded by three ninth-generation machines advanced rapidly, as they had since pushing the opposing force back days before. Meanwhile the combined, Japanese led forces, led by two aerial battleships, remained stationary just within the border, regrouping from the heavy losses they had incurred in the initial battle.

"Enemy force approaching, Miss Xianglin," Hu Xuemei said readily to her mentor, flying her new machine, _Tianlong_ back from a scouting mission.

"Understood, Xuemei," the older woman replied flying the knightmare she had chosen for herself, _Shenlong_ forward to meet the other.

These two knightmares were compliments. The _Tianlong _was a swifter machine, lithe and agile. It was pure white in color, with pink complimentary effects and wings, giving it a very beautiful, elegant appearance. It was equipped with a long sword as its primary weapon. The _Shenlong_, contrarily, was slower and bulkier. It was deep red in color though also with pink effects and wings. It's main weapons were two heavy cannons, one held in either hand.

"General Tohdoh, are your forces ready?" Xianglin asked of her fellow General.

"My forces are deploying now," Tohdoh responded, as his _Zangetsu Tensai _flewout from within the battleship _Hitokage. _It was soon followed by two other unique machines.

"Ha ha, now this thing kicks ass," Chiharu Ohgi said excitedly from within one of these machines.

"Don't let yourself get overly excited, Chiharu. After almost dying last time, you should be thankful that father was susceptible to your begging for that thing," said Hiromi Tohdoh from within the other custom machine.

"You can't blame me, Hiromi, _Jinketsu'_s just such a beautiful machine. I can't help but be excited to finally it. Don't you feel the same about _Hokurei?" _Chiharu asked, smilingly.

These two machines were not so clearly a match. _Jinketsu _was a machine colored silver and black. It was mid-weight and fairly balanced in terms of offense, defense, and speed. Its left hand held a massive polearm. _Hokurei _was an entirely different machine. Forest green and yellow in color, it was a more defensively skewed machine, equipped with a heavy shield in its left hand, and a large blaster in its right.

"I've said it before, Chiharu, I'm not like you…" said Hiromi. "I'd actually prefer had Dad given Yasuko _Hokurei_ instead…"

"Sister…" Yasuko whined from the cockpit of her _Akatsuki. _

"You tell her, Yasuko, you can handle yourself without a fancy knightmare," said Chiharu.

"Yeah… " Yasuko said, enamored with the sound of the voice. "Please be careful this time, Miss Chiharu."

"I'll try. Though if I need to step in to save you again, I won't hesitate," said Chiharu coolly.

"I simply won't allow that. Next time it will be me saving you, Miss Chiharu," said Yasuko, in a soft voice.

"Cool! It's great to hear you have my back, Yasuko. I'm counting on you," Chiharu said. The younger girl blushed.

It was then that the first shots were fired. Soon Britannian _Vincents _locked with both Japanese _Akatsuki, _and the latest Federation mass production models, the _Huabing. _

"Prepare for a fight, Britannia," the icy Federation warrior, Xuemei said as she charged readily toward the largest and most imposing Britannian model, the _Agravain_. As it was more than twice the size of _Tianlong, _Xianglin followed her young protege into combat against the Knight of Eleven.

"Which one of you miserable brutes wants to take on I, the great Knight of Six," Rowena Winfield started as she flews into the skirmish with her golden _Vincent Ward._

"If you're so great, maybe I'll give you a shot," said Hiromi, flying before the other and readying her cannon.

"I guess, I'll take you as my opponent, Knight of Three," said Tohdoh, staring down the _Lamorak, _a solid machine with a red and white color scheme, somewhat heavy armor and a Master Vibration Sword in the shape of a gigantic battle axe.

"Suits me, 'Tohdoh of Miracles'," Nonette Enneagram smirked, as she flew forward, launching an upward sweep with her axe.

"So I guess, for the third time, we meet in battle, Goldie," Chiharu snickered as she set her sights on the opponent left for her.

"Is it? I don't recognize your machine..." said the pilot of the _Viviane_, Astrid Weinberg. Finally hearing the pilot's voice, Chiharu was surprised it was that of such a young girl.

"This machine's newer than yours, Britannian. I lost one _Akatsuki _to that red machine the day your Empress took the throne and another to the tiny blue one over the Southern Federation," said Chiharu, excited for this fight.

"I see. If fate has seen our paths cross so many time, may I ask you name, miss?" Astrid started in a soft but intense voice.

"Chiharu. Chiharu Ohgi," Chiharu said with a small laugh.

"I am Astrid Weinberg. It's a pleasure to meet you, Chiharu," said Astrid. "May the one of us with the strongest conviction be victorious." She pulled her short sword out and held it rigidly.

Chiharu readied her spear. "Bring it, Astrid." Their blades soon crossed.

Niles Moore, Knight of Eleven readied his two handheld blasters as the gigantic missile launchers hidden in his shoulders deployed. Soon the two Federation knightmares were being bombarded by heavy fire.

"Knights of the Federation, you will not survive the fury of my _Agravain!" _the older man shouted, the excitement of battle coming back to him as his knightmare remained stationary, deploying weapon after weapon.

"We'll see about that!" Xianglin called back as she launched a very heavy blast from her handheld cannon, a miniature version of the Baryon Cannon at the core of the _Shenhu_ twenty years ago. The blast didn't even break the massive shield generated by the equally massive _Agravain._

As the smoke cleared from the blast, _Tianlong _had appeared in front of _Agravain_. The quick machine began to slash ruthlessly at the dwarfing juggernaut with its sword, but to no avail. Soon, slash harkens were deployed by the _Agravain _to capture Xuemei's machine. _Shenlong _began to assault the massive machine again in hopes of freeing the other. Eventually _Tianlong _did break free in the struggle.

"Xuemei, this time, let's try together," said Xianglin in a heavy voice.

"Yes, Miss Xianglin," Xuemei said with a nod.

At the same time, Rowena's _Vincent Ward_ was flying circles around the more advanced _Hokurei_, launching grenades at it at random intervals. Hiromi did her best to maintain her Radiant wave-surger shield as she tried to find a clear shot. She figured she'd only need one. Rowena, just wouldn't stay still.

Similarly, Nonette wouldn't let up in her assault. Despite the size of her weapon, she swung it around with ease, and the force behind it kept Tohdoh on the constant defensive. _Zangetsu Tensai_ let its machine guns blaze at it deflected _Lamorak'_s axe.

"You live up to your reputation, General. Not many could keep up with a barrage this heavy," Nonette commented with a smirk as she refused to relent.

"And you're every bit the skilled warrior, I've heard you were, Knight of Three," Tohdoh commented, struggling to keep from being overpowered.

The struggle between _Viviane _and _Jinketsu _was perhaps the most intense. _Jinketsu _was able to move it's spear effortlessly at incredible speeds, and made many lunges at the golden frame. _Viviane _was not so easily overpowered though. It deflected each strike with a swipe of sword, as the two young pilots remained evenly matched.

"You're pretty good, Astrid," Chiharu laughed. She was enjoying this. It seemed an evenly matched fight, more similar to her video game than the previous, frightening excursions.

"You're a worthy opponent as well, Chiharu," Astrid said in a quiet voice.

"But I'm going to win this. I've made a promise now, one I have to keep," the Japanese girl started, backing up and spinning her spear slightly before pointing it back at the other.

"There's someone very important counting on me to be victorious as well. I don't intend to let that person down," Astrid replied gravely. She readied her bow hand and suddenly launched a MVS arrow at the _Jinketsu. _Chiharu quickly bat it out of the air with her polearm, then closed the gap.

Soon their blades were clashing at rapid pace once more. Coming off of Chiharu's sword, Astrid launched one of her three slash harkens after the other, creating another gap as the young Lieutenant worked to deflect them in quick succession. She then readied her bow once more and fired from it, this time a powerful explosive. It created a massive cloud of smoke, which was soon followed up by a flash of light from her energy wings that further obscured Chiharu's vision. Before she knew it, the _Viviane _was behind her.

"I have nothing against you, Chiharu, but I mustn't fail," said Astrid as she fired from her bow one more. This time the projectile was something else. This time it would be the same Gefjun Bolts she had used to take out the _Zangetsu Tensai. _Her bow was held rigid as the high velocity bolt flew from it, ready to pierce _Jinketsu's_ defense with ease and bring it to a screeching halt.

But just as the bolt was seconds away from contact, it was stopped in midair. Despite it's incredible speed and miniscule size, the _Jinketsu _had somehow caught it in its hand. It crushed it.

"How-- how are your reflexes so good?" Astrid stammered as she flew forward with her sword, to meet the _Jinketsu _again. By the time she got to it, it was behind her.

"I already told you, I don't plan on losing!" Chiharu shouted, as she stabbed her massive spear straight into _Viviane_'s wing pack. _Viviane, _began to fall rapidly.

"I'm sorry, Ava…" Astrid muttered as she pulled her ejection switch.

"Lady Weinberg losing to a Japanese! How?!" Rowena Winfield stammered as she turned to watch _Viviane _crash into a nearby hill.

"Don't let your guard down if you don't want to die!" Hiromi shouted as her _Hokurei's _giant cannon finally fired, piercing straight through the _Vincent Ward. _

"Curse you!" Rowena screamed as she too ejected. Her machine soon exploding behind her.

"Ladies Weinberg and Winfield have been defeated, Lady Enneagram, and our forces are thinning rapidly in the face of their battleships. Retreat may be our best option now," said Niles, as his shields continued to be tested by the two Federation knightmares.

"If we can take out their Generals, we can still come out on top, Lord Moore. We can't give up yet," Nonette said as she finally got past Tohdoh's defenses, catching _Zangetsu Tensai_'s left arm and cleaving it. She was ready to deliver a more critical follow up, when interference arrived.

"How did you--?" Nonette started. _Jinketsu _was right in front of her, having moved form the sight of its own fight in just seconds.

"Need some help, General?" Chiharu said with a high laugh.

"Lieutenant? How are you...?" Tohdoh started, surprised. Before the girl could even respond, Chiharu had the _Lamorak's _axe suspended above it's head.

"She's all yours, General," chimed Chiharu.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," the man said with a smirk as he let his Seidoutou find it's way into _Lamorak's _middle, prompting a chain reaction. Nonette promptly ejected.

"Looks like you were right, Lord Moore..." she said as she did so.

"Heh, so I'm the last one standing," Niles said, as he was soon flanked by _Tianlong, Shenlong, Zangetsu Tensai, Hokurei,_ and _Jinketsu. _"I know when I'm outmatched."

Soon, _Agravain _began to change. The massive knightmare folded its head forward and its shoulders back, slowly taking the shape of a large bomber plane.

"Shoot him down!" Tohdoh shouted as Niles began to make his mistake. _Shenlong_ and _Hokurei_ let their guns blaze while _Tianlong _and _Jinketsu_ pursued hotly. Chiharu overtook Xuemei quickly and came close to catching up with the _Agravain. _Chiharu's spear would have found a mark had Niles not launched some missiles to distract her.

"Men, scramble and recover my fellow Rounds," Niles commanded to some of the remaining _Vincents _he had nearby. Soon _Agravain's_ powerful engine saw it disappear on the horizon.

"We won today, soldiers. We pushed the enemy back and maintained the border," Tohdoh said, contented.

"Winning feels pretty good doesn't it Chiharu?" asked Hiromi, a wide smile on her face.

"Heh heh, it's awesome; amazing; wonderful... yeah…" Chiharu said, very high and quick, a bizarre level of excitement in her voice.

"Whoa Chiharu you okay?" Hiromi started, finding the sound of her friend's voice peculiar.

"I'm amazing; perfect; never felt better…" Chiharu chirped, not slowing down or taking normal tone of voice.

"Miss Chiharu… you don't sound so normal…" Yasuko, who had managed to best a couple _Vincents_ on her own, said with concern.

"Let's return to the Hitokage," said Hiromi, also concerned.

---

Ava sat in the command room, a dour look on her face. She was face to face with Lord Niles Moore, her Knight of Eleven.

"A loss you say?" she started, the news bringing her mood further down than it had already been.

"Yes, your highness," Moore replied, looking equally displeased. "The enemy was reinforced by a second battleship and four cutting edge custom units, one of which with specs like which I had never seen."

"Hmm… that doesn't make sense… if they were designing four units at once, why would they make one unit so far superior…" Ava pondered aloud, looking down.

"I don't know, Empress. i wonder this myself," Lord Moore said in a low voice.

"Was Astrid recovered?" Ava asked immediately a serious look on her face.

"Aye. And Lady Winfield and Lady Enneagram as well," Moore said. "I double backed with _Agravain _and picked them up. With the stealth technology and using a few of our _Vincents _as decoys_, _I got to them all undetected by the enemy.

"That's wonderful to hear, Lord Moore." Ava smiled. "Is Astrid well?"

"All three suffered only minimal injuries," Moore assure his Empress. "From data I've collected the _Viviane_ and _Lamorak_, though highly damaged, may prove salvageable."

"Good to hear. I'll deploy the transport plane I have stationed nearby to head toward you. See if you can't move them somehow," Ava ordered with a calm nod.

"That may prove difficult with the enemy all around, but I'll do what I must. I won't let either fall into enemy hands," Moore replied with a stony expression.

"You are a true soldier, Knight of Eleven," Ava praised, smirking. Her expression becoming more subdued, she then asked "Could I speak with Astrid?"

"Of course, Empress," the man said before he opened the small cargo hatch behind him, and called Astrid forth. Ava smiled as the girl emerged.

"It does my heart good to see you well, Astrid," Ava said, smiling.

"I'm sorry… I failed you again…" Astrid started at once. There were tears in her eyes. She looked quite distraught.

"Not all battles can be won, Astrid. You fought your hardest for me and you survived. For that, I am pleased," said Ava in a soft, placating voice.

"That's not good enough for me! I want to win, Ava, because I want you to win! I can't fail you anymore! I won't, never…" Astrid cried, looking broken.

"Astrid… you silly girl...I-I…" Ava smiled and shook her head not knowing what to say. "The bright part of this is that, sources indicate that the Japanese put all their effort into reinforcing this front. Mr. Cross might prove enough to tip the scale in the East. Your father's machine is almost refurbished and the ones we are building for Lord and Lady Granville are almost complete as well. This is a minor set back, Astrid. I have not lost this war yet."

These words brought a quiet halt to Astrid's tears. "I want _Viviane_ repaired quickly. I won't be able to handle not joining in."

"I understand, Astrid," Ava said in a soft voice. Just hearing the other girl's voice had done so much to set her spirit at ease.

---

"Okay, Chiharu, time to get out of there…" Sergeant Major Ohgi called up to her friend as Hu Xuemei watched. "You'll be able to get out, ri---"

Before the brunette girl finished her words, the hatch of the _Jinketsu_ had already opened and the other girl had come down with an acrobatic flip.

"Since when can you do stuff like that, Chiharu?" the young Tohdoh stammered, wide eyed. Xuemei was likewise impressed; it was a flip every bit as elegant as she was capable of.

"I don't know; I feel kind of strange; I feel real light; everything seems so fast," Lieutenant Ohgi said rapidly, twitching horrible. There was something even stranger about her than that though.

"Chiharu?! What happened to your eye?!" the girl's friend shouted, looking at it. The Lieutenant's left eye sure enough looked far from normal. It was glowing an ominous red and the pupil seemed strangely triangular.

"My eye? What's wrong with my eye? It feels normal; well, not normal; everything feels lighter; but I feel normal; well not normal; I could use some water." The girl continued to twitch and behave all together bizarre.

Private Yasuko Tohdoh, who stood close by jumped at this. She ran out of the hangar swiftly, and returned just as swiftly with a bottle of water. With concern in her eyes she said, "here you go Miss Chiharu."

The bottle of water immediately crushed as Chiharu's hand closed around it.

"Is everything all right in here?" General Tohdoh appeared on the scene.

"No! Something is totally up with Chiharu… she's become super strong and athletic and she won't stop twitching," Hiromi started, looking scared.

"And she piloted Jinketsu at the absolute maximum of it's potential, according to the specs Rakshata sent us." General Nagisa Tohdoh, the other General's wife, started from behind the group, she was holding some papers. "it shouldn't be possible for a human to maintain these levels for any real duration."

"And her eye…" the male General Tohdoh said staring at it, shocked.

"What is it father?! Have you seen it before?!" Private Tohdoh demanded, looking upset.

"Was your phantom a woman with green hair, Chiharu?" asked the lead General.

"There might have been someone fitting that description," the Lieutenant said in a single chirp.

"You fool, taking something like this into your body…" the man growled, looking dismayed.

"Kyoshiro, it's not.. it's not what he had, is it?" his wife asked, blinking.

"I recognize the shape from the reports…" said Tohdoh.

"You can't just turn it off, can you, Chiharu?" asked, the Sergeant Major, staring her friend over.

"I don't know; haven't tried," Chiharu said readily. She closed her eyes briefly then opened them. Suddenly they looked normal.

"There! That's better, it looks normal now, Miss Chiharu!" the Private said, looking relieved.

"Whoa… yeah… it feels more normal now… that was easy…" said the Lieutenant, smiling.

"What is this? I don't understand. Do you know something, father?" the young Private started, still concerned.

"What happened, Lieutenant?" asked the head General, with a slight nod.

"I was fighting that girl. She was gonna beat me, and then it just sort of activated. I was suddenly able to react a lot quicker… push the controls harder… it was like my brain was giving me full access to everything my body is capable of," the girl said, looking to be in thought. With a smile she then said. "It was like I was in Hyper Mode!"

"There's a Federation base not far from here. I'll see about getting you some sort of doctor to analyze it," said the eldest Tohdoh, looking troubled

"Cool… now, I thing I need to crash…" Lieutenant Ohgi said, her eyes flickering as she yawned. "I'm getting really… really tired..."

The girl suddenly collapsed after that. Sergeant Major Tohdoh caught her before she hit the ground, but it was immediately apparent that she was fast asleep.

"Someone really needs to look at her…" the Sergeant Major said while holding her friend.

"Do you know what this is, father?" the Private asked again, looking at the man.

"A manifestation of the power known as Geass," Nagisa Tohdoh said in a dark voice. Everyone's eyes, even Xuemei's went wide. That was the Empress' power.

"But it's completely different from the Britan--" the Sergeant Major started.

"And the Britannian Empress' was completely different from Zero's," said the head General looking at the girl.

"Lieutenant Ohgi is this girl's name…" Xuemei spoke as she decided to walk forward, looking down at the girl.

"Y-yeah…" the Private said hesitantly, looking as if she were afraid.

"If what you say is true, she has taken on a heavy burden," Xuemei said, walking to the other side of the sleeping girl. "I never would have imagined it on my first impression of her, but this girl now has my full respect."

"Well, that's _good_ to hear," the Sergeant Major said in a highly sarcastic tone, scowling childishly at Xuemei. Xuemei ignored this.

A/N: An interesting chapter. I suppose Chiharu's Geass was the most notable part. You don't know how hard it was to decide on her ability. I was still debating what her power should be just days ago. I knew I wanted it to be something that would aid her in combat, but it was hard to find something that worked for her character. I decided in the end that what r was better for our slacker than a power that forced her to exert herself at her limits. It will be better explained next chapter, but in case you're concerned that this doesn't seem like a Geass power, it's still about her mental state. In short her power, removes mental blocks on brain and muscle usage allowing herself to act and think more quickly, as well as augmenting her strength.

Aside from the Geass thing, we have a bunch of new knightmare introductions, _Agravain _is a particular favorite of mine. A few characters introduced as well. Princess Arienette had been mentioned priorly a couple times, but made her first appearance here; she's impressed by Richter and has never heard of Pizza Hut; that's about all you need to know of her character. More interesting is Xuemei, our mysterious, elegant Chinese warrior girl. With her name, and all other Chinese names, I have to give a big thanks to Rabukurafuto; he assisted me in coming up with them. So this was an important fight; had to show that this is a two sided war now. Speaking of sides, I'm quite pleased in my reviews to see you all splintering off into sides in a fashion reminiscent of Death Note; we have those who like Ava and those who don't. I'm glad, but I'll chose to remain always neutral. I'm rooting for them all (except the bitches like Richter and Rowena).

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Arienette mi Britannia

Hu Xuemei

Battleship Hikyuu

Agravain

Lamorak

Tianlong

Shenlong

Huabing

Jinketsu

Hokurei


	11. Turn 10: From the Shadows

A/N: Tenth chapter already. That's pretty good, but I have many still to go. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Xuemei: "Crayninjapenguin does not own Code Geass, its elements or characters. He does own the original elements and characters within this story."

Chiharu wore a weary look on her face as she walked down the halls of the Federation military base. What she had just heard from the doctor replayed in her head as she stared blankly forward. The hermit warlock she had encountered in that isolated wilderness had certainly put a heavy burden on her.

Her Geass was fairly simple really. It sent various impulses to parts of her brain that raised the limits of what she was capable. One of these impulses worked on her brain, allowing more of it to be used; this led to quicker thinking and heightened awareness. Another of these impulses worked much like an adrenaline trigger, sending her muscles the signal to use more of their capacity; this is what amplified her strength and speed.

It was pretty cool in a lot of ways. Chiharu played a lot of video games, and always thought it'd be cool to have something like the powers seen within them. Of course in real life, such powers had to have draw backs. As it turns out, Geass was a two-edged sword.

Chiharu's Geass didn't completely remove her body's natural limits; or if it did, Chiharu even in her Geass state knew better than to push herself to her breaking point. Still, even with her abilities just augmented, the Geass put a very heavy strain on her. Using it for a matter of seconds was enough to wear her out. If she used it for prolonged time, as she had in the fight with that knight, Astrid Weinberg, she would inevitably faint on the spot only moments after.

But exhaustion was not the only thing she had to worry about. Having her muscles forced past their limits for any length of time, led to some pain. The longer that time, the more severe. As the heart is a muscle, and it's rate was not unaffected by the mental pulse, the doctor had speculated that if Chiharu were to remain in her Geass state for over fifteen minutes the probability of severe, likely fatal damage occurring to her was almost certain. Luckily for Chiharu, canceling her Geass had the benefit of immediately restoring her body to a very stable state.

Her Geass was certainly a tricky power. She decided it was best used in short bursts. Using it too long would either kill her or cause her to faint, depending on how long it was. It was a power intended to give her what she needed to get out of the difficult situations, and maybe strike a few finishing blows. It wasn't for awesomely wiping out entire enemy forces, or even challenging three high-powered enemy knightmares one after the other, as she had done in the previous battle.

Chiharu had a lot to think about, so it was surprising she noticed anything, but as she passed a young soldier of the Chinese Federation, she did notice something strange. Right outside this young man's left pants pocket, she caught the brief glimmer of something, she couldn't tell what, floating peculiarly then disappearing as if it weren't there.

She didn't know why she decided to make anything of it. Most people would have convinced themselves it was nothing and moved on, but something compelled her not to. As soon as the young soldier, who looked to be in a hurry, was no longer on scene, Chiharu made her move, grabbing for the general area where the brief shimmer had been.

To her surprise, her hand caught on something. There was definitely something there. She soon felt a very light air push against her, and the sound of swift footsteps could be heard. Beyond curious now, Chiharu let her Geass activate. She sprint forward at high speed thrusting herself in the direction of the sound of the mysterious footsteps, before quickly deactivating her Geass. She half expected there to be nothing there; that she'd come crashing down to the floor like a fool. This latter part in essence came true, but the former proved false. As her hands and knees met the floor, she found confirmation that there was indeed something there.

There, pinned to the floor beneath her, staring up into her eyes, was a woman who hadn't been anywhere in sight previously. She was beautiful but rather strange looking. Chiharu guessed she was from the EU or Britannia. She looked to be in her mid-twenties. She had very long turquoise hair, a very full, adult figure and was dressed in a very long red coat. She wore an amused smirk as she stared into Chiharu's eyes.

"It's been a long time since I've been pinned to the floor by such a cute girl," the woman said in a very smooth voice as one of her hands went to Chiharu's cheek. "But I guess I don't mind, if you're so eager…" she purred as she began to raise her head, mouth first straight toward Chiharu's lips. Chiharu quickly pulled off of her immediately.

"Who are you?! How did you do that before?!" Chiharu demanded, looking around the hall to see if anyone else was around. The footsteps of a small group could be heard approaching.

"Why don't we go somewhere more… private…?" the woman said in a heavy, seductive voice. "Then I may tell you everything…"

Chiharu's curiosity blinded her. She said at once, "fine!" before grabbing the woman by the collar, and forcing her into a nearby unoccupied storeroom. She shut and locked the door behind them.

"Now tell me, how did you make yourself invisible like that?" Chiharu demanded once more.

"How about you, how did you make yourself move so fast?" the woman countered in a playful voice.

"Answer my question first!" Chiharu said in a raised voice.

"That seems like a hassle. Questions with the same answer should be answered at the same time…" the woman said with a small laugh.

"Same answer…" Chiharu looked down for a moment. "Y-you don't mean that's Geass too?!"

"First I hear the Britannian Emperor speak that name before the world, now I come face to face with another holding the King's Power. This truly is a miraculous world we live in," said the woman, walking in a circle around the other. "You really are special, girl, you know that?"

"I realize it. I've taken a serious burden. A lot of people will be counting on me," said Chiharu, looking serious.

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant," the woman shook her head. "I was talking about how totally sexy you are. Aren't many on your level."

"S-stop. Cant we have a serious conversation?!" Chiharu demanded, frustrated.

"Cute... You look like a fairly cool-tempered girl, yet I've got you all bothered," the woman snickered. Chiharu glared at her. "Fine, ask what you will…"

"What are you doing here? No, what did you take from that soldier? How did you get that Geass? Better yet, who in the world are you?" Chiharu articulated all the questions on her mind at once.

"What's your name, kid?" asked the woman, smirking.

Chiharu glared again. She thought to contest the woman's game, but decided it might be best to just play along. She said, "Lieutenant Chiharu Ohgi."

"Seriously?!" the woman started, looking Chiharu up and down.

"Yeah…" Chiharu said shaking her head.

"Chiharu's a cute name," she said. "But you don't look Japanese at all. I'm surprised!"

"My mother's Britannian..." Chiharu said, irritated.

"I see! That explains it. What a wonderful combination to have created a girl of such exotic beauty…" said the woman with excitement.

"So what do I call you?" Chiharu asked, giving the other a serious stare.

"Let's see…." the woman said, putting finger to her chin and looking up slightly. "How about, Megami. Megami Subarashii."

"No! What's your actual name?!" Chiharu challenged, shaking her head. To say nothing of the name itself, this woman was clearly not in any way Japanese.

"Don't have one," the woman shrugged.

"What do you mean you don't have a name?" said Chiharu in disbelief.

"There have been many names that have been given to me in the past, but none of them suit me anymore. I've distance myself from them and the lives they represent," said the woman with a carefree laugh. "You're actually the first person who's asked me for a name in this current life of mine."

"Fine, Megami… tell me, what are you doing here? Who do you work for?" asked Chiharu sternly.

"I'm a simple everyday thief. I'm just here to take what I will. Military stuff can sell for pretty good prices on the street, you know," said Megami, a smile on her face.

"Stealing's a rather despicable crime, don't you think?" Chiharu continued to glare.

"Eh, a girl on her own has to sustain herself somehow, kid," Megami shrugged.

"You really have no loyalties to any one… any nation…" Chiharu asked, head tilted to a side.

"Nope, loyalty's a fool's game. Anyone I've ever trusted has betrayed me in the end. I've decided to make my own way in the world," Megami said with a soft nod.

"So what did you steal from that man back there?" Chiharu moved on to her next question.

"A knightmare key. Knightmare's sell better than anything else. I'm one of the few good enough at taking to get one," the woman said with a high laugh.

"Knightmares?! You steal knightmare frames?! How?!" Chiharu shouted, eyes wide.

"Patience. Lots and lots of patience, kid," the woman replied. "Unless they got the weapons, then you just make a lot of stuff blow up."

"As a member of the military, you realize I can't just let something like that slide," Chiharu said, shaking her head.

"Try what you will girl; no one will see me," said Megami snickering.

"You're an awful low person, aren't you?" Chiharu said, looking down.

"That hurts considering how much I like you," replied Megami smilingly.

"Now, for my last question, how did you get that Geass?" Chiharu said pointedly.

"Let's save that one for a later date, kid. Talking to you has put me in a good mood. I don't want to kill that," replied Megami, a soft sadness briefly glistening in her fire red eyes.

"Chiharu!" A call suddenly could be heard outside the door. It was Hiromi's voice. Chiharu went to open the door at once.

"Yeah, I'm here." Chiharu started. "What's up?"

"Father wants to speak with you, Chiharu! There's some big stuff going down back on the home-front…" Hiromi replied, looking slightly winded.

"Right, let's go…" Chiharu started as she exited. She turned around as she did. The room behind her, unsurprisingly, was empty.

---

Astrid sighed as she stared up at the ceiling of her room, lying atop her bed. She was depressed; disappointed in herself. She had failed Ava yet again, even when she had sworn not to. She knew it wasn't her fault. The machine piloted by that woman, Chiharu Ohgi, was just beyond what her and Viviane could handle. Chiharu had undoubtedly been graced with this same depression twice now, if what she had said were true and she had really been defeated by both Lady Blackwell and Mr. Cross now.

The brief talk with Chiharu Ohgi had been a valuable reminder for Astrid, she supposed. Everyone fighting in this war had their own motivations, desires. She wasn't alone in her desperation to win. No one wanted to lose. That was the truth of what this war was.

"Lady Wei-- eh, I mean Astrid, your mother told me to bring you your dinner," a voice sounded at Astrid's door. She recognized it as that of the new servant girl, Amy Glen.

"Okay, come in," Astrid said, standing up, and moving to a large desk. The girl entered the room, holding a small trey of food. It held two slices of pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut. Though, her family had access to world class chefs, this had always been Astrid's favorite. She smiled as the girl set it down before her, along with a glass of unsweetened ice tea.

"Thanks, Amy," Astrid said, smiling at the girl.

"You're welcome, Astrid," Amy replied, smiling back as she turned around to leave.

"Wait, Amy," Astrid called out before the girl reached the door.

"Yes, Astrid?" the maid asked, head tilted as she turned back to face her young mistress.

"Would you please sit down? We haven't had a very good chance to get to know each other since I was deployed so readily after you came here," said the blonde, thinking a pleasant chat may help her mood.

"If that's what you want, Astrid," said the other, taking a seat.

"Here, I don't think I can eat two," Astrid said, holding out one of the pizza slices.

"No, Astrid, I don't think that would be appropriate," Amy said, shaking her head.

"No, I insist. It's not like I'm offering you anything luxurious. It's Pizza Hut. I'm pretty sure mom gives what I don't eat to the servants anyway," Astrid argued with a short nod.

"A-alright then…" Amy acquiesced as she took the slice of pizza. She bit into it. "It's pretty good."

"Yeah, isn't it?" Astrid smiled as she began to eat herself. "You know, me and Ava actually know the son of the guy who runs Pizza Hut."

"Really? That's pretty impressive," Amy commented between bites.

"He's pretty cool, I guess… but I don't think he likes me… he kind of looks down at me or something…" Astrid said, looking down, then taking a sip of her tea. "Ava appointed him as an advisor recently… I guess that makes sense because he's so smart and stuff… but there's just something… I don't know…"

"You don't trust him?" presumed Amy.

"I guess not… " Astrid said, looking down. Looking up at Amy she then smiled, "But enough about that, I'm curious about you, Amy. Tell me about yourself."

"Oh, there's really not much to say, Astrid. I'm a simple 19-year-old maid, working to help support her sick mother," said Amy, shaking her head.

"Where is your mother currently?" asked Astrid in a soft, serious voice.

"With my father, of course," said Amy.

"Oh? What's your father do? If you have to leave them for work it must be…" Astrid trailed off, becoming sad.

"He's an orange farmer in the far west... It's hard to make any money in agriculture these days…you know..." Amy said, a slight sorrow entering her eyes as well.

"I see. It must be difficult…" said Astrid in a heavy voice. "So why'd you decide to become a maid and come all the way out here of all things?"

"My mother worked as a maid before she met my father. I guess it's because of her I decided on it. And… well… out west there aren't as many nobles… and the ones there are, don't pay as much…." Amy admitted, seeming to believe it was shameful.

"It's okay, Amy. I think what you're doing is selfless. Amazing really," Astrid replied with a smile. "Knight of the Rounds or whatever, people like you are the real amazing ones."

"Y-you're words are beyond flattering, Astrid," Amy said looking terribly flustered.

"So, Amy, do you have any siblings?" Astrid next asked, tilting her head.

"I have something of a sister, but she's not related by blood and significantly older than me," Amy said, smiling fondly.

"I see. And what does she do?" asked Astrid, curiously.

"She helps my father out with the farm. She has since he took her as his charge, twenty years ago," said Amy in a level tone.

"I see. That's nice. I'd rather like to meet your family someday, Amy," Astrid said with a quick nod.

"Thank you, Astrid. That means a lot to me," the other girl replied.

"What about you, Amy? Is there anything you want to know about me?" asked Astrid, still smiling.

"Well, there is something… but I'm not sure it'd be appropriate to ask…" Amy said, looking down.

"Please, ask me anything, Amy. I won't hold it against you. That's a promise." Astrid said resolutely.

"Umm… well… I've kind of been wondering… why someone so kind and sweet would become a knight…" Amy said shakily. Astrid smiled at her comfortingly.

"Have you ever had someone really special to you, Amy, someone you'd give anything to protect…?" Astrid asked, in a very soft voice.

"You mean like love?" Amy said, blushing slightly.

"M-maybe… you could call it that…." Astrid said very meekly, blushing profusely. If she let the truth slip, Amy may think her weird and not want to be friends any more.

"I can't say I have. I spent most of my life with just my family on the farm. I haven't known many boys," Amy said, blushing. "I guess that must seem pretty uncool to you, being my age and never having had feelings for someone."

"No, not at all, Amy. I understand perfectly," said Astrid. "But for me, there is someone like that, and it was for their sake that I learned to fight."

"Well that's something different," Amy said with a playful smirk. "In the old fairy tales, you don't usually see the girl picking up the sword to protect her prince."

Astrid gave an uncomfortable laugh. "Y-yeah. I know I'm pretty strange…"

"But that's admirable. You're strong Astrid. It's really amazing actually," Amy smiled brightly.

"Thank you," Astrid replied. She wondered if it was true. Was she really someone amazing? Words like "prodigy" and "successor to greatness" had been attached to her name the last six yeas. She wondered how well they fit her. She didn't really care. All she wanted was to see the one she cared for smile.

---

"Alright, we're here, father!" started Hiromi as her and Chiharu arrived in a large knightmare hangar where a number of higher ups were gathered. Aside from both General Tohdoh and his wife, Minami and Zhou, Chiharu noticed a woman who had always been highly famed within the Black Knights: the head of research and development, Rakshata Chawla. Also there was that cold Federation girl, Xuemei, Yasuko, and a few soldiers of suitable rank.

"Good, Hiromi," Hiromi's mom spoke. "Since the two of you are custom unit pilots, this is of upmost concern to you,"

"What's happened?" Chiharu asked coolly.

"The western front has flared back up," said Minami, his voice heavy.

"What?! Already? Britannia shouldn't have the manpower to mount a strike already… Besides, Hiromi mentioned the East…." Chiharu said, none of it making sense to her.

"The East doesn't look good either. General Kozuki's Guren was almost completely destroyed in a fierce battle with four Rounds piloting custom units. We're almost completely relying on the Federation's Aerial Destroyer _Huoyun_ to keep the front from crumbling now," said Hiromi's dad in a strict voice.

"Wait, but what about the West? I still don't see how--" Chiharu started. She was cut off.

"You are right Lieutenant Ohgi, Britannia doesn't have the manpower to reengage so readily on the western front. The forces we are meeting there aren't Britannians," General Zhou said in deep voice.

"What do you mean, they aren't Britannians? Who else could they be?" The outburst was from Hiromi this time, who apparently wasn't so far ahead of her as Chiharu thought.

"Without reason or warning, the EU has decided to be our enemy," said Rakshata in a surprisingly easy voice.

"What?! But that's impossible. They have every reason to be on our side!" Hiromi shouted, furious.

"But the simple fact is that they aren't. When the Black Knights existed, the same men and machines flew at our side, but now we must fly against them. It's as simple as that," Xuemei spoke in a lo voice.

"But some of us need to assist in the East, I would assume," Chiharu said with a very slight smirk.

"You're quite correct, Lieutenant," said Zhou.

"Lieutenant Ohgi and I should go. Our machines are swifter. We could make the best time," said Xuemei with a light nod.

"Tch! I'm going too, They have four customs! You can't take that on with just three!" Hiromi challenged.

"Perhaps it'd be better if me or General Tohdoh went instead of leaving it entirely up to you kids," General Zhou suggested in a logical voice.

"The fight on this end is against an entire EU fleet rather than a depleted Britannian one. Those with commanding experience would better serve here, Miss Xianglin," Xuemei said with equal logic.

"She may prove right on that account, General. I say we can leave this to these three," said Hiromi's dad, looking squarely at Chiharu.

"Then we shouldn't waste any time. Let's get our knightmares in gear and get there as quick as we can!" Hiromi said, excitedly.

"Wait a minute, before that, I'd like a word," Rakshata started as the three were turning to leave.

"Yeah?" Chiharu asked, looking at the famed scientist.

"I's a great pleasure to meet the three of you, I just want you all to know that," the older woman said with a deep smile.

"Is that all you have to say?" Xuemei started, staring Rakshata peculiarly.

"I just want you to know that it is my most precious children with which you have been entrusted. Please take good care of them," the woman said with a high laugh.

"Will do, ma'am," Hiromi said sternly. Xuemei gave a reluctant nod and Chiharu a more enthusiastic one.

"It's great to meet you too, Miss Chawla. _Jinketsu_ is incredible," said Chiharu, her immense curiosity when it came to knightmare kicking in. "Do you have any other cool Knightmares in construction?"

"There's an experimental machine, _Onryou,_ in the other hangar that's all but ready. That idiot test pilot lost the key to it on his way here today though…" Rakshata growled. Chiharu threw some curses around inside her brain. She hoped the war wouldn't be lost due to the actions of a selfish thief.

"Right, well, we should really get moving," started Hiromi.

"Yeah," said Chiharu as she turned around.

"I guess I won't be there to get your back this time. Please be careful, Miss Chiharu," said Yasuko in a sweet voice. Chiharu turned back and smiled at her.

"Will do, little Yasuko. You be careful too," said Chiharu with a friendly wink.

"Thank you…" said Yasuko with a cute blush.

---

The woman sat in her assigned chair at the large round table in the very dimly lit room. Things were made even darker by the mask she wore; a pink version of the helmet made famous by Zero. Different colored versions of the same mask were worn by the individuals sitting in the seven other filled chairs.

"So, shall we start? This will be the first meeting we've had," the man in the orange mask started. The pink girl smiled at the sound of his familiar voice under.

"Yes," the man in the brown mask started in a gruff, masculine voice. "But first I want to be clear on this? Why the anonymity? Why a meeting like this?"

"Absolution by meaning is the release from guilt, obligation, punishment, or sin. Zero, despite that he has done for us all has been deemed guilty of sin. Our mission thusly is to Absolve him, Brown, not merely the man Suzaku Kururugi, or the man Lelouch vi Britannia, but the very idea of Zero from this guilt, from his sin and reclaim his world from the grasp of darkness and villainy. As such, we proudly take up his mantle," Orange replied with conviction.

"Yeah, we all remember what we were told when we were recruited, Orange, but I agree with Brown here. I still don't see why we have to wear our masks when we meet in private," said the man in the yellow mask, his voice deliberate.

"The Empress has claimed lies as her enemy. We are her enemy, thus we are lies," said the woman in the white Zero mask simply, her voice equally familiar to Pink. "Our organization hinges on secrecy. All of us will only know who recruited us. It both protects us and ensures that the philosophy we stand for persists through all."

"Very well, but I don't see what tells me I should trust the lot of you when I don't even know your faces," Brown commented in a growl.

"You can't Brown. That is the very strength of Absolution. Trust between men does not exist, only faith, loyalty in an ideal. We are all dissenters to the Empress' will. We act against that will. That is a greater bond then any names and faces could provide," said Orange in a strong voice.

"Yes. Now then, some of us did not come here to argue philosophies, my sirs. I wish to know what actions have been taken thus far in our brief existence," the man in the silver mask said in a cold voice.

"Pink," Orange prompted.

Pink spoke in a strong voice, "We have deployed a total of eight highly trained field agents of Absolution to survey those close to the Empress, including the girl's father, the Knights of One and Nine, the Knight of Three, the Knight of Five, the three Rounds she took from the city prison, the young man she appointed as an advisor, and the scientist, Wilde."

"Right, but what will that accomplish? Surveying those close to her? Isn't that just stalling for time?" asked the man in the green mask, his voice fairly young sounding.

"It's necessary. Sources indicate that the Empress allows the entry of no one into the Castle whom she has never met without a rigorous interrogation with her Geass. We can get any closer than this. We must remain content with what data we can gather this way while we wait for an opportunity to present itself," White said in a very straight forward voice, nodding her head.

"I assume by opportunity, you mean for an assassination attempt," said Brown with a very short laugh.

"That seems to be the swiftest action for us to take, though it is risky. It is highly likely that even when the proper opportunity presents itself, despite their skills, our agents will still fail. We must thus continue to expand our power by recruiting more agents and Masks," said Orange in a stern voice, looking down.

"How do we know where to look?" asked Green.

"Agents should be young men and women of outstanding work ethic, disposed against the Empress and willing to engage in a rigorous training schedule that will test the very limits of their bodies and minds. Masks on the other hand will be people we know, people deemed by one of us a person of character enough to sit at this table and wear the mask," Pink answered the question readily.

"Isn't that dangerous? What if we don't know this person as well as we think?" asked Yellow, tactfully.

"Isn't that obvious, Yellow? We have these masks, thus, even if a traitor is allowed in our midst, we are faced with no danger personally," said Brown, thinking it through.

"True, but it could still prove dangerous to our plans. That's why we must exercise careful judgement," said White sternly.

"I'm curious as to our future plans. What happens when our agents make their move, and like you say they fail, the Empress gets ahold of them and gets details on us. Where does Absolution move from there?" asked Silver in a cold voice.

"War, Silver. That's where it takes us," said Orange simply.

"But that's crazy?! We haven't the resources for war," said Green in a shaky voice.

"We will if we acquire the right Masks. I plan to approach an influential couple. If I can persuade them, I'm confident weapon designs will prove hardly an issue," the woman in the blue mask spoke in a somewhat soft voice.

"Weapons? You mean Knightmares?" asked Yellow.

"Of course. They're something of a specialty of mine, and if I can claim this other Mask, I'm confident we'll have knightmares on the same level as anything Lloyd and that man can make," said Blue in a somewhat easy voice.

"Hmm… it's interesting not knowing the expertise of your comrades…." said Brown.

"On another matter, does Absolution have plans to secure Prince Schneizel and Suzaku Kururugi?" asked Silver in a curious voice.

"Kururugi could perhaps be of use to us. I see not why the Prince would be considered though. His sins are not worthy of Absolution," said Orange in a dark voice.

"I suppose not," Silver said, dissatisfaction in his voice.

"Right, so do we all understand the organization, how it operates, it's goals and what we should be doing?" Pink asked in a steady voice.

"Yes," Green, Silver, Blue, Brown and Yellow responded in unison. Orange and White simply nodded.

"Very well then. This meeting is hereby adjourned," said Orange in a forceful voice.

The lights then shut off completely. Everyone stood to leave at once and moved to each find a separate exit to the world outside.

---

Chiharu wore a driven expression as she flew _Jinketsu _straight east, _Tianlong _and _Hokurei _right beside her. They'd be flying over her homeland of Japan shortly, and just after that they'd meet up with their comrades and reengage in battle. She was prepared to use her Geass to claim victory once more.

"We'll be there shortly. You guys ready for this?" asked Hiromi in an intense voice.

"Worry about stilling your own nerves, Sergeant Major. You are the weak link in this group," Xuemei said in a cold voice.

"Heh, you're real friendly, aren't you?" Hiromi said with her typical sarcasm.

"I am not here to make friends, soldier, but to complete the mission given to me," said Xuemei in a low voice.

Hiromi growled before switching off her communication channel. Xuemei's soon went off as well, as Chiharu was left in silence. This lasted only a few moments. Very shortly she received a private feed from an unexpected source.

"Hi there, kid!" an enthusiastic voice called in through the audio channel. The monitor screen however was strangely blank.

"You! What's going on?! Where are you?!" Chiharu replied, recognizing the voice at once.

"I'm right behind you," "Megami Subarashii" replied in a playful whisper.

"Since when?!" Chiharu demanded.

"Oh, I caught up about an hour ago. This brand new experimental knightmare I stole is pretty fast," the woman replied excitably.

"Return that! It's an important item to the Japanese military!" Chiharu shouted, shaking her head.

"Nope. It's mine now," Megami chimed.

"Why are you even here?! You don't care about our cause; why follow us?" asked Chiharu angrily.

"Come now, kid. Fate drew us, two girls endued with the Power of the King, together. Now I can't help but be curious about you," said Megami in an exuberant fashion.

"Try not to get in our way…" Chiharu sighed.

"I wont. I'm a pretty good pilot in my own right. Besides, this things weapons are top notch. The hole I blew in the wall of that base was pretty nice," Megami said with a cute laugh.

"You--!" Chiharu scowled.

"You're so cute. With those other people you're so laid back and cool, but with me on the other hand…" Megami gave another giggle.

"S-shut up…" the silver-haired girl stammered.

"So, is that 'Please be careful, Miss Chiharu…' girl, your girlfriend?" Megami asked, mimicking Yasuko's soft voice.

"Y-you were there?!" the girl asked with surprise.

"Of course," Megami said nodding. "So, is 'little Yasuko' your lover?"

"No! She's just a friend, you freak. She's my best friend's little sister," Chiharu said adamantly.

"I see. Then that best friend of yours, is she your secret lover?" asked Megami teasingly.

"No! No! I do not have a lover!" Chiharu insisted with finality.

"Oh, so you're single. That's great news..." Megami purred in a highly sexualized fashion. Chiharu gave a long sigh.

"Have you ever stopped and considered the idea that maybe I'm not a lesbian?" Chiharu muttered.

"But that's impossible. Straight girls don't go into the military," commented Megami in a light voice.

"How can you say something like that?" asked Chiharu, outraged.

"So, I guess you like to sleep around with guys then…" Megami said in a defeated voice.

"I do not! Now you're purposely defaming my character," Chiharu was in disbelief.

"Well if you're not into girls and you don't have a steady lover, isn't that what it'd have to be for a girl who looks like you?" Megami said with a teasing tone. "Unless of course you're some cute innocent virgin who hasn't ever seen romance with anyone, and doesn't even know what she likes or doesn't."

"Would you please shut up? This is a painfully serious mission I'm flying and I can't afford you messing things up," Chiharu said averting her eyes and blushing.

"Bingo! You have the body of a sexy woman, but you're still a little girl at heart, aren't you, kid?" Megami giggled. Chiharu growled.

"I'm shutting this channel off," she said, before doing just that.

She was now flustered and confused, but somehow more eager for the battle. She didn't have to wait much longer.

---

"All right! Let's fucking do this! We'll bring that big ship down just like we took down that fancy knightmare!" the nefarious Ulric Cross shouted out his ribaldry, as he flew his _Dagonet _around, taking out many enemy machines. Callista honestly didn't care very much for this man; he was loud and uncouth. She did have a great respect for his strength and ferocity, however. They weren't able to defeat the infamous _Guren _until he had arrived on the scene.

"Right, Cross! Aerial Destroyer _Huoyun_ is the only obstacle that still stands between us and Japan! We must send it burning into the ocean below!" called the equally ferocious warrior, Hildegarde Waldstein from the sat of her _Galahad _Renascence, a model based on reworked designs of the machine made famous by the girl's father.

"Reinforcements are likely on their way you two. We can't count on anything. We must approach this with tact," said Damian Marsh, a knight in the truest sense of the word, as he flew his own custom machine, _Constantine_, steady. "Besides, _Huoyun_ in itself is a formidable adversary."

"Fuck that! Who cares if they get reinforcements?! I'll just cut through those as well!" called Cross with strength in his voice.

"Do not speak like that to Lord Marsh, Mr Cross!" Waldstein fumed, passion in her eyes.

"Pfft! I can say whatever the hell I want, bitch!" countered the boorish street-fighter.

"Are you challenging me to a duel, Knight of Twelve?!" growled Waldstein, intensity in her voice.

"Let's not fight one another, children," said Callista, taking her motherly voice. "Save our swords for running though our enemies and collecting their blood," she then said, taking her less than motherly voice.

"Let's stop this banter entirely," Marsh said coolly. "We must focus our efforts on the enemy destroyer."

"Yes, let's focus everyone. This battle isn't won yet," Claudio Darlton spoke from his _Vincent Ward_. "In the last transmissions form home, we received word that we suffered defeat on the West front. The enemy has new models and I'd anticipate encountering them here shortly."

"Bring it on! I like a challenging fight!" said Cross eagerly.

"Yes," Waldstein said in accord. She and the other four Rounds were soon charging straight at the massive Destroyer.

Justas they were about to make contact with the side of the ship, a powerful red blast shot from an upward angle through the sky, hitting Callista's _Morganna _dead on, luckily to be dispersed by the machines shields. Callista looked up. Three unique looking knightmares were sweeping down at them. Marsh and Darlton were right, this battle was far from over.

---

The air was warm over the pacific ocean, just east of the nation of Japan. The massive Chinese Federation Aerial Destroyer, _Huoyun_ maintained its position in the air, though smoke was billowing out from it at several locations. It wouldn't last much longer. Three customs knightmares were now visible in the air above it, giving it support.

"General Hong, we're the backup sent by General Tohdoh, here to help you out!" Sergeant Major Hiromi Tohdoh made contact to the old commander in charge of the hulking air ship.

"You don't know how good it is to see you, girl. We're in desperate need of a hand," the old Federation General replied in a gruff voice. "Those four custom units heading this way are what's causing the majority of the damage here."

"Got it!" Hiromi called back as she observed the five machines piloted by Knights of the Round; the one non-custom machine veered off to engage an _Akatsuki._ "I see one I want to get a little revenge on!" she called as her eyes went to the _Morganna_, the first machine to defeat her. She fired her radiant wave cannon straight at it. The shields softened the blow, but it got the Rounds' attention.

"Didn't you think I might want that one?" Chiharu said with a halfcocked smile.

"I figured the little one would be fresher in your mind," Hiromi laughed.

"Heh, I suppose you're right, Hiromi. I definitely want a piece of that guy," Chiharu said nodding.

"War is not about revenge you, naive fools. Don't make it personal, just fight," Lieutenant Hu Xuemei said in a low, cold voice as she flew straight for the knightmare _Constantine._

"Let's go, Hiromi," said Chiharu, putting _Jinketsu _into a swift dive toward the _Dagonet _with her spear held high. To her dismay, _Galahad Renascence _met her sword with a number of slash harkens on it's path toward the miniature machine.

"What the fuck?! Don't interfere with my fight, woman!" shouted Ulric Cross, Knight of Twelve, enraged.

"You don't look at data. That's the machine that defeated Lady Weinberg. It's going to take two of us to do the job," said Hildegarde Waldstein, Knight of Four.

"Tch, well, don't get in my way!" Ulric called as he went around the _Galahad Renascence _and made a swipe at the _Jinketsu. _It was deflected.

"I'll take you down this time, for Kenichi's sake…" said Hiromi as she closed the gap between her _Hokurei _and the _Morganna. _

"Already they start coming at me with grudges, it usually takes longer into a war for that to start," Callista sighed, as she fired her hand beam up at the Hokurei; it blocked it with it's massive shield. "I haven't even started making those you love scream and bleed, girl."

"I'll kill you, you monster!" Hiromi shouted, steadfastly.

"Someone like you will never kill me," Callista said with a quiet laugh as she fired one of her scythe blades at the_ Hokurei_.

"Knight of Two, I, Lieutenant Hu Xuemei, shall be your opponent!" Xuemei shouted as she approached the _Constantine _with her _Tianlong._

"Very well, child, come," beckoned the resolute Knight, Damian Marsh as he steadied his machine's massive lance.

_Constantine _was a very regal looking machine. It was royal purple in color with golden effects and golden seven pointed wings. It was large and had fairly heavy armor. It's primary weapon was heavy, round, golden lance held in its right hand. A medium sized spiked shield was held in its left.

_Tianlong _drew it's sword to meet this lance, which was able to move at impressive speeds for its size. Soon Xuemei was attacking rampantly, firing slash after slash with her sword, coupled with many pronged attacks from _Tianlong_'s slash harkens. _Constantine_ maintained a cool defensive, the attack failing to breach its shield.

"You're good, child, but not good enough," Damian said in a gruff voice, as he put his machine in gear.

The four spikes in the shield fired outward, revealing themselves to be slash harkens. As _Tianlong _pulled back to deflect them all, Damian charged Xuemei's machine with his lance. It's amazing force pierced her shield and secured a hit to _Tianlong's _shoulder.

"I'll have to show you what I'm really capable of," Xuemei shouted as she pushed off and recollected herself.

She pulled the _Tianlong's _concealed second sword from its side and reengaged, this time landing twice as many hits in the same amount of time. Inevitably her powerful blades cut through the _Constantine's_ shields, before it, as a slower machine, could react. Xuemei secured a damaging hit to the knightmare's chest.

"A concealed weapon? What an interesting secret, child," Damian said with a nod, as he pressed his shield forward, in hopes of regaining his defenses.

He charged her swiftly, speeding forward, trying to throw her back. _Tianlong _moved out of the way hastily, dodging the charge to the side. _Constantine _soon began another high seed charge with its lance held steady. It was capable of impressive speeds when it came to straight dashes. Xuemei began a long series of difficult evasions. The speed and force of the _Constantine _kept her from getting close.

As she faced the regal machine, it's lance pointed at her once more, Xuemei contemplated her next course of action. She had to become sharper. With the next charge, she'd have to not get so far away. She'd have to land a counter blow in time. That was her only chance of ending this fight. She stayed sharp and resolute as she awaited Damian's charge.

Damian never did charge. Instead in only a few seconds, the tip of his lance split open and a massive bolt of energy fired at the _Tianlong _at high speeds. It went straight through Xuemei's shields and collided with _Tianlong's_ chest. The damage was severe.

"You're not the only one with secrets, girl," Damian commented with a deep smirk.

"You are worthy of your rank, Knight of Two. You are the victor here," said Xuemei as her machine began to lose altitude. She pulled her ejection switch and left the malfunctioning _Tianlong _to crash into the ocean below.

Meanwhile, _Hokurei _was firing blast after blast at the _Morganna, _which struggled to evade and deflect them all.

"Not bad, little girl. Those blasts of yours borrow from the _Guren'_s weapon systems, don't they?" Callista asked, as she fired out counter blasts from her machine's hands when she safely could. Neither unit had landed a clear hit yet.

"They do. This gun's got all the _Guren_'s punch in it. That's why all I need is one good shot!" Hiromi shouted as another massive blast fired out of her cannon.

"Hmm, well, I'll just have to not get hit!" Callista countered as she narrowed the gap while flying just around the _Hokurei's _beam. She launched one of her giant scythe harkens at the Hokurei, only to have it deflected by the machine's shield. She launched the second to similar effect.

"You can't get past this shield!" Hiromi challenged.

"Can't I, now?" Callista laughed, as she fired her Hadron converger beam from her left hand. Hiromi held out her massive, powerful shield to absorb the attack.

At the exact second the beam hit the shield, Calista let her harken boosters kick in as she guided her scythe harken toward the shield. It cleaved through the blast depleted radiant wave shield and found its way behind the physical shield. That shield was quickly ripped from _Hokurei's _hand_._

"You were saying?" laughed Callista.

"I can still beat you," Hiromi spat as she fired another blast.

"No you can't," Callista said, shaking her head. "As I said before, you'll never beat me, girl."

With that, both _Morganna's _hands fired beams at the _Hokurei_, while at the same time both scythe blades wrapped behind it. Soon _Hokurei_ was trapped, the scythes cutting into it. Hiromi was moments away from a painful death.

As this fight was starting, as was Chiharu's. _Dagonet _with it's incredible match of speed and power was a formidable opponent, but with the _Galahad Renascence_ as well, Chiharu was fighting a losing fight. She struggled to deflect and evade _Galahad Renascence's _massive red-hilted sword and _Dagonet's _significantly smaller but quicker hand blades.

_Galahad Renascence _was an imposing machine, very large with a black and light purple color scheme. Its energy wings were this purple and had five feathers each. Most impressive was it's sword. Though _Tristan Aegis _now held Hildegarde's father's sword, Excalibur, a replacement was built along with the _Renascence._ It was as tall as the machine, had a bright red hilt and was many feet wide. It's blade shone brightly with each swing.

Luckily the _Galahad Renascence's _sword was slow enough to avoid most of the time. _Dagonet _and the _Galahad Renascence's _many slash harkens were more problematic. Chiharu was being pushed to her limits.

"I don't get it. This thing ain't worth shit. It ain't good for anything but moving around," said Ulric, disappointed and angered.

"Agreed. Lady Weinberg must have simply lost her composure. This machine is nothing but pedestrian," commented Hildegarde, with a nod, launching another heavy blow.

"Let's wrap this up, quickly, babe," Ulric said as he flew into another high speed wave of attacks.

"Please don't address me like that," growled Hildegarde as Chiharu evaded her sword

Chiharu knew she had no choice. There was danger in using it, but she couldn't not use it. Victory here depended on her Geass. She closed her eyes, and let the power of the King fill her.

Suddenly, _Jinketsu _could move as fast as _Dagonet. _It caught up to the small machine and quickly stabbed it's wing pack.

"That's for targeting both Yasuko and my ejected cockpit, you coward!" Chiharu said coldly, as she pulled her weapon from the poorly shielded _Dagonet. _Ulric's frame began to descend rapidly.

"FUCK!!! How'd that bitch pul something like this?!" Ulric demanded, punching out one of his machine's controls before pulling his ejection switch.

"Hmm… perhaps it requires time to reach it's full potential…" Hildegarde hypothesized aloud as she watched her ally hit the water. "But it cannot defeat my father's machine no matter how good it is."

"Come get me, Britannian. It's time to join your friend," Chiharu taunted with high energy as she charged _Galahad Renascence. _She pierced it's shield before Hildegarde could defend, and managed a blow to the machine's side.

"Not so fast!" Hildegarde said with strength as she fired her slash harkens. They were easily deflected.

"You're dead!" Chiharu shouted as she thrust forward once more with her spear. To her surprise, a slash harken prevented the blow from landing.

"Need a hand, Hildegarde," said the Knight of Two from his _Constantine_, his fight with Xuemei having just concluded.

"Lord Marsh! It's great to have your support!" Hildegarde replied with a smile.

Chiharu realized quickly with help from her Geass that she didn't have the strength to pull her spear free without opening herself for a hit. She let it go and pulled the custom blaster from her side. Firing a round quickly at _Constantine._

"Cheap weapons like that will never work!" Damian boasted, as he fired a bolt from his lance-cannon. Chiharu quickly evaded it, only having to quickly step to the side of a sword swipe from the _Galahad Renascence._

Chiharu cursed. She was using her Geass but getting ahead of these two would still be almost impossible. She looked for some sort of opening, but their machines were solid and their teamwork seamless. The attacks kept coming as the minutes flew past. She began to grow anxious. She remembered the doctor's words. She needed her Geass to survive, but if she kept it active from many more minutes she'd die anyway. Was this hopeless? She couldn't just deactivate it and take the defeat either. She'd faint, become a sitting duck and they'd kill her. She was trapped.

Then _Constantine's_ wing pack exploded and Damian Marsh suddenly ejected.

"Lord Marsh! What happened?!" started Hildegarde, looking around.

"There was one behind me; it clipped my wings," the man replied in a grumble as his cockpit flew toward the sea.

Chiharu looked around. She couldn't detect where the attack came from. She spied Hiromi on the distance. She was trapped by the _Morganna, _facing death just as Chiharu had in her first battle.

"But that's impossible, I don't see anything, anywhere!" stammered Hildegarde as she looked for he enemy in vain. Seconds later, her wing pack also exploded. "W-what's going on?!" she shouted in frustration as she forced her ejection.

"Wow, this is pretty easy," said a playful female voice.

"You--!" Chiharu stammered, finally understanding. "Why help us?!"

"You're fun, kid. Can't have you die on me just yet." Megami replied with a giggle.

"But--" Chiharu started.

"Go save your friend and be the hero, kid," urged Megami. Chiharu turned her attention's to Hiromi and the _Morganna. _She flew forward swiftly, firing numerous shots from her hand gun at the _Morganna_.

"You've defeated them all?! How?!" said Callista, noticing her allies no longer in the sky.

"Let Hiromi go!" Chiharu shouted as she met the _Morganna_. _Jinketsu's _hands went for the cables to the scythe harkens and snapped them out with impossible strength. _Hokurei _was soon free, but too damaged to do anything more. Hiromi ejected.

"So we've lost," Callista said. "Men, let's fall back!" she instructed the numerous _Vincents_ still in the air. "Collect our fallen comrades and their machines!"

With that, the Britannian forces, which far outnumbered the remaining Japanese forces, began to retreat, scrambling to scour the waters for their commanders as they did. Callista turned to make her own escape. Chiharu wanted to catch her, but decided not to. She was too worried to stay in her Geass state any longer. She deactivated it and promptly fell asleep.

A mysterious unseen force lifted _Jinketsu _and guided itback to the _Huoyun_.

---

Ava li Britannia wore a bitter scowl on her face as she sat atop her throne. She had just received news of a second loss. She didn't understand it. It confounded her and left her in a difficult mood. Her advisor, Richter Novak seemed curious.

"Marsh and the others were defeated. We were forced to withdraw from the line," Ava spoke in a dark voice, heavy with bitterness.

"You don't say? That is a surprise. I had heard they defeated the _Guren_. There shouldn't have been any other obstacles," said Richter, honest surprise in his expression.

"It was the machine that defeated Astrid," Ava responded coldly.

"Incredible. That a machine this strong could exist…" Richter said in a deliberate fashion. "Was the damage extensive?"

"No." Ava said forwardly. "Peculiarly, none of our machines received critical blows. Only their wings were targeted."

"That is odd. You'd think a powerful machine like that would go for fatal blows if it could?" Richter said, smirking slightly.

"Japan's new hero is a humanitarian, it seems," said Ava in a low voice.

"So what are you to do now, Empress?" asked the advisor.

"The EU has mobilized and are providing a useful distraction," said Ava. "The obvious course to take now is to cut off our enemy's head."

"You plan to put all our force into the Eastern front now? You plan to take Japan as a conquest?" Richter stated with an amused laugh.

"Is that a foolhardy plan, advisor?" the young Empress asked. "Were I to launch a massive strike spear-pointed by the entirety of the Rounds, would it prove foolish in the end?"

"Not at all, my Empress," said Richter. "In fact, I endorse the plan fully." He nodded. "Japan leads the force against us. If we can silence them, their allies resolve will wane. Killing Japan could very well end this war."

"Then it will happen. Let's draw out the plans immediately. I'll call Wilde and tell him to speed up reconstruction of _Viviane _and _Lamorak," _Ava said with a smile. "I will not let them make a fool of me again."

A/N: All right, an interesting little chapter. Introduction of some interesting elements, namely Megami Subarashii and Absolution. I adore Megami, our third Geass user. I always thought invisibility was a practical Geass if Rollo's is acceptable. Her character is quite amusing to me, I've been excited about her introduction for a while now. Absolution is also exciting. I'm sure you can guess a good number of their identities. So little Ava this chapter, and so much Chiharu; don't worry Ava's still the lead; Chiharu just had more excitement around her here. She's all running around fighting battles and being seduced by sexy, mysterious thieves while Ava sits sulking in her castle all day. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Megami Subarashii

Absolution

Aerial Destroyer Huoyun

Galahad Renascence

Constantine

Onryou


	12. Turn 11: The Resolution of Warriors

A/N: Allow me to apologize to those of you also reading my other active fic. I know I was supposed to update this week. I tried to get something written, it just wasn't coming out in any sort of satisfactory manner. I opted to wait another week and move to the story still flowing seamlessly for me. I promise to get a chapter of the other one out next week. Anyway, Turn 11. It's a talk chapter, so hopefully it's not dull.

Disclaimer: Miya: "CNP doesn't own Code Geass, but he does own all us original characters!"

Regina Granville wore an even expression as she walked down the castle halls. There was a lot on her mind. Her Empress, whom she wasn't entirely sure she even supported deep down, had just briefed the entirety of the Rounds on an imminent mission that was sure to be the first decisive battle of this war. The twelve of them were going to attack the enemy forces in the East all at once, break through and capture Japan.

Regina had received nothing but the highest scores in her military academy. Not many people knew it, and she supposed it wasn't really worth much considering he was so much stronger than her mentally, but she actually had narrowly outscored her brother on many field tests back then. Despite this, Regina was gripped with uncertainty. She wondered if she was good enough for a real fight; she wondered if she'd be able to survive this war.

It was at this moment that she crossed paths with another. It was her fellow Round and friend, Astrid Weinberg. She and Astrid had always been fairly close within the Rounds, even if there was currently some troubled details in their relationship. Despite these, Regina greeted the other with a smile.

"Hello, Astrid," she said.

"Oh, hi Regina," the girl replied, smiling back. She seemed to be in decent spirits.

"You seem content. You aren't worried about the mission?" started Regina tentatively.

"I can't be. I have to stand strong. Failure this time isn't an option," Astrid replied resolutely, fire in her eyes.

"You're strong Astrid. Almost like my brother," Regina commented, impressed.

"I'm nothing like him," Astrid shook her head modestly. She then asked, "Are you worried, Regina?"

"I guess… I've only ever been in real combat once before… and that was…." Regina spoke, looking down, wondering why she chose to bring it up.

"I-I'm horribly sorry! I hope you'll forgive me for that someday," said Astrid at once, becoming a little shaky.

"No. You don't need to apologize. I understand why you made the choice you did," said Regina softly.

"Y-yeah…" Astrid said, blushing.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with it, Astrid. There are stranger things in this world," said Regina, nodding slightly.

"Y-yeah…" was all Astrid could say again. Regina laughed.

"I think I'd follow Devlin always, regardless of where it'd take me. So in a way, I suppose I understand something like that," the Knight of Eight said in a low voice.

"Oh, I see…" Astrid said, still not looking up.

"He's all I have, you know. Our parents died in an accident when we were just children. I was too devastated to do anything, but he never lost his composure; I never even saw him cry. He just looked forward, stayed strong, pushed himself down a steady path and I followed him. This is where it got us," Regina said, smiling very softly.

"Devlin is an amazing person. I've seldom met someone so composed as him," said Astrid with a smile.

"Is if proper, sister, for Knights of the Rounds to gossip in the halls?" a familiar voice said as it approached from down an intersecting hall. Regina tensed up at once.

"It is not, brother. I apologize for my slackness, brother!" she said, readily. Astrid Weinberg giggled at her expense.

"It's fine, sister," Devlin said dismissively. "But you must remain diligent in preparing for the operation. We have seldom any time for idle chatter. This battle will prove critical!"

"Yes sir!" Regina said with enthusiasm.

"You as well, Knight of Nine! We cannot loose our focus. As the Knights of the Rounds, it is our sworn duty to serve the Empress as best we can!" Devlin said with his militant energy. Astrid nodded.

"Yes sir!" she echoed Regina's call. She then looked at Devlin with signs of apprehension on her face. In a quiet tone she asked, "You don't hold it against me, what I did back then, do you, Devlin?"

"Of course not. I am a knight. A knight fights at his lord's command regardless of what the command may be. When a knight starts to take the actions of his fellow knights personally, when he starts to hold grudges, he is no longer a knight, but just a rabid dog," said Devlin boldly. Regina nodded in accord.

"I see. I'm glad…" Astrid said with a smile. "I'll try to stay diligent then," she then said as she turned to part.

"I'll try to remain diligent as well, brother," Regina said again as she prepared to leave and find something "diligent" to do. She began to walk away.

"Yes, but sister, when the battle comes, more than anything, make sure that you are careful," Devlin said, a foreign warmth entering his voice for just a second. A smile showed on Regina's face but she didn't turn around. She just continued to walk.

"Yes sir!" she gave as her reply once more.

---

Megami Subarashii, as she had chosen to call herself, wore a reluctant smirk as she sat in the cockpit of the machine she had stolen. A lifeless _Jinketsu_ rest in that machine's arms. This machine was very strange to Megami. it had some cutting-edge technology implemented that seemed to connect the pilot's nervous system to the knightmare's wiring. Megami wasn't entirely sure why. In Megami's case this had the benefit of applying her Geass to the machine itself. Her initial plan had been to stay a safe distance behind Chiharu, only to emerge at the end and save the day, instead she was able to stay close and hidden and act in a supporting role.

Chiharu Ohgi was an interesting girl. Megami was always weary of making connections; doing so just made the pain worse when they were broken, but she was too social a person to just live a life of solitude. Chiharu Ohgi had found her when she wanted more than anything to be found. For that Megami, felt an obligation to connect with the girl.

Megami stared around the knightmare hangar of the Aerial Destroyer _Huoyun_. It was slowly filling up with soldiers coming to greet the battle's hero. None of them knew the girl was currently very unconscious. Megami supposed she had no choice but to reveal herself. It would be hard to sit still in her knightmare's cockpit, especially when she was too worried about Chiharu. She disconnected the machine's restraints, some of which, especially the ones at her back, contained very fine needle like attachments, and opened her hatch. The crowd went into a collective frenzy as a large black and green, never before seen knightmare suddenly materialized out of thin air, it's hatch opening to reveal seemingly nothing inside.

"General Hong, I don't understand! What is that unit?! What's happening?!" some soldier shouted in the confusion.

"I haven't a clue. I've never been briefed on anything looking like that," the old, bearded general replied, shaking his head.

"It's an enemy! The enemy is on board!" shouted another soldier, as he pointed a gun at the stolen knightmare.

"But, look it's empty! There's no pilot or anything!" someone else shouted, freaked out.

It was at this moment, that Megami managed to force open the _Jinketsu'_s cockpit hatch.

"Watch out with your decent, lieutenant. Something strange is happening here," General Hong warned. To the surprise of him and everyone else, a limp, unconscious Chiharu Ohgi began to seemingly levitate though the air toward the ground while Megami carried her. When she was on the floor, Megami began to embrace the girl.

That was the problem with Megami's Geass. She wasn't able to undo it on her own. Once she activated it, she would be removed from the sight receptors of everyone within a certain sphere of influence, but she couldn't just turn it off. It required her to absorb a certain level of body heat from another human; only then could she become visible. Chiharu toppling her to the ground that morning, as it was, qualified as just enough.

If the crowd had been surprised before, when suddenly their silver-haired lieutenant was being embraced by a strange turquoise-haired girl they had never seen before, the reaction was even more severe. Several guns were soon pointed at Megami.

"Who or what are you?!" General Hong demanded, with a serious expression.

Megami stood, "Megami. Megami Subarashii," Megami introduced herself cheerfully.

"Bullshit!" one rowdy Japanese soldier called. "That's not a name!"

"Yeah!" another joined in. "She's not even Japanese!"

"What in the world, is going on here…?" Hong muttered aloud, seemingly confounded.

"General, I've received intel on that model," a more diligent soldier started from nearby a large monitor. "It's apparently an experimental model still in its test phase. It was stolen from our base this morning."

"She's a thief! She stole a test model!" a soldier shouted.

"Let's get her! Let's arrest her!" another called.

"Wait!" someone suddenly shouted. All, including Megami, were surprised to see Chiharu struggle to her knees.

"Lieutenant Ohgi?" General Hong started, looking at the girl.

"This woman saved us!" Chiharu announced. "it was her who took out the Knight of Two and the Knight of Four!"

This created even more of a murmur. "Who is she, Lieutenant?" asked the General.

"She's just a thief as you all say, but that's not important. You saw what she can do. There's no denying it. She, with that unit, could prove instrumental to us in this war," Chiharu pleaded with the crowd. Some were attentive. Having a cute girl stand up for her, brought a smile to Megami's face.

"Yes, but we can't just turn our back on the rules she's broken...and we don't even know who she is…" said Hong, shaking his head.

"General! I reported that we had found the missing unit to base. We're now receiving a live communication feed with Miss Rakshata Chawla of R&D," the diligent soldier of before informed before suddenly the older Indian woman with pipe in hand appeared on the monitor.

"Rakshata!" Hong started. The woman looked angry.

"So you're the heartless fiend who stole my beloved _Onryou…"_ Rakshata fumed, as she seemed to stare at Megami through the camera.

"Guilty as charged," Megami said with a slight smirk.

"The fact that you took it to our ship and not a Britannian or EU vessel insures me I can at least talk to you," the woman on the screen said curtly, frowning at the other. "So, I'll ask. How did she run?" She was then suddenly smiling.

"Oh, fine. It's sickly fast, and moves real easy. The main gun is pretty damn powerful too," Megami replied with some nods.

"Of course it is," the scientist said proudly. "And the Gefjun jammers?"

"That's that secondary weapon, right?" Megami started, looking over at the machine, and the large grenade-launcher like weapon attached to the thing's hand. "I didn't get a chance to test that or the big chest cannon."

"I never finished calibrating the _Onryou's_ Hadron cannon. I'd be wary of relying on it," said Rakshata. "Moreover, I'm curious about the experimental Spirit Synch system."

"That's the thing with the plugs and the needles?" Megami assumed, tilting her head.

"Yes! It's a new take on the neural interface developed for the famed Siegfried model twenty years ago. Unlike that machine, where control was done entirely through neural communication with the machine, control by conventional means is optional with the _Onryou_, should the pilot not wish to continually use the exhausting system," Rakshata explained, clearly proud of herself.

"Wait, so you can control it without the controls?!" started Megami, surprised.

"You didn't even try the system, did you?" Rakshata sighed, shaking her head.

"I plugged it in and all, but I just used the normal controls," said Megami. "but yours system does work, if that's what you're curious about."

"How can you say that for sure?" the Indian woman asked, putting her pipe to her lips.

"Because the knightmare took on the properties of my Geass," said Megami with a simple nod.

"G-Geass?!" Rakshata exclaimed. Hong's eyes went wide as well.

"Yeah, Geass," said Megami. "Watch," she then activated her Geass, disappearing from sight.

"You can become invisible?!" Rakshata started, shocked.

"Technically it's more correct to say that my Geass jams my existence from the eyes of everyone within a certain range," said Megami, nodding though no one could tell.

"And _Onryou_ can do the same with you hooked into it?" Rakshata was impressed.

"Sure can. I was real surprised when I saw it could," said Megami as she moved toward Chiharu.

"An invisible weapon could prove quite handy in this war," said Rakshata deliberately.

"But we don't know this person's loyalties! Besides, they're a criminal who has stolen something priceless right under our nose. We can't just ignore that," Hong argued, shaking his head.

"I know her loyalties!" Chiharu said boldly. "You told me you were a thief, Megami. You steal for money."

"Guess so," said Megami, smirking, though again no one could tell.

"Then why not fight for money instead? I'm sure Japan will be more than willing to pay you well for your service," Chiharu said with a rigid nod.

"You think I could be a mercenary, kid?" Megami gave a cute laugh. "I guess that could suit me, even if it does seem dangerous."

"I'll contact General Tohdoh to make arrangements to pay her," said Rakshata, cutting out.

"Shouldn't we at least secure a real name…?" murmured General Hong.

"Yay! We're going to be working together from now on, cutie!" Megami shouted as she threw herself at Chiharu suddenly, hugging her tightly until the girl could see her.

---

Damian Marsh sat in a chair, a dour expression on his face as he sat in a chair in the corner of the war room, awaiting news from the EU forces of their current struggle. He had had a lot on his mind lately. Empress Ava li Britannia was an interesting subject. Her philosophy, much like that of Charles zi Britannia before her, ran contrary to that which he believed. Still he was sworn to serve her. Damian Marsh believed in upholding his knightly oaths.

"I just can't believe the three of you let yourself be defeated by a single unit," the obnoxious, entirely unknightly, Knight of Six spoke from nearby.

"You lost a _Vincent _in battle as well, Lady Winfield," Damian spoke in a low voice.

"Yeah, but I was clearly outmatched. If I had my own custom unit like you, I never would have failed," the women boasted. "But here the two of you and that plebeian fool all get defeated by one enemy."

"It wasn't just one! I'm sure of it! There is no way that those attacks could have come from that unit," argued Hildegarde from nearby. Bismarck's young daughter went back aways with Damian. At just seven years of age the girl had come to him and demanded that he teach her to fight; for whatever reason, perhaps to dissuade the girl from her path through harsh training, he accepted. He never could break her or scare her away from the life of a knight, despite trying, and she ended up becoming his protege of sorts. Though his number was higher now, part of him wondered if this was only due to his seniority.

"But no one saw a second enemy. No account of a second enemy exists. Unless you want me to believe that Japan has somehow started making invisible knightmares there's no other answer then that the three of you succumbed to incompetence and let a single foe get the better of you," said Winfield, shaking her head.

"Why did a woman like you ever become a knight?!" Hildegarde stammered, face contorted by anger.

"Being a Knight of the Rounds has always been a glamourous position. Why wouldn't I seek it?" the woman gave an answer, though it was clear the other hadn't wanted one.

"You disgust me! You're lower than that unrefined Knight of Twelve!" Hildegarde said with a deep, hateful scowl.

"You think you're so great because you're a legacy, Knight of Four? I doubt you'd be anything without your daddy's fancy knightmare," goaded Winfield, snidely, giving a hard laugh.

"I take that as a challenge, Knight of Six!" Hildegarde's hand went to the broadsword she wore at her side. "Prepare to defend yourself!"

Damian's hand went to his young disciple's hand, seeing that it kept the sword sheathed. "We cannot become confrontational, Hildegarde. We can't draw our weapons to our allies, no matter how we are insulted."

"But my Lord--!" Hildegarde argued, her fury having not subsided. Hildegarde's one critical fault was that she was too brash and emotional.

"Cease, Hildegarde. We must learn to weather insult. A knight's life will not always be an easy one," Damian spoke in a wise voice. Hildegarde soon seemed placated.

"And you, Lady Winfield, please control such outburst. It's not proper conduct to pick fights with your comrades," Damian said in a harsh voice.

"Whatever you say, Knight of Two, though realize that I don't fear you," said Winfield in a haughty tone. "You're just an old man. You'll die in this war, and I'll continue on a course to the top. I'll have your position or higher by the time this is through."

"Do you have no shame, knight?!" Hildegarde demanded. Damian could tell she was fighting every urge to go for the sword once more.

"Calm, Hildegarde," said Damian. He added with something of a smirk. "just hold it in you heart that overzealousness is a sure path to self-destruction." Hildegarde gave a quick laugh.

"You think you're so great, Knight of Two..." Winfield shook her head then moved to the other side of the room. Damian glared slightly before turning away.

---

"It's good to see, please come in," said Nina with a smile as she opened the door. The blue haired woman standing there smiled back.

"Thanks for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice, Nina," she said, smiling back. Miya watched from the couch, quickly becoming curious as she watched her mother and this other woman.

"It's no problem, though I was surprised to hear from you after all this time," said Nina, nodding, as she ushered the other inside.

"Miya, this is Cecile Croomy, an old acquaintance of mine," Nina started turning to the girl on her couch.

"She's…." Cecile began searchingly staring at the girl questioningly.

"My daughter," Nina said proudly. Cecile looked confused.

"Daughter? But I thought you were…" Cecile began uneasily.

"We adopted her," said Nina laughed.

"Oh! I see," Cecile said giving her own polite giggle. "It's nice to meet you, Miya."

"Yeah, nice to meet ya, too," said Miya, smirking back. "So how do you know mom?"

"We worked on an important project together twenty years ago," said Cecile, wearing a very soft smirk.

"Whoa, were you on the F.L.E.I.J.A. team?" Miya asked with curious enthusiasm.

"N-no… it was after that," Cecile said shaking her head. "Though we both come from scientific backgrounds, we didn't work directly together, but the two of us, we helped create something important."

"Ooh, I see. That's cool," said Miya, tilting her head to the side, then lying back on the couch.

"So, what did you want to talk about, Cecile?" Nina asked, curiosity in her eyes.

"Oh, I just wanted to talk… you know… about current events," said Cecile, her eyes finding the floor.

"That important something we built got shattered, something like that?" said Nina wearing an infirm smirk.

"Y-yeah…" said Cecile tentatively.

"I have other priorities now. It's hard to convince myself that I should do anything... or that there's anything that I personally could do," said Nina in a quiet voice.

"We could really use your mind, Nina…" Cecile said in a very soft voice.

"I'm a teacher, a mother, and a wife. I don't develop weapons anymore, Miss Croomy… nor do I want to," Nina said, sadness entering her eyes.

"But--" Cecile started. Before she could get any further, the door suddenly opened.

"I'm home, dear!" called Miya's other mother, Milly from the door as she entered the room. The two women turned to her. Miya didn't move.

"Hey, dear… how're--" Nina started. She didn't get to finish.

"Who is this?!" Milly roared. "What is she doing here?!"

"No! Calm down!" Nina started, flailing her hands about. "Y-you should recognize her."

Milly tilted her had and glared at the blue-haired woman a moment. She then moved in a circle around her examining various parts of her figure closely.

"Ah! I got it! You're that guy's assistant!" Milly exclaimed fist in hand.

"Cecile Croomy. I was your ex-fiance, Lloyd Asplund's assistant for a number of years, yes," Cecile started, extending her hand. Milly took it.

"You're not anymore?" Milly asked, head titled to the side."You get fired?"

"No, I quit recently," said Cecile with a smirk.

"Why's that? Must have been a pretty good job," Milly asked, snickering.

"Well… I didn't exactly agree with my new boss, you could say…" Cecile replied in a quiet voice. "But more than that, some new personnel was added with whom I would never be able to get along." Anger appeared on the woman's usually more serene face.

"Ex-lover?" Milly giggled.

"N-no, nothing of the sort," Cecile shook her head vehemently, blushing.

"Ex-crush?" Milly said, her tone very teasing.

"Umm, aren't you curious why I'm in your house?" Cecile said, looking at the floor.

"Eh, not really. So long as you're not here to make moves on Nina, it's always good to have company over!" Milly said cheerfully.

"Oh, well I'm not into that sort of thing so you don't need to--" Cecile started. Nina cut her off.

"This woman is trying to recruit me to some sort of antigovernment group," she said rather bluntly. Miya snickered. She had thought the adults would continue to hide the obvious.

Milly's smile fell. She looked at Cecile for a while before asking. "Is this true?"

"We'd appreciate it were you to join as well, Miss Ashford," Cecile said with a slow nod. "The news media is a powerful ally to have."

"How big is this group?" Milly asked.

"I don't know," Cecile replied readily.

"Who's in it?" the blonde gave another question.

"I don't know," it received the same answer.

"What is its mission?" asked Milly, hopefully.

"To remove Ava li Britannia from power by any means necessary," said Cecile firmly.

"What does it call itself?" came the next question.

"Absolution," Cecile said simply. Milly laughed.

"This guy must have been a real jerk to you if her drove you to join something as crazy as that," Milly said with a loud laugh. Cecile looked defeated.

"N-no, there wasn't any… I was…" she started.

Milly shook her head and sighed. In an easy voice she spoke. "Look, Cecile. It's not that we don't care, it's just that it doesn't have to be us that does something this time. Me and Nina are just two people; we have other concerns, we have our jobs and our lives and Miya's future to worry about. We can't just--" Her daughter cut her of suddenly.

"I'll join," she said. Everyone turned around and looked at her.

"Miya, no, what are you thinking?" Nina started in an uneasy voice as her daughter stood up and approached the blue-haired woman.

"You wanted me to find something to do with myself, and I think I just might have," the young girl said with a firm nod.

"No, but this is. This is dangerous…" said Milly slowly.

"I'm 18, mom, I can make my own decisions," said Miya in an easy voice.

"I'm sorry, Miya, but I'm not sure you're what we're looking for," Cecile said dissuasively, smiling.

"Come on, you have to have some way you could use me. I'm young, smart and willing to work as hard as you need me to. And though I'm not that big, I am limber and athletic," the girl said with a very steady nod.

"Well, that does kind of sound like what she said we need for the--" Cecile began to speak.

"Great! So you do have some use for me after all, right?!" Miya said excitedly.

"Well maybe… but…" Cecile spoke, obviously in a compromising position between the girl and her parents.

"Then it's settled. Tell me where I'm supposed to go to join," the young girl spoke with enthusiasm.

"Miya… you can't do this," said Milly in a low voice.

"Why can't I, mother. You wanted me to make a decision," the carefree girl said with a smile.

"It'd mean fighting against your friend," Nina reminded in a low voice.

"I do like her. She's cool. But what Ava li Britannia has done is wrong," said Miya in a deadly serious fashion. "I'll fight her myself if it that's what it takes to right that wrong."

"I hadn't realized you had become so strong, Miya," said Milly with a dour expression.

"She knows the Empress personally?" asked Cecile, her eyes closed.

"They were classmates. They saw each other daily on the Student Council," said Nina.

"Absolution.. .the others… they'd see her as a very valuable commodity as a field agent then...she'd most certainly see action," said Cecile looking fairly morose.

"And what about us?" asked Nina in a heavy voice.

"This is our symbol," Cecile spoke as she pulled something from her large handbag. It was a helmet exactly like Zero's save it was a pale blue.

"It's Zero's mask… but it's blue?" said Milly, staring at the artifact peculiarly.

"Yours won't be," Cecile said before stowing the mask away.

"I'm not sure I understand," said Milly. "But as I said before, Miya's future is one of our primary concerns."

Nina gave a strong nod in agreement. Miya smiled.

---

Claudio Darlton wore a resolute expression as he looked out from one of the castle towers. Nonette Enneagram and Gino Weinberg were close by, seeming to be equally preoccupied by the scenic view. Such things could be relaxing before a big battle. Claudio couldn't say he didn't have his apprehensions. He still vividly remembered losing each one of his four brothers to the Black Knights, one by one in the fight twenty years ago.

"It's feels strange for the fighting to just start up again after so long…" commented Nonette in a somber tone.

"You mean like it never stopped in the first place?" Claudio spoke, understanding completely.

"Out there in the _Lamorak, _I somehow felt twenty years younger. It was like I was out flying alongside Princess Cornelia once again," said the woman, looking out.

"I guess we never forget the feel of battle," said Claudio. "It must be more difficult with the young ones. The Granvilles, Hildegarde, Astrid; they don't have anything to go by."

"But they have the vigor of youth to rely on, don't forget that, Claudio," said Gino with a nod. "We could have all the experience in the world, that wouldn't stop us from becoming dull with age."

"Well put, Gino," said Claudio with a nod.

"Yes. But you haven't had a go at it yet, Gino. Since _Aegis _was destroyed before it started, you haven't fought in this war yet," said Nonette with a nod. "I wonder if you'll be like us."

"I haven't forgotten how to fight, if that's your worry," Gino spoke in a relaxed voice with a quick laugh.

"We'd hope. The guy calling himself the Knight of One better be able to hold his own," said Claudio, shaking his head.

"Us veterans have it easy. We have nothing to prove," Nonette commented softly.

"We still have reasons to fight. I do at least. You do too, Nonette," said Claudio in a low voice.

"Fighting for old grudges won't get you too anything, you realize that, don't you?" said Gino with a sigh.

"I lift _Lamorak's _axe for that girl not just because she brought to my attention a glaring injustice, but also for many the same reasons you're still here, Gino," Nonette spoke, smirking just slightly.

"That daughter of yours…" Gino smiled. "I suppose the children really are the ones in control…"

"Yeah," Nonette laughed.

"I wonder what the late Princess Cornelia would think," said Gino looking down.

"I knew her well. I doubt she'd approve," Nonette said in a low voice.

"When someone loses all the family they had, they become sort of lost in the darkness. Certain ideas can emerge then, certain ways of thinking," Claudio spoke in a morose tone. "If she hadn't lost everything, I doubt she'd have taken this so far, even if it always existed within her."

"She hasn't lost all. Lord Guilford still lives," Nonette pointed out. Claudio frowned.

"That man's succumbed to a darkness worse than death. I wouldn't be surprised if it was his fate more than her mother's that drove that girl down her current path," he said in a heavy voice.

"I wish it was easier to hate that girl," said Gino. "The more I look at her, the more I begin to see what my Astrid probably sees."

"That's just how it is. Ava li Britannia walks a dark, bloody path, but she is not herself an evil child," said Nonette smirking.

"I wonder where that path will take her," Claudio said, looking out into the distance again. "I wonder where it will take us all."

"We'll just have to wait and see," said Gino with a cool laugh as he started to walk inside. Nonette followed him. Claudio would join them after a few more moments of solitude.

---

Princess Jacquelyn mi Britannia stood by her mother in a corridor of the Britannian Royal castle. She wore an uneasy smile as her mother pointed to a figure just a distance ahead.

"See, that's the boy I told you about," her mother, Arienette, started, indicating a young man, tall and distinguished with light-brown hair. Isn't he striking?"

"He is rather handsome," Jacquelyn, or Jackie as she preferred, said with a blush.

"And he's well mannered and exceedingly wealthy," Arienette said with a bit of a squeal.

"But you said he's a commoner, right?" Jackie said, her head titled.

"Yes, but he's in the new Empress' inner circle," Arienette nodded. "And besides it's very easy to buy noble titles these days if you want." She looked at the young man. "I'm surprised he doesn't have one yet."

"Well, if you insist, mother. I suppose he does seem suitable," Jackie said with a full smile.

"Good, daughter. Now you needn't tarry any longer," said Arienette firmly. "Go introduce yourself.

"Yes, mother," Jackie replied as she took a step forward. It was just a single step though.

"Hi Richter!" said another girl, approaching the handsome young man familiarly from another direction. She had shoulder-length red hair and was somewhat attractive, though not quite on Jackie's level.

"Oh, it's you Margaret…" the young man, Richter, said wit ha hostile sigh. Jackie smiled.

"Yeah. I heard the Empress made you an advisor. I think that's just great of her, you know," the girl, Margaret, said with a tentative smile. The other was frowning.

"And you've returned from battle, I've heard," Richter said as if he was obligated to.

"Yeah. We were forced to pull back and all, but I did great. I took out three _Akatsuk_i on my own!" the girl boasted with enthusiasm. "I hadn't really ever had much interest in knightmares, but now that I'm flying one, it looks like it's another thing I have a natural gift for."

"That's great to hear, Margaret," said Richter in a completely callous fashion. "but as an Advisor to the Empress, I naturally have a lot of things I must attend to."

"B-but Richter! It's been weeks now. After spending so much time together on the council, aren't you at least interested in doing a little catching up?" started Margaret desperately.

"If you're such a valuable soldier, Margaret, wouldn't your time be better used preparing for the imminent battle," Richter coldly spoke before stepping away from the girl, who stood still, a lost and confused look on her face. Jackie decided to then walk forward and approach Richter.

"Hi, are you Richter Novak?" she asked in a cute, soft voice, from behind him. He glanced over to look at Jackie, also seeming to note that that other girl was still watching.

"I am," he said. "Could I have the pleasure of knowing your name, milady?"

"I am Jacquelyn mi Britannia, but you may call me Jackie," Jackie said with a sweet smile, nodding.

"It is an honor to make the acquaintance of a princess of such exquisite beauty," the man spoke in a low voice, making Jackie blush.

"My! My mother said you were a real gentleman, and apparently she didn't lie," Jackie giggled.

"I do my best, princess," said Richter with a smirk. "If you'd like, you could accompany me in getting something to eat."

"That sounds most lovely, my sir," the princess said, as she began to walk down the hall with the young man.

She made sure to grab a very brief glance a the absolutely mortified, tear-filled expression on the face of the girl behind her. It somehow filled her with satisfaction.

---

Ulric Cross wore a slight smirk as he looked down at the table in front of him. He and the other two prison rejects, the crazy lady and the old dude, had just been read special orders for the upcoming mission that had come straight from the Empress herself. Honestly, these orders pissed him off a little; he was hoping to get in there and score a little revenge against that bitch who tore his wings up in the last fight, but the Empress apparently had a different role in mind for the three of them.

"It's a pretty nasty plan this Empress has for us," commented the old dude spoke in a heavy voice, frowning as he seemed o think the message that had just been read over.

"Me and you are no stranger to this sort of work, Niles," said the crazy lady with a sigh.

"Perhaps not, but I lack your enthusiasm for it," the old guy replied, shaking his head.

"It is a good use for us though. Our hands are already soaked in blood. A little more will change no opinions of us," the woman said closing her eyes.

"This war's an interesting thing, isn't it, Blood Queen?" the old man said, smirking just slightly.

"In all honesty, it doesn't seem very different from the last," the lady said in a passive fashion.

"I know what you mean. The want for that battlefield never left me. That's why I ended up in that place," the old dude growled in a low voice.

"I suppose we're a lot alike you and I, Niles. Neither of us can stop, even if we wanted to. That's why we were locked up," the woman said smirking.

"I should have been executed immediately for my mistakes," said the old guy all serious-like.

"Though, I have never called any action of mine a mistake, I would have been executed immediately for my actions if a tinge of mercy didn't exist in even the most cunning men," said the crazy woman, smiling.

"Has any progress been made? Have you received any word?" asked the old dude, eyebrow raised.

"They're still looking. The Empress swears they'll find her any day now," replied the woman.

"I hope that is so," the man said with a steady nod.

"You and your wife never had any children?" asked the lady tentatively.

"We had a single daughter," the old man replied levelly. "In our one meeting after the incident, she condemned me to hell."

"I'm a little scared about meting my child… I wonder what she may think of me…." said the woman shakily.

"It's hard to guess those sorts of things when you know nothing of the woman she is," said the old guy, eyes closed.

"It will destroy me if she hates me," the woman said, fragilely.

"She'll be 20 now. It's hard to predict what a woman at that age may think of such a thing," the old man said, looking down.

"I suppose I missed all the years where having a mother was important," said the lady, tears held in her eyes.

"But you'll greet your daughter with an even more shocking piece of news as well," the man smirked. "I'm curious to see how she'll react to finding out she is a true-blood princess."

"Yes. I'm sure that will come as a bit of a surprise," the woman perked up slightly.

"Do you miss him? Her father?" asked the old guy, looking down.

"I miss the name he gave me, Callista vol Britannia, more than I miss the man himself. I'd offer myself to Empress Ava if she were to give that name back," the woman said forwardly. The old guy gave an uneasy smirk.

"Whoa," Ulric couldn't contain a mild outburst as he pictured the crazy babe and the Empress in compromising positions.

"Please don't fantasize about me in my presence, Mr. Cross," the lady said sternly.

Ulric gave a low growl and leaned back. He didn't really like these two, but passively listening to their conversation was at least vaguely amusing in a strange sort of way.

"Someone like you'll be out of place on this operation, Cross." But of course now the old guy was talking to him. "You're a reckless thug, but your hands aren't soaked in blood yet."

"I ain't happy about it old man, you don't need to remind me. I'd rather be fighting somebody fair and square then pullin' shit like this," Ulric said, earnestly.

"More than any of us, the Empress has you marked as a disposable tool, Mr Cross. I wonder if you realize this," the lady spoke, giving a very slight nod.

"I'm use to people doubting me, betraying me, calling me shit and casting me aside. That's why I'm a fighter. That's why I'll always be a fighter," said Ulric in a low voice. "She may call me a knight now, but I'm still just a fighter. So, I'll just keep fighting until I can't fight no more. It's all I know how to do."

"A philosophy like that, though simple, is almost... respectable... in a way," the old guy said in a paced voice.

Ulric just gave a slight smirk.

---

"So, thanks to you, it looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other, kid," sad Megami, feeling all together in a good mood as she sat across from Chiharu in a small room aboard the _Huoyun._

"As annoying as you are, you just turned a loss into a win out there…" said the pretty, silver-haired girl. "And you saved my life."

"Like I said, I'm not going to just let someone I like so much die so quickly after I meet her," Megami replied with a smile.

"Why do you like me so much? I got in your way! I don't get any of this," Chiharu stammered, shaking her head.

"I could tell you a little about myself if you like, but it's obviously quite personal," said Megami with a fragile smirk.

"I'd listen…" Chiharu said, looking at the floor.

"I'm quite social by nature. I like to talk and have fun and play around with other people but I've always had trouble truly getting close to people. When I was an infant, my parents sold me; the family I ended up with were murdered when I was still young, I wandered the streets by myself for years after that, until I found a new sort of family. They ended up… abusing me… you could say… so I returned to the streets alone. After all that, I kind of have an apprehension when it comes to making new connections," Megami gave a lacking in details account of her sad history. Any more details and she would have fallen apart. She didn't want to let Chiharu see that side of her yet.

"Oh… I'm sorry…. I didn't know you were…" Chiharu spoke, sadness, sympathy in her eyes. The story having obviously caught her off guard.

"It's okay," Megami shook her head. "The point is, wandering the streets out of sight, unable to approach people on your own, you kind of always hold this hope in your heart that someday, someone will find you somehow and set off that connection for you."

"And I found you. That's what you're saying?" said Chiharu smirking slightly as she looked at the other woman.

"Yeah." Megami sighed. "I bet that spoils the cool, fun girl image you had of me, huh?"

"Sure. Just keep thinking that," Chiharu rolled her eyes. She then gave her own long sigh as she became serious once more. "But I do have to wonder, why don't you just turn off your Geass when you want people to find you?"

"What do you think of my Geass, kid?" asked Megami, smirking softly.

"It's real cool. I was actually a little jealous. You get something so badass and powerful, while my thing's dangerous and hard to use," said Chiharu with a shrug.

"I don't like my Geass. It depresses me. It makes me feel alone," said Megami, looking down. Chiharu was surprised.

"W-why?" the girl started.

"It initially had more drawbacks. I could only use it for a certain time a day. Then a day occurred, where I needed it for more than that. It evolved then, the effect became permanent. I spent the following many days, days that seemed like eternity, as a friendless ghost the world could not see," Megami recounted in a somber tone. "When that third family I told you about found me, one of them did something to my physiology that sort of fixed me. My Geass could be deactivated through a chemical reaction that occurred while my own body was met with human body heat. When you tackled me, that was enough to do the trick."

"Oh… I didn't realize…" Chiharu said, shocked by the story.

"But, even so, the longer I use my Geass, the more the effect wanes and it ends up taking more and more contact to bring me back. I'll disappear again eventually; it's my fate," said Megami, closing her eyes.

"Then stop using it! Can't you do that?!" demanded Chiharu aggressively. Megami smiled.

"I've had my Geass for a long time now, kid. It's become an integral part of who I am. It's hard for me not to rely on it, when I know I can," the thief said, looking down.

"You're an interesting woman, Megami Subarashii," said Chiharu smirking sorrowfully.

"I'm glad you think so," Megami said with teasing smile as she stood up from where she sat and moved to sit beside the other girl. "Perhaps you'd be _interested _to get even closer with me."

"I think I'll pass," Chiharu stammered, putting up her guard.

"But come on, I don't just like body contact when I'm invisible, you know?" Megami giggled as she threw herself at the other, trying to get a steady embrace.

"Hey, Chiharu! You in here?!" a voice started at the door as it opened.

"H-Hiromi…" Chiharu muttered as she tried to force Megami off of her.

"W-what's going on here?" the girl Hiromi reacted with surprise as she surveyed the scene.

"T-this is all her doing.… She jumped on me!" Chiharu insisted at once.

"O-okay…" Hiromi muttered, looking away. "So… um… who is this strange woman then?"

"I'm Megami!" Megami said, jumping readily off he sexy young girl to greet her friend.

"M-Megami? Seriously?" Hiromi started skeptically, staring at the girl.

"Yep. Megami Subarashii!" Megami said with a nod.

"Okay, now I know you're screwing around," Hiromi said shaking her head. "Women your age shouldn't act so childish."

"What's that mean? I'm just 26! That's not old!" Megami challenged.

"Anyway, Hiromi, what did you want me for?" asked Chiharu, head titled.

"Yasuko told me she wanted to see you," Hiromi smiled.

"Y-Yasuko? She's here?!" Chiharu started, surprised by the news.

"Apparently Dad sent a whole battalion this way when he heard how thin the fleet had gotten on this side. Yasuko insisted she be sent," said Hiromi with a laugh.

"I guess I'll have to greet her then," said Chiharu as she found her feet.

"I'll come too! I like meeting new people!" called Megami cheerfully as she bounced up as well.

"Honestly, this woman is strange, Chiharu," Hiromi said, shaking her head.

"You don't need to tell me that," the silver-haired girl replied as she was led out of the room by her friend, Megami following. They found their way down a long hall before coming to a large, open room aboard the Destroyer. A small group of soldiers stood at the corner of the room. Aside from the adorable young Yasuko, Megami noticed the cold girl from the Chinese Federation she had seen before.

"Miss Chiharu!" Yasuko called as the three girls approached the group. She wore a beaming smile as she faced her rather obvious crush. Megami smiled as well at the cuteness.

"Gee, Yasuko, you're more excited for her than you were for me," Hiromi said, shaking her head.

"It's good to have you back fighting with me, Yasuko," said Chiharu with a nod. Yasuko smiled then looked at Megami.

"Who's she, Miss Chiharu?" asked the girl innocently. Megami snickered.

"Megami Subarashii," Chiharu said quickly. Sings of distress and confusion entered the girl's face at hearing Chiharu refer to the other by the name.

"W-what? B-but…" Yasuko started, looking flustered.

"Or so she says. She won't give me a real name, no matter how I press," Chiharu said shaking her head. "She's joined us as a mercenary." Yasuko seemed relieved with the explanation.

"Mercenary? Seriously?" Hiromi started, surprised.

"She's the second geass sure who helped turn the tide of the battle after I was defeated, correct?" asked the Federation girl, Xuemei, if Megami remembered correctly.

"Yes. That's right," said Chiharu.

"I have to wonder why power seems to find its way into the hands of people of such questionable character," Xuemei said looking down. She gave a short sigh, it's sad to think the two of you will be so valuable in the imminent fight."

"Imminent fight?" Yasuko questioned.

"We pushed the enemy back, but in terms of sheer units lost, we were far above our enemy. They'll realize this and push again, this time much harder," Xuemei hypothesized in a direct fashion. "We have a much more difficult fight ahead of us."

"Bring it, I know I'm ready," a young man in the crowd spoke. He had short dark brown hair and looked like a sort of brash hotshot, wearing two of the standard issue Chinese Federation handguns at his belt instead of one.

"I know you," Chiharu started, looking at the man. "We attended the Black Knight's training academy together."

"Heh. Long time no see, lieutenant now, I hear," the man said, smirking.

"How about you… uh…?" Chiharu asked, searching for a name.

"It's Chaowei. Wu Chaowei, and I'm a Captain," the young man said in an easy voice.

"I see, impressive. You must be skilled to be moving up so quickly," said Chiharu, nodding at her superior officer.

"Your name doesn't suit you," said Xuemei bluntly.

"Yours does, Lieutenant Hu," Chaowei said, convinced he was cool.

"So you've been stationed here aboard the _Huoyun _then, Captain Wu?" asked Chiharu, head titled.

"Sure have. I've been fighting alongside General Kozuki in my _Dongfeng, _until just like her, I got shot down," the young man said with a short nod.

"Your certainly full of yourself, if you're comparing yourself to a General," Megami said with a giggle, knowing she, as a mercenary, was the only one there who rightly could.

"What can I say, mercenary? I'm the up and coming ace of the Federation," Chaowei said with a smirk. Megami gave a slight shake of her head at the cocky bastard.

"Are you now, Captain?" Xuemei leered at the young man almost violently; making it obvious she fancied that title for herself.

"You'll see when that big fight you promised starts, Lieutenant Hu," Chaowei said, continuing to smirk.

"I don't know what to think about this fight myself, after losing my last like that," said Hiromi shaking her head.

"Our 'ace' here, and I also lost, Sergeant Major. All we can do is work to ensure it doesn't happen again," said Xuemei in a low voice.

"I'm kinda scared myself, Miss Chiharu. I mean I've been doing pretty good and stuff, but if even you are having trouble with the enemy, I'm not sure…" said Yasuko with a cute smile.

"Stay attached to that sister of yours and you won't have anything to fear, Yasuko," Chiharu replied lightly. It obviously wasn't quite the response the other had hoped for.

"A-alright. _Hokurei_ is a defensive unit. If I get scared, I'll just look for sis!" Yasuko said her confidence in the idea growing.

"But you'll be fine even without her, Yasuko. You're strong," said Chiharu, patting the cute girl on the head, leaving a blush on her face.

"Yeah!" called Yasuko. Megami smiled, almost wanting to give up on claiming Chiharu for her own.

---

The Empress wore an even expression as she reached for the door to the royal bedroom. Tomorrow, the major operation to take the islands of Japan for Britannia would begin. She supposed she was slightly uneasy about it all, but she had no doubt she'd be successful. Despite whatever defects some of them may have, she had nothing but faith in the six men and six women who served as her knights.

Opening her door and walking inside, she gave a heavy sigh. Her large, lavish bed was occupied as it occasionally was. She sat on the bed and shook the figure concealed by the covers.

"All right, you can leave now, witch," Ava said curtly.

"Empress…" the woman said giving a prolonged yawn as she sat up, the covers falling back to reveal that she was completely naked underneath.

"You lewd witch! Crawling into my bed unclothed, where do you get off?" Ava said shaking her head and closing her eyes.

"Heh. Let's have some fun!" D.D. called before throwing herself over the other, pinning her to the bed. Ava, much to her dismay, blushed as she looked at the unclothed blonde.

"G-get off me! Please realize that I'm not interested in this sort of thing!" Ava demanded helplessly, trying to ignore the feel of the other's heavy breasts pressing into her stomach. This proved most difficult.

"You do know it's not requisite for you to love me, I'm just looking for a cheap thrill," said D.D. with a sensual smile.

"I'm not that sort of woman," said Ava, shaking her head.

"Aww, you saving yourself for little Astrid?" D.D. teased, giggling.

"Shut up!" shouted Ava, trying to push the woman off of her.

"Come on, let's play," D.D. purred as her hand went down to Ava's thigh as her lips drew closer to the girl's lips.

"Get off…" Ava said meekly, giving the other a gentle push.

"Fine, you win," D.D. acquiesced, pulling up and sitting up. "But next time, there's no stopping me."

"Are you really so insatiable?" Ava started, shaking her head.

"I like having fun. You can't blame me for that," said D.D. with a giggle. "Now then if you don't want to play, perhaps we could chat awhile?"

"Suit yourself, but put some clothes on first," said Ava shaking her head.

"No, I think I'll pass," D.D. giggled. SHe then took a conversational tone, "Now then, this war of yours, it has you on the edge, doesn't it?"

"I wouldn't quite say that. I have confidence in my soldiers and my plans," said Ava.

"Yet you've seen a lot of failure of late, haven't you?" the witch said, leaning back. "That must create some anxiety."

"Perhaps, but I still have a handle on myself," said the young Empress.

"You sure? You've seen a little down of late, especially since returning from that little excursion back home," said D.D. with a smile.

"You must have seen him while you were in that house. I'm sure you understand," Ava said in a long sigh.

"You fear becoming something like that, that's why you push her away," D.D. said piercingly while remaining casual.

"It's been a long day. I'm actually fairly tired," Ava said, changing the subject. "I'd prefer you were to leave"

"Whatever you say, Empress," D.D. said, standing. "We'll play again soon, okay?"

"Are you really going to walk out of here like that?" Ava started, looking over at the still unclothed blonde.

"I'll stay if you prefer?" D.D. giggled.

"Leave," Ava insisted.

"As you wish, Empress," the witch whispered. "Sweet dreams."

With that, D.D. made her exit, leaving Ava to herself.

A/N: Chapter end. A pretty expansive chapter that included the vast majority of the OC cast (everyone class 2 or higher but Rayner, Amelia, and Belisario, who will receive more time when I introduce more EU characters). So, it was a talk chapter lacking the action of the last two (next chapter should make up for that). I guess I did a lot of character building, especially in the four Knights of the Rounds centric scenes. Aside from those, we have the introduction of Megami's more serious side (and a proper introduction to her knightmare), the revelation of Miya's role (and the recruitment of her parents), Richter being a jerk, a couple character introductions (yes, this new Chinese guy was created so Chiharu's side wouldn't be all girls, which just seems unnatural to me), and some partly frivolous Ava/D.D. service. Anyway, I think it was a solid chapter. I hope you all agree.

On another matter, me and my friend, daiki-kasho, were chatting the other day, and both decided it would be really cool to see some of the OCs in this story drawn. As neither of us have artistic talent, he suggested that I mention it here. So if there's anyone artistically inclined out there who would be interested in getting with em to draw some of them, I know that the two of us would at least appreciate it, and I'm sure some others out there would as well.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Princess Jacquelyn "Jackie" mi Britannia

Captain Wu Chaowei


	13. Turn 12: Horizons Ablaze

A/N: Turn 12. This chapter's pretty much all action. I'm doing the scenes a little differently than previous action scenes, taking the fights one by one and keeping to a limited POV instead of an omniscient one. We'll see how that works.

Disclaimer: Devlin: "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion and its sequel, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, are the property of Bandai Co., Ltd, Sunrise Inc. and all other associated networks and persons. The author of this story owns only the original characters and elements."

Chiharu Ohgi wore a confident smile as she flew her _Jinketsu _head first into a cloud of enemy knightmares. This was it. This was what could be called a truly decisive battle. The Britannian force was immense. It had to be twice, maybe three times as large as the one before. Chiharu wouldn't have been surprised if it was the entire Britannian military. It was intimidating to say the least. Even a narrow loss here would mean the loss of Japan to the enemy. That just meant she had to win.

She flew through the dense fleet of _Vincents_ rending all she could with her spear as she did. She could do this. With _Jinketsu, _with her Geass, she could save her homeland from capture. She was sure.

"Fate really has bound us together, it seems," a peaceful voice spoken through a knightmare's speaker sounded from behind her. Chiharu knew the voice; she turned around.

It was the gold machine, _Viviane._ It was Astrid Weinberg.

"Long time no see, Astrid, you ready for another loss," Chiharu taunted, eager for the fight.

"I will not lose this time," said Astrid resolutely. "I cannot lose this time."

"We'll see about that," said Chiharu holding her spear toward the enemy machine as it readied its sword.

"I will not falter!" Astrid shouted as she flew forward, moving into a quick slash.

Their blades met in the air.

---

Excitement, the fire of battle showed on the face of Hildegarde Waldstein as she maneuvered the immense _Galahad Renascence_ through the enemy flank, taking out around three _Akatsuki _with each swing of her gigantic blade. She would win, she would do this. She finally had the shot she had always wanted, the shot to fight for the memory of her father, the shot to prove herself as a knight, the shot to fulfill the dreams she had set for herself as a little girl.

"I've always dreamed of taking on the _Galahad," _said the calm, cool voice of an approaching knightmare's pilot. Hildegarde focused on it. It was a machine she had seen before. It was the machine Lord Marsh had bested in the last fight.

"Have you now, girl" Hildegarde responded, focusing on the lithe white and pink model. "Then come, test your drive against mine!"

"As you wish!" the enemy pilot, from her voice, a rather young but collected girl, said in a strong voice as she held her machine's long, thin sword rigidly.

With that, the smaller, faster machine was attacking _Galahad Renascence _with a series of rapid slashes. Hildegarde's heavy machine struggled to get away from the current of quick attacks. Hildegarde eventually found an opening and sent some slash harkens through it. They were deflected by the enemy unit's sword effortlessly but gave Hildegarde the opportunity to inch back and draw her massive blade into a downward slash. To her surprise the enemy chose to catch the gargantuan blade with her own significantly smaller sword and another even smaller sword she pulled from her machine's side. It was surprising because the small machine succeeded in throwing the massive blade off.

"Your unit is strong. Could I know its name?" asked Hildegarde in an amused voice as she forced herself back from the clash.

"It is the _Tianlong._ The celestial dragon!" the girl replied in a roar, before charging forward. Hildegarde could tell, this girl was a true warrior just like her.

"Suitable," said Hildegarde with a quick laugh. "The true test of any knight is whether or not she can slay the dragon!"

"Come then, before this dragon slays you, knight," taunted the girl in a cold voice. She then began to attack again, this time with both swords.

Hildegarde wore a smirk as she went for the same tactic, deploying her slash harkens. It took all ten this time to get a suitable distance away. She went in for another slash with her massive blade. This time it was a more diagonal slash that would be harder to block. The _Tianlong _jumped the slash and propelled itself across the massive blade's top, lunging straight at the machine's head. Hildegarde could do nothing to defend. Her shields deflected the first attack but the last of the four her opponent got off penetrated and damaged some of _Galahad Renascence's _sight equipment.

Though half-blind now, Hildegarde didn't miss a beat. Her opponent's move had been a risky one, and the girl was going to pay for it. She tilted the massive sword upright under _Tianlong _ and brought it quickly upward. _Tianlong _had no choice but to get hit by the slash. The girl maneuvered herself so the machine just lost a leg, but this of course threw off her balance.

"This is fun, girl. Now I'm curious about your own name. I can sense that you're a true warrior," said Hildegarde in an excitable voice.

"Very well, Knight of Four, Hildegarde Waldstein. I am called Hu Xuemei, proud soldier of the Chinese Federation!" called the girl with intensity. Hildegarde smiled. She honestly had no idea who would win this one.

"Then come, Hu Xuemei, come and give me everything you've got!" Hildegarde called back as she held her sword out and charged with it.

Xuemei was ready to evade, but Hildegarde changed her thrust into a short swipe at the last second. Xuemei tried to deflect it with her shorter sword, but it was sent flying from the force, and the machine's left arm was cleaved off before _Tianlong _could get away.

"You really are something, knight of Britannia, but no knight can survive the bite of a dragon!" called Xuemei as she seemed to focus herself despite her machine's lack of focus.

_Tianlong _was soon in the air. Hildegarde looked around for the unit but couldn't find it. She considered for a moment that her opponent had maybe run away, but that went against everything she had observed of the girl. Then it hit her. The _Tianlong _was staying squarely in the blind spots the girl had earlier created. Hildegarde became a little anxious. It was hard to fight blindly and come out unscathed.

"Hyaah!" a heavy shout came from directly behind Hildegarde. She didn't have time to do any real calculation. She just had to hope. She swung her massive sword straight back behind her. Just as she did, she could feel her machine shake as an eerily glowing massive blade pierced it, just nicking the top of her cockpit.

Hildegarde could tell it was a severe hit even if it wasn't a fatal one. She went for her ejection switch in frustration. It activated and her cockpit flew out from the front of _Galahad Renascence._

Looking through the opening the _Tianlong's _sword had made, Hildegarde was filled with a sort of satisfaction. Her sword's final strike had cleaved _Tianlong's_ head in half. Hu Xuemei was ejecting in the opposite direction. The sounds of both machines exploding hit her ears as she began to hold her breath, braced for a landing in the ocean below.

This time the Knight and the Dragon had fought to a draw.

---

Wu Chaowei wore a cocky smile as he flew his _Dongfeng_ above the enemy forces. Its twin precision handguns were blazing rapidly as he pointed them downward at the fleet, taking out one after the other from a safe distance. He was sure to emerge from this fight a hero. He was an ace after all.

Chaowei was a true natural. He was a very focused, quick on his feet sort of guy. This coupled with his keen mind and his more than keen, almost inhuman skill with a gun made him climb the ranks rather quickly. _Dongfeng _helped. It was a pretty cool, unique unit. It held two souped-up custom hand guns, had bright green energy wings and was white and green in color. It was a small, quick unit overall.

"You've been doing quite a bit of damage up here," an aged female voice spoke from an enemy unit, as it flew up toward him. It was a mainly red unit holding a large axe. It was _Lamorak, _knightmare of Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Three.

"So, you think you're going to stop me, Round," Chaowei said cockily. He honestly didn't know how well he'd do against this woman. He had been defeated last time by the Knight of the Round one number beneath her.

"You sound like a young man," Enneagram spoke. "I wouldn't try and act so cool in the face of a woman who was fighting before you were even born."

"I'll keep that in mind, old lady," Chaowei mocked.

"Show me what you can do then, little boy," the woman retorted in an equally mocking tone.

Chaowei grit his teeth, before diving straight at the _Lamorak,_ a barrage of blasts flying from his guns. The machine let its shields absorb everything as it charged toward the _Dongfeng, _axe reared. The woman let her axe swing downward, but Chaowei was too quick for her, he pressed back up and continued his constant fire.

_Lamorak, _went into another attack immediately, her fearsome axe moving faster than something its size should. Chaowei swore it must have been hollow or something, but he didn't want to take a hit to find out. He continued to blast away, but the woman pressed forward as if she didn't care that her shields were being steadily depleted. With each successive swing, the axe drew closer. Chaowei questioned how he'd be able to defeat an opponent who didn't fear his guns.

"Your weapons are flashy but weak child, you'll never win against a true warrior like this," the woman chided as she finally found a hit, The front of the _Dongfeng's_ chest being shallowly slice open.

"You'll see about that! I'll show you what _Dongfeng _can really do!_" _Chaowei shouted as he decided he'd activate a very special feature of his machine. He hadn't had time to use it in the last fight.

_Dongfeng's _thick arms split suddenly in half along their length, giving the machine the appearance of having four now instead of two. The two new arms reached down and pulled two more custom hand guns from side compartments. Chaowei was soon unleashing an attack of twice the intensity of his last, his quick, able hands moving to pull each of the four trigger controls with no breaks.

"Is that all, two more worthless blasters! That's your secret!" Enneagram laughed at this. She flew straight into the fire. Her shield was gone now, the blasts wee hitting her frame and warping the metal. Smoke was coming from parts.

"Don't you see, you're going down, old lady!" called Chaowei, frustrated by the other's attitude, though confident that he had won.

"You really are a naive little boy," the woman commented. "These weapons will never defeat me, no matter how many you pull out."

"Ha, then prove it!" Chaowei beckoned. "You know you can't weather this much longer!"

Nonette Enneagram then did something unexpected. She lifted her axe above her head, held it high then hurled it forcefully forward through the air. It flew forward into the barrage, glowing with an energy field, before finding it's way straight into _Dongfeng's _head, the blade piercing down into the cockpit, inches from Chaowei's face. He pulled his ejection switch. It didn't work. The ejection mechanism was caught on the axe blade He was captured with fear as the enemy flew toward him.

To his ultimate surprise the _Lamorak _ripped the axe from his machine and turned away. "I'll let you live today boy, just so you have the opportunity to learn what you're doing wrong." the woman said.

Frustrated and defeated, Chaowei pulled his ejection switch again. This time his damaged cockpit flew out toward the water. He cursed as he made his way downward.

---

Gino Weinberg wore a somber expression as he murdered people who had done no wrong to him. It was somewhat haunting. In his youth this had been less of a struggle for him. Age, love, peace, fatherhood, they had made him more sensitive to life perhaps. He still had to fight. Britannia was the homeland he had sworn to protect. His Astrid was devoted to this cause.

As his Excalibur found it's way through _Akatsuki _after_ Akatsuki _he questioned it all. Until just weeks ago, Ava li Britannia had just been the cute little girl that had kept his Astrid constant company for the last 12 years. Gino still wanted to see that Ava and maybe that Astrid, that's why he convinced himself what Ava was doing wasn't as bad as he had thought it was immediately after the fact. Seeing the battle first hand now, his stomach turned a bit as he fell once more on doubt.

But still he was the Knight of One, a leader in the Britannian military. Still he was Astrid's father. Still he would fight as hard as he could, even despite the tumultuous storm in his heart.

"Looks like I got here in time to make a difference," said a woman's voice from behind Gino in his rebuilt _Tristan Aegis. _He turned around to find a mid-weight red and pink machine with two large cannons facing him down. "You've fallen, Gino Weinberg."

"You're…" Gino could tell this woman knew him or at least of him. There was some age in her voice, leading him to believe that she was someone who had fought back then. He tried to place the voice.

"General Zhou Xianglin of the Federation," said the woman in a cold voice. Gino remembered the name as being that of the Black Knights former Chief of Staff.

"Our intelligence told us you were one of the generals leading the fight against the EU. It's surprising to run into you here," Gino replied wearing a grim smirk.

"I was this morning. When General Tohdoh received word of the numbers you were mobilizing, I was sent at once to help Hong and Kozuki command this one instead," the woman replied in an easy voice.

"I see. Well, I suppose we must fight then, General?" Gino started reluctantly.

"I see not why! You fought with us against the assumed evil in the last war! Why do you fight for the obvious evil now!?" Xianglin challenged, her guns raised.

"We all have our reasons to fight, General Zhou. I won't betray mine, I'm afraid," Gino said in a heavy voice, hating that it was his response.

"You're a respectable man, Weinberg. It's a shame you've gone this far," the woman said before firing a massive blast from one of her cannons.

Gino recognized the beam immediately as being one of Baryon technology. He dodged to the side of it and lunged forward with Excalibur held out. He slashed forward. The woman evaded it and fired another shot. Gino flew around the blast while diving forward, sword first. The woman wrapped the sword with her two slash harkens, bringing it to a halt.

_Tristan Aegis_ came to a stop then. Gino put all his strength into splitting his Excalibur in two with the machines two connected slash harkens until the enemy's slash harkens were stressed to their breaking point. Xianglin withdrew them as she fired a point blank shot. Gino made a quick evasive maneuver but still took the brunt of the blast. Luckily his shields absorbed most of it though they were heavily depleted.

Gino recovered quickly and launched either of the two halves of the disconnected Excalibur at the enemy machine. The first was evaded, but the second scored a minor hit breaking just barely through the woman's shield to impact her machine's chest. He then pulled the cables back and refused the sword, going in for a critical slash. Xianglin fired two blasts at once from her cannons to disrupt the strike, forcing Gino to pull back.

"Not bad, General. You're a worthy foe," Gino spoke in a low voice.

"As are you, Knight of One," said the other. "Though you'd be a worthier friend."

"Enough talk, let's continue," Gino said with a steady nod.

"As you wish!" Xianglin shouted before firing two more blasts from her cannons. "It's a shame my _Shenlong _will crush you for this foolish choice."

Gino weaved his _Tristan Aegis_ between the two heavy beams, trying to get closer while Xianglin struggled to keep the distance. Unable to close the gap for a direct attack, Gino split Excalibur once more and fired off the halves as slash harkens. This time Xianglin was prepared for the trick; she fired her cannons at the blades hoping to disarm her opponent. Only some expert work by Gino with his harken boosters kept Excalibur from destruction.

When the blasts had dissipated, Gino continued pressing forward. He withdrew and rejoined his blade before lunging forward again in a slash. Again _Shenlong'_s cannons roared to life, forcing Gino into some more precision evasive tactics. Again, he fell back slightly and began to split Excalibur.

"This again! You've lost Knight of One! I know all your tricks now!" Xianglin shouted as she fired her cannons once more.

"Do you?" Gino laughed. As Xianglin surely waited with anticipation to see the blades fire forward again, Gino activated his hidden weapon, the energy cannon formed by the slash harkens connected to his Excalibur. It popped up from between the just narrowly split halves of the sword and fired suddenly. An unprepared Xianglin had seldom a chance to react. The blast flew forward, piercing her shield, and critically damaging the _Shenlong's _lower body to the point where a chain explosion was imminent.

"Such power is wasted in the hands of evil," Xianglin spat bitterly as she pulled her ejection switch. _Shenlong _exploded seconds after she flew to safety.

Gino closed his eyes in respect.

---

Megami Subarashii cocked a smile as she flew her _Onryou _toward the back of the Japanese fleet, away from most of the serious action. She'd occasionally fire a blast or two at an enemy unit if it flew at her, but mostly just stayed fairly laid back. They were paying her but this still wasn't her fight.

Before deployment, Chiharu had told her to not stick to her so much. She respected the girls wishes, so she stayed back. Fighting to protect Chiharu really was the only fight here she would have been into though. Every thing else honestly didn't matter to her. She had no loyalties to Japan or the Federation. In truth, she had reasons to hate all the nations that had been part of the UFN built by Zero and his Black Knights. It was just Chiharu she was doing this for, and if that girl didn't want Megami at her side, most of the point was lost.

A couple _Vincent Ward's_ flew at Megami. She aimed, fired and destroyed each one in a shot. This was pretty boring actually. These common machines were destroyed so effortlessly. Maybe she should have flown to the front anyway. A serous opponent could have been more fun. It was just as Megami was thinking this that a different sort of machine entered her vision.

It was an ominous dark gray machine with orange effects and energy wings. It had an incredibly large rifle resting across its right arm. Megami had never seen the unit's specs before, and she had done a lot of snooping around Black Knights and Federation base archives over the years. It must have been something new. Intrigued, she flew at it, engaging the opponent with a blast from her main gun. The unit, though fairly bulky, managed to dodge.

"Ah, I've never seen something like that before. Yours must be something new as well," said the pilot of the machine, his voice revealing him to be a middle-aged man.

"It's called _Onryou, _buddy, and it's gonna kick your ass," said Megami excitedly.

"Well enough, this machine is called _Lionel_ and I am Claudio Darlton, Knight of Five," the other replied in a confident voice.

"This still isn't fair!" a loud, agitated female voice shouted over the speaker of a _Vincent Ward. _"Why has everyone else received a custom unit but me?!"

"You've been complaining about that for hours now, Lady Winfield, please calm yourself," Darlton replied to his comrade. "We don't know what this unit is capable of. Stay back and provide support to me."

"I'll do what I feel like, thank you. Don't think just because you're one rank higher than me in the Rounds that I take orders from you, Darlton" the woman replied bitterly.

Megami smiled. She was up against two Rounds. This would surely be a suitable distraction. She was ready to see what _Onryou _was capable of.

"Enough arguing, you happy couple! Let's get down to the fun part," Megami said with a girlish giggle. She pointed _Onryou's _blaster at the _Lionel._

"Oh, I hate you already!" the woman, Winfield, sneered as she flew toward the blast recklessly. Megami fired. The woman managed a split-second dodge above the blast. She then began to pummel the _Onryou _with her grenade launcher.

Megami lost the _Lionel_ amidst the attack. She looked around frantically for it while trying to keep her distance from the _Vincent Ward _which was now going after her ruthlessly with both its Master Vibration Swords drawn. It was overwhelming really. _Onryou _had no close range weapons, or even any slash harkens, so even a mass production model was hard to deal with once it got within a certain proximity.

It was lucky that _Onryou _was so easy to move. Megami had taken to using the neural control this time. With it _Onryou _moved exactly at her will without any time lapse. This made true reflex motions possible. As a very thin beam of bright light flew from a random direction at the unit, Megami was grateful for this. Narrowly dogging this beam, she was even more grateful when she saw it pierce straight through a _Huabing, _destroy itand continue on the other side.

Staring in the direction of this beam she spotted _Lionel, _its rifle still smoking. Megami smirked. It was a sniper unit. _Vincent _girl knew she couldn't beat the _Onryou, _she just wanted to keep Megami busy while the _Lionel _disappeared and found a clear shot with its deadly precision rifle. This was damn good tactics really; it was just a shame Megami ended up their opponent.

"You missed! How dare you! You were not supposed to fire until you were certain it would connect!" Winfield fumed at her comrade.

"_Onryou _is a high-spec machine it seems. It's not my fault I underestimated it," Darlton replied in a low growl.

"Shut up! I want this woman dead!" shouted the irate Knight of Six.

"You're not a very good person are you, Brit chick?" Megami giggled mockingly.

"What did you call me, woman?" Winfield curtly replied.

"You don't have a bad voice. I wouldn't be surprised if you were half way decent to look at, but sometimes the pretty ones are the most vile on the inside." Megami snickered.

"The nerve of you!" Winfield stammered. "Lord Darlton can you believe what this woman says?"

"I'm surprised to hear them form an enemy soldier in the middle of the battle, I suppose," the man replied in a humored voice.

"I don't have any place for your etiquette old man, I'm not here in service of any country, just to fill my own wallet," Megami said with another giggle.

"My opponent's a simple mercenary…" Darlton growled in disappointment at this revelation. "And here I was hoping the first custom unit my _Lionel _shot down would be that of a dedicated Black Knight."

"Black Knights piss you off twenty years ago too, old man?" Megami asked with a smirk on her face.

"You have an animosity toward the Black Knights yet fly in the service of their remnants?! You really are a woman of no loyalties…" Darlton said, sounding mildly disgusted.

"See, she's useless waste of space, Lord Darlton. Let us destroy her promptly," said Winfield with enthusiasm.

"Agreed. Mercenary, your machine may have speed, but _Lionel's_ rifle will not miss twice when its sights have been set on a target," said Darlton. "It's a shame that you'll die today not for a dream or ideal, but instead for something as meaningless as money."

"Cool! Kill me if you can!" Megami giggled. "I think I may make that a little harder for you now though." With that she activated her Geass. _Onryou _disappeared from her opponents' sights in an instant.

"It's g-- where did it go?" asked Dalton, startled.

"Just how fast can this damn thing move if it can vanish from our sight so quickly?!" Winfield spat, looking around.

"_Onryou's_ a fairly slow unit actually, you two," Megami spoke. The two maneuvered around seeking out the source of the voice. "But it's kind of special... Then again, so am I."

With that, Megami, now directly behind the _Vincent Ward_ a safe distance, fired a single shot form her main cannon. It completely devastated the Air-Glide wing system. The Knight of Six's machine began to lose altitude rapidly.

"But there's nothing there!" Darlton stammered. Megami knew he was probably using all his machine's fancy scopes to examine the entire area from whence the shot had come.

"Don't tell me they really _do_ have invisible units now!" Winfield said fearfully as she found her ejection switch, her cockpit flying to safety.

"This is a fancy trick, I'll admit, mercenary, but even if I can't see you, I know you must be here somewhere. I just have to keep my ears open and my hand on the trigger," Darlton spoke in a low voice.

"Sorry! It's kind of too late for that," Megami giggled as she fired her gun once more, now squarely behind the _Lionel. _It's energy wings soon stopped functioning. "It's a shame that brand new unit of yours didn't get a more ideal debut, but, hey, now it gets to take a swim I guess."

"Impossible. My wings clipped by a dammed mercenary?" Darlton started in disappointment, surely trying to restore power to the system as his knightmare began to move with gravity.

"Don't feel too bad, with that girl, you're the fourth Round I've done that to," Megami said playfully.

"You're Marsh and Hildegarde's unexplained attack!" Darlton stammered, connecting the dots.

"You might want to pull that ejection switch soon. The water impact's easier that way," Megami advised with a cutesy giggle, damn proud of herself.

Darlton wordlessly took her advice, him and _Lionel _falling into the water below separately. Megami sighed, her fun done now. She had wished the battle had been longer. She still hadn't been able to test the secondary weapon and the chest cannon. Smirking she decided, what the hell, why not go and check up on Chiharu now. She couldn't be seen now, so she could at the very least watch the girl from a safe distance.

---

Astrid Weinberg had a fire in her eyes as _Viviane's _sword clashed with_ Jinketsu's _spear for what had to be the hundredth time. The battle was taking far too long. She needed to win. She needed to, for Ava. She needed to fulfill the goals she had set for herself so long ago. She needed to defeat Chiharu Ohgi.

"Why do you hold back? I saw the speeds your machine is capable of last time, there's no point in hiding it again!" Astrid called in a strong voice as she pushed off of her enemy's spear.

"Hate to break it to you, but it's not my machine that was responsible for your defeat last time, it was all me," Chiharu replied in a cool voice, before charging _Viviane _with her spear held rigidly.

"Really? Then fight me at your best, I want to see that same power once more!" Astrid beckoned, slightly anxious, as she dodged to the side of her opponent's thrust.

"I'm not sure you understand. It's my ace. I'm not going to play it until I'm sure it'll take you down," said Chiharu in an amused tone.

"Then I'll force you to use it!" Astrid said with power in her voice as she pointed her MVS bow at the _Jinketsu._

She launched three explosive "arrows" in quick succession. _Jinketsu _rushed forward at high speed to avoid damage. Astrid was ready for this. She flew in at her full speed to meet it, her dagger-like sword reared and ready to find a cut. _Jinketsu _was faster though, and it's spear kept Astrid from striking distance. Luckily its spear was only able to put a small hole in some of _Viviane's _shoulder plating.

Astrid didn't let herself become frazzled by the attack. She turned around immediately and fired five MVS arrows straight at the_ Jinketsu. _It was able to doge three of them entirely one just nicked the machine's side, but another deviously aimed one actually pierced the _Jinketsu's _right arm. Astrid could tell at once that the damage to the limb was severe.

"Your firing speed has been increased since our last match, hasn't it?" Chiharu asked, sounding surprised.

"It has. A destroyed knightmare is never rebuilt just the same as it was when destroyed," Astrid replied in a soft voice.

"Well, even with one arm, I can still do this! Japan's future is in my hands," said Chiharu boldly.

"You have resolve, Chiharu Ohgi, but so do I! I am not going to fail again, I swear it," Astrid called back with intensity.

With that the _Viviane _fired five more of it's piercing arrows. _Jinketsu, _this time, made a blink of the eye jump away from all five at once, reaching the speeds it had when Astrid had been defeated, before coming back down to normal levels for a spear lunge at the _Viviane. _Astrid flew down and around to fight back the spear with her sword. She then pointed her bow straight at the underside of the _Jinketsu_ and fired a point blank shot. As the machine was moving very fast, the shot missed the torso entirely and merely score a damaging blow to the left leg.

"You're faster and smarter now. You really don't want to lose, do you?" Chiharu started with a cool laugh.

"It's not that I don't want to lose. Its that I must win!" Astrid corrected, firing another set of arrows. _Jinketsu _did another one of it's incredible speed jumps to avoid them all.

"This one you fight for means so much to you?" Chiharu said in a low voice. "Love is as admirable a thing to fight for as any, I suppose."

"I'm glad you understand. I don't fight you because I want to, I fight you because I must for the sake of this one I cherish," Astrid called back.

"I can see this won't be as easy as it was last time." Chiharu sighed. She put her machine into gear, slashing forward with her spear.

Once again Astrid met it with her sword.

---

Hiromi Tohdoh wore a look of apprehension as she flew her _Hokurei _through a cloud of battling knightmares, picking off as many as she could with her powerful gun when she could. A single _Akatsuki _flew just at her side, engaging and defeating an enemy _Vincent _every so often.

"Stay close, Yasuko. This is a dangerous battle," Hiromi cautioned her younger sister in the _Akatsuki._

"Geez, sis, I can handle this. I promised Miss Chiharu I'd stick with you, but I honestly don't need you protecting me all the time," Yasuko replied, irritated.

Hiromi sighed in acquiescence. "Just don't try anything too dangerous."

"Got it, sis!" Yasuko called back cheerfully, before going to engage a _Vincent Ward. _After only about a minute of their swords meeting, Yasuko scored a critical blow. Hiromi hated it. Why did her sister have to be good at this? It tormented her having the girl out on the battlefield. In frustration she found a full line of enemy units. She fired a massive area blast from her Radiant Wave-surger rifle. They were all soon exploding.

"I can't just let firepower like that go unnoticed," an aged male voice spoke through a speaker. Hiromi spied a familiar machine flying toward her. It was _Constantine; _It was the Knight of Two, Damian Marsh.

"I'm in a bad mood, Britannian. I'm not gonna waste anytime on foolish talk," Hiromi said bitterly before firing a long range blast at the _Constantine. _

Marsh quickly maneuvered around the blast and fired his own from the tip of his lance. Hiromi held out her shield to absorb it. It did without issue. She then fired another blast from her heavy rifle as she pressed forward, trying to get in range for the harder to avoid wide area blast. _Constantine, _unfortunately, began to close the gap to quickly, charging forward a incredible speeds with the lance held forward. Hiromi wasn't sure even _Hokurei's _shield could take the immense force surely behind the charge. She fired a blast at the machine hoping to disrupt it.

To her surprise, _Constantine_ plowed straight through the blast, hardly damaged thanks to its shields and also its incredible momentum. Hiromi hadn't the time to even try and evade. She could soon hear the lance denting deep into her shield as she was thrown violently back. Luckily she could tell there was no severe damage to _Hokurei _from the attack. She struggled to collect herself and fly her machine up so it was facing forward. As she did her eyes immediately caught a nearby struggle.

Yasuko's _Akatsuki_ was currently engaging a _Vincent Ward. _Unlike most of the girl's struggles, this one did not end promptly in Yasuko's victory. Hiromi could just tell the girl had been fighting for minutes now, and Hiromi couldn't see it ending any time soon. This pilot was a match for Yasuko, no probably more than a match. Hiromi watched in horror as her sister's _Akatsuki_ soon lost an arm.

Hiromi was so caught up in her sister's struggle that she hardly had time to prep her shield to absorb another lance blast. She shook her head as she forced herself to remember she was currently engaging the man regarded as the second best knight of Britannia in battle.

"It's hardly proper for soldiers to let themselves become distracted in the midst of battle, child. The pilot of that _Akatsuki _is someone important to you, I take it?" said Marsh in a level voice.

"You could say that, but really I don't see how it's any of your business, Britannian!" Hiromi growled spitefully.

"Right, well just so you know, the pilot of that _Vincent Ward, _is a most gifted new recruit who was put under my command. She's legacy, the daughter of a Knight of the Rounds, a personal friend to the young Empress herself, and an exceptional though inexperienced pilot in her own right. Your friend may have talent as well, but this will not be an easy victory," the man said. It was as if he wanted Hiromi's attention to be permanently split.

"Then I'll just have to defeat you now and make sure she's okay!" Hiromi stammered, before firing another blast from her heavy rifle.

_Constantine_ made a quick dodge and then went into another bolting charge forward. This time Hiromi put her energy into dodging it, flying up and then aiming a blast just as Marsh was to change angles. It hit, and this time _Constantine's _shields did not absorb all of it. A good portion of the shoulder armor was destroyed in the blast. To Hiromi's surprise, this did not stop the _Constantine._ The powerful knightmare quickly charged up, It wasn't a full force charge, but it was enough to jostle Hiromi's heavy rifle straight from her hands. She quickly pulled her fork knife out in order to protect herself.

"You have a lot of potential girl, but as I'm sure you realized, against me, you were always going to die today," Marsh spoke in a heavy voice.

"We'll see about that!" Hiromi called, before slashing forward ruthlessly with the knife.

She only closed half of the distance between herself and her enemy before the six cross-patterned spikes on _Constantine's _shield all shot off at once, all piercing straight into the very center of _Hokurei. _Hiromi could actually see the spikes as they penetrated into her cockpit, preventing its ejection. Cursing her sure death, she turned to catch one final glimpse of Yasuko in her fight, hoping to at least see that girl win. She didn't find the fight. Instead she found an _Akatsuki _rushing at top speeds away from a_ Vincent Ward _in her direction.

"Sister!" Yasuko screamed as she held out her sword, swooping down and struggling to cut the six cables that held her sister captive. Hiromi shook as she did just that.

But what happened next was beyond horrifying. _Hokurei_ all but dead, Hiromi could just watch as _Constantine_ ruthlessly batted the _Akatsuki _ back in the direction it had come and then fired a massive blast at the machine before it could react. To Hiromi's immediate relief, Yasuko ejected before the blast, which would cause the _Akatsuki _ to erupt immediately in a fiery explosion, even hit. But to the girl's dismay, her beloved sister flew not to safety but straight into the arms of her opponent in the _Vincent Ward._

"I've secured the enemy cockpit, Lord Marsh. Should I compact it?" asked the girl with Yasuko in her hands.

"A true knight does not kill a defeated enemy just to see him dead, young Margaret. That girl is Britannia's prisoner now," the Knight of Two responded darkly.

"Yes, my lord! I'll take her back to the ship then!" the girl, Margaret, replied before flying off with Yasuko.

Damian Marsh then showed that he followed the philosophy he had just stated himself. He flew over the barely functioning _Hokurei_, leaving it behind. Hiromi quietly wept at her defeat and cursed that she wasn't stronger, that Yasuko would get taken away, that she would be unable to protect the girl. Noticing some less noble _Vincents _flying in her direction she decided to eject before she was surrounded and destroyed.

---

"How goes yours, Niles?" asked Callista Blackwell in an excited voice as her converger beams ripped through the home of the Japanese President, setting it ablaze.

"Most of the governmental buildings have been completely leveled. The whole area is saturated with blood," Niles Moore responded through a long distance feed. Though he seemed normal at times, Callista could just feel the slight satisfaction in his voice as he brought carnage to the defenseless masses below him.

"And you, Mr. Cross, how goes it on your end?" the woman asked, smirking as she set her sights on a few more impressive mansions. She wasn't sure who lived in them or if they were worth her time. She just wanted to see them burn.

"I'm inside their big military base blowin' all the shit up that I can, if that's what you're wonderin'," Ulric Cross said in a heavy voice.

The three of them had went a different route than the rest of the force. They had cut across from the southeast of Japan and gotten behind the front, plowing through the fringes of the enemy force with ease. They had taken to their assigned mission, destroying the hope of the Japanese people, forcing their leaders to flee, setting the stage for their Empress to claim the proud nation for herself.

Knightmares would come to challenge them every so often. Cross in the military headquarters got it the worst, but Callista still figured that was the best place for him. There was a peace of mind that could be found in the excuse that the defenseless men you butcher all worked for the military you fought against. Callista still figured it must be hard for a normal man to do such a thing. She contemplated this as she turned around and burnt two more unknown manors to the ground for amusement.

"Stop! Desist in this ruthless slaughtering of men at once!" the pilot of an approaching _Akatsuki _shouted as he flew at Callista.

Callista yawned. She pointed both _Morganna's_ arms out toward the man. She fired both scythe harkens around the machine, constricting it. She put all her force behind them and they reaped through the knightmare like it was butter, cutting both the machine and the man inside in two. This was too easy. It was too bad all the serious opponents were on the front lines. Oh well, at least it was still fun to destroy the fancy homes around her. She fired more blasts all around.

---

"Everyone, please be calm! We can't hold you all!" Kaguya Sumeragi, President of Japan shouted to a massive crowd of her frantic citizens.

She was frightened. She was strong and unflappable, but here she was actually frightened. Enemy units had broken through and were raining destruction down upon whole districts of her Japan. Her home was the first to be destroyed of course, it was a wonder she had gotten out alive as it was being burnt quickly to the ground. Her aids had escorted her through a series of quick emergency exits, many of them dying in the process. Many other homes followed hers, homes of not just men who worked for the government, but those of people who had nothing to do with it.

At the same time a massive aerial fortress of a knightmare had instantly leveled the government buildings and the entire areas surrounding them, some of which were also residential districts. All this while the central military headquarters was being raided by a lone high-power knightmare from the inside. This wasn't war. This was barbarism.

Now she stood before her private jet, determined to evacuate as many of her beloved citizens as she could. She honestly didn't know if she could get everyone that was there to safety. When the blasts started going off, the people in the surrounding areas who didn't die immediately started filling out en masse looking for at least some assistance. She was left with no choice but to take as many as possible with her on one of her private planes to find hiding in the Federation.

"But what about the rest of us?!" someone shouted back in a panic.

"There is another jet. It'll be here shortly," Kaguya said, praying it wasn't a lie and that her second jet would make it there still able to fly.

"Please, everyone, calm yourself," ordered a very distraught Kaname Ohgi. "These planes have a maximum capacity. We can only take a set number of you or no one at all."

The man's usually strong wife, Villetta Nu, was in tears just behind him. The younger of their two daughters, 14 year old Kiyoko Ohgi was caught in an explosion as they fled their burning home. She had died on the spot like so many others.

"There! Look, it's the other jet!" Kaguya pointed out, as a second plane approached behind the first. "We'll take everyone who's already on board this one out. The rest of you load up on that one."

With a dissonant murmur the crowd began to move toward the second jet as Kaguya, Kaname and Villetta returned inside the first. Kaguya nodded for the pilot to take off.

"God damn it, old buddy! Why does this have to happen!? Japan was on top of everything for so long, but now Britannia's back to shove us in the god damn dirt again!" frantically shouted Shinichiro Tamaki, a former Black Knight and the wealthy owner of a world famous Bistro in Japan, to Kaname.

"I don't know, my friend. I didn't know people were capable of evil like this anymore," the man replied in a low sigh.

"I was just a little kid then, but this feels just as bad as when Japan was lost the first time," said Tamaki's wife, also a former Black Knight, Ayame Futaba.

"I never would have guessed so many of us from the old crowd would be pulled up from our daily lives and thrown together like this," said Kento Sugiyama, a musician of some fame, also formerly Black Knights.

"So did our front fall? How many units are doing this?" said former Black Knight Ichijiku Hinata, looking ready to drop the "former".

"Our front is still strong. Just three units broke through," said Kaguya in a soft voice.

"All this and just three enemies--!" stammered a stunned Mutsuki Minase, also once a Black Knight.

"That's what war is in this age. It's different from what we're used to. The scientists have had twenty years to analyze the designs of _Guren S.E.I.T.E.N._ and _Lancelot Albion_ and build machines on their level. Just one machine on that level can wipe out a whole country if it so chooses," said Kaname in a low voice.

"But that's crazy, man! If one can kill a country and they got three, doesn't that mean our Japan's had it for good this time!" Tamaki shouted in frustration.

"Calm yourself. Ava li Britannia doesn't want to destroy Japan, she wants to conquer it, take it's sakuradite and use it to revitalize the failing Britannian economy. She's just trying to break us by destroying the symbols of the nation we've built the last twenty years," Kaguya spoke in a low voice.

"Then why my place, why Kento's place, why the home of all these others! Why did they all get burned to the ground! " Tamaki demanded with heavy emotion.

"I don't know, Shinichiro. I wish I did. So much of this destruction seems unnecessary," the President said shaking her head, trying to keep her eyes off of VIlletta, who began to weep softly some more.

It was then that a passenger's scream hit the Kaguya's ears. She turned in the direction and saw what the passenger did. A narrow beam had reached the second jet. It exploded in an instant. Shock and tears filled the cabin of the first jet as it pressed onward.

---

Chiharu Ohgi panted heavily as her spear met with Astrid Weinberg's sword for what had to be the thousandth time that day. She was tired and weary by this point, but not ready to give. Neither was her opponent. Astrid was strong, and she was determined. _Viviane _had also seen some extensive improvements in its refurbishing. Aside from faster firing form its bow, she had noticed the machine itself was noticeable more agile, durable and all around improved in every way. It had many holes punctured throughout its frame yet was still not about to go down.

But this was taking too long. Chiharu had a horrible feeling in the center of her stomach that someone needed her elsewhere. Why did her opponent have to be so resolute? The woman's incredible love for this other gave her drive that Chiharu failed to completely understand. Chiharu needed to seriously use her Geass to finish this, but she was scared. She was scared that it wouldn't be enough and then she'd end up dead.

"You ready to pull that ace of yours yet, Chiharu Ohgi?" asked Astrid, her voice cold.

"I don't have much of a choice at this point," Chiharu said, realizing the truth. She activated her Geass fully. "This fight is about to end!"

_Jinketsu _sped forward, closing the gap instantly. Its spear moved twice as fast as scoring slash after slash as the _Viviane _struggled to evade every other of them.

"This is what I was waiting for!" Astrid shouted as she tried her hardest to put some distance between herself and Chiharu.

"Funny, I never thought of you as the type who would want to die!" Chiharu called back, not letting up for an instant to give Astrid the opening she was clearly looking for. Astrid moved as fast as she could to beat back some of the slashes with her sword and slash harkens.

"Only one of us will die here!" shouted Astrid as she decided to just point her bow-hand up in the air for some reason. She fired a differently colored arrow then ever before straight up. It exploded and strange fragments began to rain down over a wide area. Soon _Jinketsu's _movements were jammed. _Viviane f_lew a safe distance from _Jinketsu. _Astrid then pointed her bow once more at the machine, another arrow of a design Chiharu had never before seen appearing. It fired. Chiharu braced for impact.

A massive, somewhat haphazard hadron beam shot out of thin air and incinerated the arrow along with a _Vincent _and a _Huabing _that just happened to be in the way. CHiharu knew instantly what was going on.

"You're here?!" Chiharu shouted out questioningly.

"Sorry. I said I wouldn't help you, but having something like that hit you dead on could have been dangerous," said Megami Subarashii in a cheerful voice.

"You idiot! We could have beat her together!" Chiharu shouted in frustration. "At least feel free to help me now!"

"I don't think I can do much. That hadron thingy left me at ten percent power," Megami sighed.

"Didn't that woman explicitly tell you not to use it?" Chiharu shook her head.

"Sorry. I didn't have time for a precision shot on a small, fast moving target," the mercenary retorted.

"Whatever, I can move now, so I can finish this myself!" Chiharu called as she rushed toward the _Viviane _spear drawn. Before she got there, a voice hit her ears.

"Lieutenant Ohgi, news from General Hong! Japan has fallen to Britannia! We are to fall back and regroup immediately!" it said. It was the pilot of a _Huabing. _

"No, that's--!" Chiharu stammered, broken. They had lost. She had lost. Her fight was over. "We'll settle this next time, Astrid Weinberg!" she shouted back at her opponent.

---

Devlin Granville wore a stern, dedicated expression as he forced his way through enemy upon enemy. He and his sister Regina were at the very heart of the battle. He had just received word that Japan had fallen; but the enemies this far in didn't know this yet, or if they did were pressing on in spite of it.

Devlin's new machine, the _Lucan, _was one of exemplarily quality. It was mostly green in color, with purple wings and effects. It's right hand held a broadsword, it's left a custom handgun. It was simple, elegant and had an overall knightly appearance. Regina's _Bedivere, _was nearly the twin of it. Its color scheme was reversed, its sword was smaller and in the left hand, its gun larger and in the right hand, but all-in-all it was very similarly built.

The two of them had been fighting actively for awhile now, besting knightmare after knightmare. Devlin was confident things were almost over. He was glad. Seeing Regina fight made him somewhat nervous. Though she tried to hide it now, Devlin knew that girl was still one with a mess of emotions swirling in her conflicted head.

"The enemy force is thinning, brother. This fight is at it's close," Regina spoke in a pleased voice.

"Yes, the two of us shall be able to return now, sister," said Devlin, equally glad for the fact.

The two returned to picking off enemy units casually for awhile before something alarming happened. A whole swarm of their allies in _Vincents _exploded in a single red blast of hellfire. Out of that fire flew a red knightmare, looking very much like the King of Demons emerging from Hell itself. Worry soon overcame the young Knight of Seven.

"Stay back, Regina, engaging this machine is not a good idea," said Devlin resolutely.

"Come now brother. It's a twenty year old model and ours were finished less than a week ago. I'm positive we can best it together," Regina said dismissively.

"I am serious, sister, fall back! Do not engage!" Devlin scolded strictly.

"R-right! Of course, sir," Regina feebly replied.

"So these are Britannia's new models, huh? It might be pretty fun destroying them," the pilot of the red machine announced casually in a driven voice.

"We do not wish to fight, General," said Devlin quietly. "Your Japan has fallen, there's no point in you continuing to fight at the moment."

"Silence! Japan, fallen! You Britannian scum, will never understand! Japan lives within me! It will not fall until I, and everyone else who believes in it, does!" the strong woman shouted angrily. "Now be a man, knight, and prepare yourself for the fight!"

"Brother, what should we--?" Regina started, a tremble in her voice.

"We pray that what you said is right, Regina, and that this truly is an enemy we can handle," said Devlin, his voice strained.

"Yeah, let's get her…" Regina said in a weak voice.

Regina fired her gun first. Devlin swept in with his sword. The demonic red machine held out its monstrous, clawed right hand before firing a high intensity area blast. Regina and Devlin split in opposite directions to avoid it. Turning quickly, both knights launched second attacks, this time Devlin with his gun and Regina with her sword.

"Not good enough!" the enemy shouted with power in her voice, before spinning around and batting both of them a significant distance away with just her machine's wings. The machine's powerful claw arm then shot off directly at Regina's machine. The girl had seldom the time to react before it grabbed her at _Bedivere's_ left arm. It soon exploded and thrust the girl back a distance.

"Regina!" Devlin shouted, flying to his sister. She was safe; only the one arm was lost.

"Devlin, I'm scared. What do we do?" Regina said, obviously panicked.

"Don't worry sister, we've been through a lot. We'll survive this too. Just don't do anything reckless and stay close to me and I swear you'll get out of here alive," Devlin said in a calm voice. He hoped that he could keep this promise but questioned if he could. He didn't want to see Regina die. He couldn't let that happen.

"General Kozuki, I implore you to listen, your people, your country, they need you now. Killing us would be a waste of time," Devlin tried reasoning again, knowing he sounded more a coward than a reasonable man.

"What your name, sir?" the woman asked with a cold intensity in her voice.

"Devlin Granville, Knight of Seven," said Devlin steadily.

"You aren't a big enough man to call yourself that!" the woman, Kozuki, the most well-regarded pilot of the war twenty years ago, said with venom. Her machine, the _Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. Eight Elements, _then flew at him, it's demonic claw opening wide, prepared to set itself on his machine's brand new machine was fast, strong, and well-balanced but the _Guren _was built for a pilot of simply inhuman skill. In the hands of such a pilot, _Lucan_ looked like a joke.

Still Devlin couldn't just give up. He had to keep fighting for Regina's sake. He readied his sword as he quickly bolted to the side, escaping _Guren's_ grasp, before doubling back to try and land a cut. The _Guren _met his sword with it's claw. It fired a blast. All the energy reserved for _Lucan's _shield was depleted with a single attack.

"Brother!" Regina called, rushing to his aid.

"No, Regina stay back!" Devlin started, but it was too late.

The two large slash harkens atop _Guren's_ shoulders shot forward, piercing _Bedivere's _head and abdomen. Kozuki held her arm weapon steady toward the machine and prepared a shot. Devlin rushed forward again, his gun blazing and his sword slashing at rapid. Eventually he had broken through _Guren's_ shield and was scratching it. Kozuki had to withdraw her arm to take a defensive stance, sparing Devlin's sister. Regina soon managed to force herself off the slash harkens. Neither had landed a critical blow.

"Brother, please lets just run away, this isn't worth it," Regina pleaded, tears in her eyes.

"No, sister, we can't. We are knights, we must live as knights and we must die as knights should that be what fate decides," Devlin panted, his cool well broken. He wished he was strong enough to run away, to get his sister to safety. He had always had a fool's pride though. He hoped his sister would forgive him for that. Kozuki drew her MVS Fork Knife. She pointed it at _Lucan._

"Well, I won't let you fight her alone, brother!" Regina called before opening fire on the _Guren. _

Kozuki brushed it off and slashed with her knife at Devlin. He met it with his own sword. The two swords clashed again and again for awhile, Devlin proud to be meeting the famed General strike for strike. Regina's gunfire was distracting the _Guren _slightly. Devlin figured if he could keep it up, he may just find an opening. He could just possibly turn this battle around.

"Regina, don't let up, even for an instant!" Devlin demanded as he tested the very limits of his sword arm.

"Yes, sir!" Regina said enthusiastically. She continued to bombard the infamous red machine with her high powered hand gun, making Guren's movements slightly jerky. Eventually Devlin saw his gap, he went in for a slash and it penetrated Kozuki's sword radius. His sword cut into the _Guren's _armor, leaving a deep cut in the center of the machine. Devlin had to abandon his sword inside the machine to avoid Kozuki's counterattack.

"Now, aim for the damaged area!" Devlin ordered, readying his own gun. The two of them began to blast away at the _Guren's _chest.

"You guys think your smart, don't you?!" Kozuki said, amused. "Well it's a shame being smart gets you nothing in the face of a superior opponent!"

Kozuki gave a short battle cry before launching her arm toward Regina again. She flew back. Kozuki fired a long range blast from her arm still airborne. Regina tried her best to move out of the blast's range but it proved impossible to do so entirely. _Bedivere's_ legs were lost in the blast as it flew upward. Kozuki charged forward, ready to finish the machine.

"No! I won't let you harm her!" Devlin shouted furiously, thrusting himself in _Guren's_ path despite the fact that he had but his small custom hand gun to defend himself with.

"Brother, you can't--!" Regina started frantically.

It was too late for her concern though. Guren's claw was already atop _Lucan's _chest_._

"Devlin!" Regina screamed. "Please no! Devlin!"

Devlin wanted to say something, give his beloved sister some comfort, but he couldn't. The oxygen all around him was starting to burn. Soon so was that inside of him. He could feel the blood under his skin start to boil a little as the heat became unbearable

"Devlin!" he could still hear her screaming. He knew it would be the last thing he would hear. What would be a few seconds of absolute pain passed where he felt as if everything was on fire. His mind raced as he considered his short life, and what it had meant. He held a hope in his heat that Regina would live on, that she wouldn't stray from her knightly path.

Then those last few seconds of contemplation ended, leaving just an absolute darkness.

A/N: End. A pure action chapter this one. For a quick recap, we had Astrid vs Chiharu (again), Xuemei vs Hildegarde, Chaowei vs Nonette, Megami vs Rowena and Claudio, Gino vs. Xianglin, Damian vs Hiromi (with Margaret vs Yasuko going on in the background) Devlin and Regina vs. Kallen, and of course those other three Rounds on their killing spree in Japan. Some of these fights matter a bit more than others, obviously. Hiromi's fight and Regina's fight are obviously going to have very serious ramifications in regards to their character arcs. But the big idea is that Japan lost this one pretty bad. They were overwhelmed. Megami and Kallen were the only ones who decisively won their matches. Speaking of Kallen, yes I introduced my most beloved character ever in a rather villainous way. I don't remember her ever holding back. I figured this would be no exception. I think everyone was waiting to see how I would introduce her into the story; I doubt many expected me to do it by comparing Guren to "the King of Demons emerging from Hell", but I like to do the unexpected. Other established characters made their entrance as well, in the Kaguya fleeing scene. Damn Callista for killing off Chiharu's cute little sister before you got a chance to meet her (not seriously, I still love Callista). But yeah, tell me what you thought. hope you all enjoyed.

Onto another issue I've been mulling over the last couple days. This chapter was all action, but this story is also supposed to have a romance element, if you all remember. Obviously, Ava's going to have yuri romance in her arc and so is Chiharu. I'm kind of curious if you guys want more than that though. I obviously love yuri romance and would want to write that if possible, but I'm not going to make every female a lesbian in this story; it just wouldn't be natural. But maybe, I was thinking, I could include just a few more couples and still keep it somewhat believable. So I thought I'd ask, is it worth it to add more, or is unneeded for this story. I've put up a poll on the subject, but if you'd like to respond to me directly I'd appreciate it. Feel free to tell me if there's a specific character (Hiromi, Miya, Amelia, Margaret, Xuemei, Hildegarde, Regina, maybe even an unpaired established character) you want to see get a romantic aspect added to their arc as well.

And I'm still looking for a skilled enough artist to draw my characters (though I'm beginning to seriously doubt I'll get any takers there…).

Items to be added to info page with the next update:

Dongfeng

Lionel

Kiyoko Ohgi

Lucan

Bedivere


	14. Turn 13: Forging Ahead Out of Darkness

A/N: I was very pleased with the reviews of the last chapter. Very few of them were of the non-substantial one line variety but rather had depth and thought to them. I really like seeing that; it shows my story is really making an impression. I'd like to say that I really appreciate you all for reading this.

Disclaimer: Amelia: "The one calling himself CrazyNinjaPenguin does not have any legal claim to Code Geass. This is purely a fan work."

Ava li Britannia wore a pleasant smile as she sat in the castle garden, admiring some flowers. Looking up, she turned to the girl kneeling beside her to find that she too was smiling. It was a cute smile. Ava looked down quickly to hide the blush on her face.

"The flowers in the castle are so pretty, Ava!" the girl, Astrid Weinberg said in a pleasant hum before standing and twirling about, taking in all the lush colors at once.

"Yeah. It's nice. Aunt Nunnally rather likes flowers. She's brought in varieties from all over the world," Ava replied cheerily, watching her dear friend spin with a warm expression.

"It really is beautiful," said Astrid, stopping her twirl and coming to sit in front of some particularly lovely pink flowers.

"I'm glad I could share this with you, Astrid," said Ava as she sat down right next to Astrid. She could feel her warmth. "I'm glad you're my friend."

"Of course I am, silly!" Astrid said, tilting her head and smiling as she put a hand to Ava's back. "And I always will be, you can count on that."

"Thank you, Astrid…" Ava said looking down to hide her blush and the tears in her eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?" a low, spiteful whispering voice said from behind them. Ava turned around. It was her cousin Jackie. She was 12, two years older than Ava.

"What do you--" Astrid started but was cut off.

"Don't be so clingy with each other, it's disgusting," Jackie said in a huff as she come to kneel in front of the pretty pink flowers before which the other two sat. To Ava's horror and disgust, her cousin began to forcefully rip flowers from the immaculate display.

"Stop that! What are you doing?! Everyone worked so hard to make it perfect!" Ava demanded, standing and trying to pull her cousin away from the flowers. The larger girl didn't budge.

"What's the point of some stupid flower garden that no one sees? These flowers would be better served accenting my outfits," said Jackie, pulling up another flower.

"But you're ruining it!" Ava protested. Jackie finally turned around.

"You disgust me, cousin," she said pointedly. "You always have," she took another step toward Ava, entering her space. "You never talked to anyone, you just read books in a corner, and wore that blank, creepy look on your face. I always used to think you weren't even human. I still sometimes wonder if you aren't anything more than a freak."

"Don't say stuff like that about Ava, you ugly bitch," spat Astrid, walking up to the older girl, looking angry.

"You think that just because you use crude language you become an adult, little girl. The simple fact remains that I'm bigger than you. You cant intimidate me," said Jackie coldly.

Astrid clinched her fist. "Then I'll just have to make you take it back!" she said before striking Jackie at the side of her chin. It was a glancing blow at best.

"You little monster, how dare you!" Jackie shouted. She then pushed Astrid forcefully back into a display of thorny flowers. She cried out in pain.

Ava about screamed before running forward and tackling Jackie full force down into the display of pink flowers which she had earlier admired. She sat atop the girl and began to pummel her face with both fists, not letting up, even for a second. After a few minutes, Ava tired and her hands came to a stop. Jackie began to cry and scream, her face thoroughly bruised. Ava pulled off of her. She turned to Astrid who had found her way out of the thorns with a few cuts.

"I'm sorry, Astrid. It looks like I hurt some of the pretty flowers," said Ava looking at the display again, realizing for once that her screaming cousin's weight was atop part of it.

"It's all right, Ava. I thought you were really cool," Astrid said with a soft smile.

"What's all the noise in here?" asked an always familiar adult voice from the entrance to the flower garden.

"Mommy!" Ava said before running into her mother's arms.

Mother smiled as she held Ava close. She surveyed the scene, particularly the screeching girl still laying in the flowers.

"Ava, did you do that?" Mother asked in a serious voice.

"I'm sorry mother…" Ava said, knowing she had done something bad. "But she hurt Astrid."

Mother glanced over at Ava's young friend. She took note of the cuts on her body, some of which dripped blood. "I see. One should always protect those they care about, Ava."

"So what I did was okay, mother?" Ava asked with a hopeful smile.

"Your aunt Arienette will still want me to punish you," said Mother. "But perhaps we could avoid that were you to go home early today."

"You think so?" Ava asked with a tilted head.

"You're a big girl. You wouldn't mind going back without me, would you, Ava?" said Mother, nodding.

"N-no, it's okay," said Ava shaking her head.

"Good. I'll call Padriac and have him come pick you up," Mother said, adjusting the fancy yet cute silk hat Ava wore

"Bye Ava! Thank you…" said Astrid in a warm voice.

"Bye, Astrid. See you in school," said Ava, exiting the garden.

"Now then, let me see about getting you to your father," she could hear her mother tell Astrid as she found the exit.

Ava wore a very satisfied expression as she walked through the castle halls, navigating herself to the entrance. It took awhile. The castle was very large, and Ava didn't know it all so well. Eventually she found the main gates. She went through them. She didn't see Padriac's limo there waiting for her. She supposed it was natural. Mother had likely just called him. He wouldn't be there for a few more minutes. Bored and a little curious, Ava walked out toward the street in front of the castle and looked around.

Seconds after she reached the street a very young girl ran by. It took Ava a few seconds to realize her hat was gone. She looked over. The young girl had it. Her mother really liked seeing Ava in that hat. Ava didn't even think about anything else. She just gave chase.

She closed the gap quickly. The girl looked to be half Ava's age. She couldn't move as fast. She was determined to get away though, and still made it a contest for Ava. Ava put all the energy she had into running. Just as she was about to catch the little girl, the girl came to a stop, hiding behind an old man.

"Lucy, what's going on here," asked the old man, looking back at the little girl and then at Ava.

"That girl took my hat!" Ava said, stopping, out of breath.

"Lucy, is this true?" asked the old man, looking at the girl.

"I'm sorry, grandpa…" the young Lucy, who had to be just five, said with a pout.

"We mustn't steal, child. Please, give this young lady back her hat and apologize," the child's grandfather, a kind man looking to be in his late sixties, said with a nod.

"I'm sorry…" said Lucy, handing the hat back to Ava. Ava took it.

"My, that certainly is a fancy hat," said the old man, finally seeing what his granddaughter had tried to take. "You must be a noble's daughter."

"I'm a princess, actually," said Ava looking down.

The old man froze. With a quiver he began,"I-I'm horribly sorry… the child doesn't know any better… she didn't mean anything by it, your highness."

The reaction kind of scared Ava. Not knowing what to say, she looked around. She had ran just a short distance from the castle, but things looked so different here. The houses were small and crumbling, the cars dented and dirty, a number of the passersby dressed in rags.

"It's okay. I'm not angry," said Ava tentatively.

"I'm relieved, your highness," the old man said gratefully. "Our family's fallen on hard times of late. The girl seems convinced to do what she can to help. We've told her not to, but the girl has taken to stealing things she perceives as being of value."

Ava looked forward, a certain sick feeling entering her stomach. All the nobles always talked about how peaceful and happy the world was. Why then did this little girl think she had to steal to support her family? Why did a shoddy crumbling place like this exist so close to the castle? Ava's ten year old mind had trouble comprehending it.

"Could you tell me what's happened with your family?" asked Ava softly. "Maybe I could help."

"Your highness! That you'd--! I don't even know what to say," the old man seemed awed. "I was the middle son of a noble. I accrued a fair amount of wealth as a bank manager. My only son, the girl's father, worked in energy resources, overseeing sakuradite mines in Japan while it was still Area 11. Then, twenty years ago, the Demon Emperor went after the nobility. I lost my title, but somehow escaped with my life. My brothers and my wife were not so lucky. My son lost his job when Japan became it's own nation again. He got a job locally at a severe pay cut, and was able to support his wife, his three children and me who had nowhere else to go. But about the time Lucy was born, my son was laid off. He hasn't been able to find anything since. We've been left to our own devices to get by."

Ava reflected on this somberly. It was a far cry form her idyllic life. It made her sad. She wanted to help this man and his family. She still didn't understand any of this though.

"But everyone says Aunt Nunnally does a good job. I didn't think…" Ava spoke tentatively, her head hung.

"I'm an old man. My life is in its decline now. That's why I don't fear saying it, but Britannia was a better place to live when it wasn't afraid to flex it's muscles and show its authority as a world power. Say what you will about war. It's a horrible thing. My father served and died a military commander. But peace does not guarantee happiness. It might be a selfish thing; surely there were people suffering then as I do now, but that doesn't change the hollow feeling inside me that my Empress doesn't stand up for my sake, for Britannia's sake," the old man said before giving a long sigh.

Ava couldn't find any words to say. The man spoke again. "But here I am spilling my life story and my petty concerns to a girl younger than some of my grandchildren. I suppose we lose touch with age. I'm sorry to trouble you with such things, your highness."

Ava looked at the young Lucy. She smiled as she held out her hat. "Please take this," she said. "My mother said it was made from fine silk. It should be worth something."

"Your highness, we couldn't accept such a--" the old man started, shocked by the offering.

"I insist. It would be better used in your hands," said Ava, shaking her heads. "I just wish I could do more."

"No, your highness. That's more kindness than this old man and his family deserve," said the man obviously touched by the act of kindness.

Ava smiled. She turned to go back. There was sure to be a panic by now as everyone looked for her. She had to hurry. Her mind still went to the old man and the little girl. She wanted to help them. She wanted to do something. She had to figure out what she could do.

---

Ava smiled as she went over the details of the dream she had had four nights ago, the night before the conquest of Japan was to take place, yet still hadn't left her. She remembered that day seven years ago. It was an important day for her. A lot of her had grown up then. Before then she wasn't very different from the likes of her cousin Jacquelyn and the others. She was an innocent child who didn't know anything but the world of a Britannian princess, a world that would never be unpleasant, a world of nothing but pleasant things. Before that, she was just like that flower garden, a beautiful thing, well tended too and loved, but entirely isolated from everything around her.

She remembered what happened after that day. She retreated to the books that had always been her solace. She would research economic trends and reports for hours. She'd ask her mother about how things had changed. She'd have long conversations with the servants about their lives and families. She was appalled by everything that she found. It wasn't just that old man and his granddaughter. Britannia as a whole had entered a period of decline. Her juvenile mind couldn't comprehend why no one complained, why no one spoke a foul word to her Empress. She had asked her mother about it once. Back then she didn't understand the reply:

"_The world isn't always a happy place, Ava. Even if they suffer now, as long as the cruel memory of war remains within them they shall stay silent. Though things may have become hard for many, they are spared the sadness war brings and thus remain content."_

Ava knew she had finally grasped what her mother had meant as she prepared to present herself to the world. War was misery. Devlin Granville, her knight of seven, a man who didn't believe in her per say, but believed in Britannia more than any other, had died. Many other men whom Ava had never known had also died. She was responsible for their deaths. She knew this. It filled her with a sense of emptiness, a sense of loneliness. Still she had to be strong. She was doing this for Britannia and its people. She was doing this for the truth. Backing away now would be the most dangerous choice.

Even if the deaths surely brought sadness, she wondered what the people thought of her. All indication was that she was well loved. She had opened eyes, allowed people to free the dark thoughts within them that had existed for twenty years. What's more, she had caused the economy to reboot considerably, millions of military jobs had been created, sakuradite was coming in like never before, the men who weren't dying in the war surely wore smiles on their faces as they considered their new lives.

Ava somehow hoped she'd meet that old man and his granddaughter again someday, that she'd get a chance to see if she had made any difference in their lives or not. If she had, then just maybe, some of this misery was worth it. She held this thought within her as she walked out before an excited crowd.

"My people, hear me, I, Ava li Britannia, 101st Imperial ruler of the Holy Empire of Britannia, hereby announce that the United States of Japan has fallen. Their allies have all either withdrawn their support or have been defeated. This war is over, and our glorious Empire is the victor. Please join me in welcoming in a new era. An era of a strong Britannia, a Britannia that isn't afraid, a Britannia that doesn't hide."

With those simple words people began to cheer. She was filled with doubt and uncertainty but they were cheering. That made her feel stronger, if only just a little. She prepared to give the rest of her speech.

---

Miya Ashford had a crisp smile on her face as she sat amidst a small group of young men and women. The past few days had been difficult. Her body was worn. She had been worked past her limits and allowed little rest. She supposed it was worth it though. She was quite impressed with the things she could now do.

She stared ahead. One of the other candidates was engaging in a sort of test before the training instructor, a woman in a white Zero mask. The young man was performing a rigorous run though a dangerous obstacle course that tested the very limits of his agility and nerve. Miya knew it was just a matter of time before she'd have to run through it.

"This one looks pretty tough," she said in a sigh. A girl sitting beside her looked up.

"Yeah. I guess it does," she said with a soft laugh, a smile on her face. She was about five years older than Miya and had soft blonde hair, cut short. She was quite pretty.

"I'm Miya," Miya introduced herself, holding out a hand.

"Cynthia," the girl replied kindly, shaking the hand. She then did something that surprised Miya greatly. She giggled before placing a quick kiss at Miya's cheek. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It certainly is," Miya started with a blush. "What was that for?"

"Greetings are important when meeting new friends. How one reacts to them is a good way to judge who will be true to you," the girl, Cynthia said in a pleasant voice. Miya laughed.

"Well, did I pass then," she said, scratching the back of her head.

"It was a different sort of reaction. It's rare to find a girl who actually seems to enjoy it when a complete stranger granting her a kiss upon the cheek," Cynthia gave another giggle. "You seem to be a very relaxed person; the sort who seldom becomes uncomfortable with anything. You're the type who would be a good friend to anyone."

"I doubt it's so rare to find someone who likes getting kissed by a girl as pretty as you," Miya said, nodding.

"Oh, so is that your persuasion?" Cynthia asked, head tilted.

"I don't have a persuasion. For me it's all about people," said Miya in a calm voice.

"You don't say," Cynthia was impressed.

"I don't know if it's some special gift, or I just have really good intuition, but I can tell within seconds of meeting someone what sort of person they are, whether they're good or bad. It's like I can see some sort of invisible aura that surrounds us all," Miya said, knowing Cynthia was someone who would listen.

"My, what a beautiful gift," Cynthia said with a smile. "And it's accurate?"

"Aside from just maybe one time, It's always right," Miya commented. It was true that she was very adept at making snap judgements after just meeting people. She could tell with one look at a man's face whether or not she should walk on the other side of the street from him. There was just one girl who betrayed her intuition, who she perceived as shining with the best of them, yet propagated evil into the world. That was Ava li Britannia. That was Absolution's sworn enemy.

"Well I suppose that saves you a bunch of kisses then," Cynthia said with a cute giggle. "So what about me, what sort of person am I."

"The very best sort," said Miya smiling.

"I'm pleased to hear that. Most people find me odd," Cynthia said nodding firmly.

"I can tell you're a very kind person, Cynthia. I actually find it kind of strange that someone like you would be here," said Miya, looking at the floor.

"It's like you say Miya. This world contains good and evil, light and dark. It's the job of the light to battle the dark, don't you think?" the blonde girl said with a cute laugh that betrayed her philosophical question.

"Some of it, yes, but I've always thought that the brightest of the light should be allowed to shine purely, never touching the darkness," Miya commented softly.

"Then why are you here, Miya, your light surely shines brighter than even mine," said Cynthia, causing the other to blush.

"Im curious you could say. There's some light in this darkness and I want to understand it, even if it means I'll be forced to extinguish it," said Miya in a heavy voice, thinking of old friends.

"Then I suppose our stories are different. I search the darkness not for light, but for one of the blackest spots, a place within the darkness where a monster resides," Cynthia said, her voice never becoming grim or sober.

"A monster in the darkness?" Miya raised an eyebrow.

"You've surely heard about Japan. Monsters do exist in that darkness. One of them I feel obligated to cast into the light," said the blonde girl in a wispy voice.

"I don't understand how what happened in Japan could have just been allowed…" Miya said looking down.

"Monsters can't be tamed, Miya. No matter the leash you keep them on, they remain monsters. Monsters know only one thing and that is filling their jaws with blood," said Cynthia, still smiling.

"I have this feeling I'm going to be talking to you a lot in the future, Cynthia. You're really interesting," said Miya returning the smile.

"Thanks! So are you, Miya," the blonde gave an agreeable giggle. Miya's eyes fell on the young man training with the white masked woman.

"Looks like he's about done," she commented.

"Yeah, and I'm next," the other replied.

"I hope you do well," said Miya.

"Thank you, Miya. I wish you luck as well." Cynthia laughed. Just then the white masked woman called the young man's training to an end. He stopped, covered in sweat, his body bruised and cut from all that had been thrown at him. The woman told him, to shock, that he had failed the test and needed more practice. She then turned to the small group.

"Let's see, next we'll have a Miss Moore. Cynthia Moore," the woman called, looking at her list of recruits. The beautiful, pleasant blonde stood, revealing herself to be quite tall and even more beautiful. She gave the white masked woman a nod before beginning the training test.

Miya watched, enthralled. The elegance in Cynthia's movements was incredible. It was a whole new level of beauty. At that moment Miya knew that the girl in front of her was a light that shone bright enough to pierce the heart of any monster.

---

Kallen Kozuki wore a grim expression as she sat at a large round table aboard the Japanese flagship, _Hitokage, _as it sat hidden in the mountains of the Chinese Federation. Sitting at the table was everyone who's voice mattered: Kyoshiro Tohdoh, Nagisa Tohdoh, Rakshata Chawla, Kaguya Sumeragi, Zhou Xianglin, Hong Gu, Kaname Ohgi, Villetta Nu, Yoshitaka Minami and even the Federation's empress. Also at the table was Shinichiro Tamaki, who had forced his way to the table after having spent the last twenty years living a civilian life; Kallen couldn't safely put him in the same category as the others.

"So, we are clear on all that has transpire the last four days?" said Tohdoh in a heavy voice. The stress of having had his younger daughter fall into enemy hands was clear on his face.

"To put it simply, we lost," said Kallen in a low growl. "Japan was taken, our forces left decimated. The Federation had to abandon the cause to save what little of its autonomy it could."

"It certainly does look grim," said Minami, looking at the table.

"We were overwhelmed. When the EU entered the picture, we lost any chance of victory. It's as simple as that," said Rakshata in a somewhat causal tone.

"I agree. The EU was the deciding factor. Without them, our force had superior numbers. With their support Britannia had an effective buffer that allowed them to lead a

full on strike," said Xianglin, looking quite displeased.

"I think we're agreed on this matter. The thing I still wonder is why? Every nation that makes up the Euro Universe was also a UFN member. They are the traditional enemy of Britannia who has been fighting them since long before we have. Why would they join them now?" Ohgi started shaking his head.

"It's cause their a bunch of damn cowards! They got hit hard by Britannia last time so this time they were only interested in saving their own skin, and making a profit in the process," Tamaki accused in a loud voice.

"There are decent men in the EU, Shinichiro, we can't forget that. Fear and greed are powerful things, but it takes a lot to get great men to abandon their pride," said Kaguya in a quiet voice.

"The EU has become more centralized of late, that's part of the problem. The President of the Commission has considerable sway," inserted Nagisa in a slow voice.

"I've spoke with Belisario on a number of occasions and was left with nothing but a favorable impression," said Kaguya deliberately.

"As have I," said Tianzi with a nod.

"But does any of this really matter! I mean, look, we lost, what do we do about it now!?" Tamaki started, pounding his fist on the desk.

"That is the question. We have hardly a move to make, our forces are scattered and the enemy is strong," said Kallen somberly, her heart heavy.

"And there's no Zero to come along and guide us this time either," said Rakshata to stares. Kallen silently agreed with these words. Making the impossible possible was that man's place.

"There is something for us to consider," said VIlletta, looking resolute.

"And that would be…" started Kaguya, shaking her head.

"Two weeks ago, I received a message, a sort of job offer from a group operating in Britannia. I disregarded it as nonsense then, but now..." the former diplomat said in a low voice, the grief caused by her young daughter's death evident in every syllable she spoke.

"What sort of group?" asked Hong suspicious.

"They are called Absolution," said Villetta simply.

"Terrorists, I would assume." Kallen scowled.

"We were terrorists once," said Ohgi, closing his eyes. "If Britannia is to fall now, we must make it to crumble from the inside. If winning back Japan means condoning things we otherwise wouldn't might that not be worth it?"

"Even so, I would prefer knowing some details of this group before throwing myself behind it's cause," Tohdoh said pointedly.

"The message contained no details of the group, only actions for me to take to contact them," said Villetta solemnly.

"That could prove quite dangerous," said Nagisa. "How do you know this isn't a trap?"

"Please now, who has anything to gain in targeting a simple diplomat?" VIlletta said shaking her head.

"You say they offered you a position. What would that be?" asked Xianglin with a stern nod.

"What I'm used to. Ambassadorial work," said Villetta smirking.

"So you'd be their link to us?" Minami said in understanding.

"Would you be all right with that, Kaname?" asked Kaguya tilting her head.

"Even if I wasn't, it's her choice I won't get in her way," the man said with an even expression nodding to his wife.

"Well then, Villetta Nu, we leave it in your hands to secure knowledge of what could be a valuable ally. We all wish you luck," said Kaguya with a smile.

"Yes, Miss President," Villetta replied closing her eyes.

As the meeting came to a simmer, Kallen considered everything. Her Japan had been taken for her for a second time now. Fighting to reclaim it twenty years ago had cost her so much. Naoto's face had grown hazy in her memory, even Lelouch's was starting to fade, but Kallen knew the price for this war was just as heavy with a simple look at everyone's face in that room. That's why she couldn't yield in the face of enemies. She would have to fight just as hard this time.

---

Amelia Gottwald was virtually expressionless as she approached Astrid Weinberg's door, a tray holding the girl's usual Pizza Hut pizza dinner in her hands. A smile appeared suddenly as the door opened.

"Your dinner, Astrid," she said in a pleasant voice as she entered the room. The girl was lying on her bed face down, looking rather distraught, her face paler than usual.

"Oh, Amy…" she started, picking herself up.

"Are you feeling any better, Astrid?" Amelia asked, tilting her head to show curiosity.

"I guess…" Astrid sighed as she sat down at her table, her food placed before. "It's still a sad thing, losing a friend. It's enough to make me lose sight of the fact that I won this time, that I forced my enemy's retreat."

"You're a kind person Astrid, that's why this has such an effect on you," said Amelia with a nod.

"I'm a knight of Britannia. I know people die in war, I'm at peace with that fact. It's a necessity for fulfilling Ava's ambition. But when it's someone I know, when it's him, when I think about what she must be going through right now, I still can't help but fall apart," Astrid said in a weak, pathetic voice.

"Eat your pizza. It'll make you feel better," said Amelia consolingly, a sadness within herself. She was a spy, a deceiver, aiming to kill this girl's best friend. She was Astrid's prime enemy, yet every day the girl was here, she would spill her heart to her. There was nothing but love and kindness in this girl's heart, though some of it may have been twisted the wrong way. Astrid Weinberg was impossible to think of as a simple enemy, she was rather a kind, somewhat sad girl.

"Okay…" Astrid said with teary eyes as she lifted a slice of pizza to her mouth and took a bite. She smiled. "It's good."

"That's better," said Amelia smiling back.

"Yeah." Astrid gave a soft laugh before taking another bite of her pizza. "I can't beat myself up for something in the past that I can do nothing about. I helped Ava succeed. That should be enough."

"You're very dedicated to the Empress," said Amelia, nodding.

"Yeah… well…" Astrid blushed. "Amy, if I tell you something kind of weird, you wouldn't hate me for it, would you?"

Amelia smiled. She gave a quick nod. "You said we were friends Astrid. Nothing you say will change that."

"You know how I said once that there was someone I'd give everything to protect… someone I maybe l-love?" Astrid gave a gulp.

"I remember it," Amelia said closing her eyes.

"Well, it's Ava. I love her," Astrid admitted tentatively, her face red. Amelia already knew this. It was apparent after spending a single hour alone with the girl. Still to hear the words ring boldly off the girl's own lips, Amelia was impressed and also a little sad. This girl's trust in her was so complete that she was willing to divulge such private things. It tore at Amelia's heart; it made her feel like a monster.

"I see. I don't think that's strange, in fact, I find it beautiful. Love is never something to hate someone over," said Amelia softly.

"You're a good friend, Amy," said Astrid smiling beautifully. Amelia was filled with guilt.

Amelia sat with her "master" a while longer, chatting about matters more frivolous. The girl, as per usual offered her second piece of pizza to her maid to keep the conversation going. It was just Pizza Hut, but to Amelia the pizza always tasted somehow special. It was the gift of a warm girl, a girl who maybe loved the wrong person, but was herself filled with nothing but warmth. Eventually, the pizza was done and the conversation reached a close.

"Good bye, Astrid," Amelia said softly as she stood to leave.

"See you soon, Amy," Astrid smiled widely, her mood having improved greatly. Amelia left the room feeling strangely satisfied.

Amelia descended the stairs and moved past some other servants to the kitchen. She sat the empty tray aside for a moment by the sink. She looked to see that no one was watching before opening a side door and slipping outside. Making sure no one was around she pulled out her cell phone. She dialed a single digit and held it up to her head.

"Agent Gottwald, what do you have to report," said a voice, this time a woman's.

"The primary target has reached the point of absolute trust in me. She'd be willing to divulge anything to me," spoke Amelia into the phone.

"Have you secured any usable information so far?" the woman on the other end asked.

"The target harbors a romantic inclination for the primary enemy," said Amelia quickly, callously.

"Y-you don't say?" the woman was surprised. "I trust it is unrequited."

"It seems that way. I have not met the primary enemy to confirm this," Amelia said in a low voice.

"Hmm, well, that puts you in a position where an opportunity is more likely to present itself. If you will, try using your target's trust to get into the castle. It's likely the task will fall to your hands, agent," the woman said deliberately.

"I understand. I will not hesitate when the opportunity comes," said Amelia in a resolute voice. She heard the click of the other hanging up.

Inside she was torn. She wasn't a girl who had many friends. It seemed she was destined to betray one of the few she now had.

---

Chiharu Ohgi stared blankly ahead as she sat atop the bed in her room aboard the _Hitokage. _Her best friend, Hiromi Tohdoh was sitting on the bed next to hers doing much the same. Almost an hour had passed now since the two of them had sat down, yet a single word had not been exchanged. Chiharu wanted to speak with Hiromi, she just didn't know what to say.

Kiyoko Ohgi was a cheerful girl. She was small and cute and full of boundless energy. She was very direct, never shy. She was playful. She was happy. She dreamed of being a gymnast and had the potential of fulfilling that dream. She couldn't now. Kiyoko Ohgi was gone forever.

It was devastating. The cute little sister who had always been there to pester Chiharu at no end was gone now. Chiharu wouldn't see her again. Even the body of the girl was lost in the fire, buried beneath rubble. When Chiharu considered that she would never see Kiyoko's face again, that she would never hear her voice again, she was filled with a sense of incredible loneliness.

Despite this, Chiharu knew that Hiromi might be worse off. Her and Yasuko were so close. Kiyoko was gone and nothing could be done about it, but Yasuko's fate was uncertain and in the hands of their enemies. What's more, Chiharu wasn't anywhere near Kiyoko when it happened. Hiromi was right there. It was after her own defeat that Yasuko had been taken. She surely blamed herself. Even still, Chiharu couldn't find any words of comfort within her torn heart.

"Gee, you two, does it have to be so mopey in here?" a playful voice came from the room's door. Chiharu looked ahead. Megami Subarashii was standing there smiling. "Come on, cheer up!"

"Get the hell out of here, you insensitive bitch," Hiromi started in a quivering voice, standing and facing the other. Megami slapped her hard across the face. She fell back at the force.

"Stop being such a child," Megami said shaking her head.

"Fuck you! You don't have any clue what we're going through," Hiromi shouted as she came up fist first, ready to knock out the woman's jaw. When that jaw and the woman attached to it became invisible she lost her clear shot. Hiromi went on the defensive preparing for another blow from the invisible woman.

Megami wasn't invisible for long. Chiharu could soon see her. Her arms at least, that was. The woman was embracing her from behind. It was probably odd having another woman hold you like that, her hands on Chiharu's hips, her chest pressing into Chiharu's back, her chin nestled against Chiharu's neck, but it was strangely warm and comforting.

"Don't speak when you don't know someone, girl. I've seen up close a sort of hell you can't even imagine. So don't tell me I don't know what your pain is like," said Megami in a low voice. Hiromi wore a look of defeat on her face, but sat back down.

"If you know, then how can you just come in with that dumb smile and sunny attitude?" Hiromi said with a scowl.

"It's because I know that I do. It's too easy to let pain, sadness, grief, loneliness consume you at times like this when there's no reason to let that happen," Megami said in a low voice, straight into Chiharu's ear. "Doing that just kills you on the inside. It's better to hold your head high and just press forward. Even through grim times, it's best to remain strong otherwise you'll just lose sight of yourself."

"Say what you will, I still want you to leave," Hiromi said coldly, looking down. Chiharu didn't know why, but contrarily she desperately wanted the woman embracing her to stay.

"A strong girl like Yasuko wouldn't want to see you lose yourself over her. Remember everything you believe in, everything you fight for, and move forward with the thought of winning her back set firmly in your mind," said Megami, nodding to Hiromi.

"I can't believe a faithless mercenary like you can speak such words to me," said Hiromi with some venom.

"I've already lost everything. The words no longer apply to me, that's true, but you haven't lost sight of hope yet. That's why I still feel the need to say them to you," said Megami in a low voice.

"I don't like you, mercenary. You think you are more than what you are," Hiromi said in a dark voice.

"Eh, I suppose I've said enough," said Megami, letting go of Chiharu and standing.

Chiharu's lips formed a smile. She would grieve her dear sister the rest of the day. After that she'd allow the girl to become another driving reason why her promise with the Phantom from the past needed to be kept. Kiyoko's memory, Yasuko's safety they would both become new components in her reason to fight. She'd regain her strength, she'd fight on. She wouldn't lose herself, she'd become stronger. She'd avenge Kiyoko, she'd save Yasuko, she'd reclaim Japan, she'd bring an end to this war. She'd do it all. She had to.

"Thank you, Megami," Chiharu said softly as the turquoise-haired mercenary reached the door. The woman turned around and smiled at her before exiting.

---

Yasuko Tohdoh sat alone in a dark, isolated cell. It was a Britannian military prison. She had transferred here after a duration in a prison block aboard a battleship. She was scared and she was lonely. She missed her family. She missed Miss Chiharu. She wanted to go back. As Yasuko contemplated her loneliness the sound of voices soon hit her ears.

"And over here we have the last one. A young girl captured by Lord Marsh's unit," said a very strong female voice.

"Very well, I suppose I'll meet with this one as well," a more subtle, younger female voice said.

Yasuko could soon hear footsteps. Shortly after that, two figures, two women, appeared before her. Both had pitch black hair; the shorter was in her late twenties, fairly muscular, with shorter, wilder hair and a very strong look about her. The taller was younger, just Yasuko's age, her hair was long and straight and she had a beautiful appearance. Yasuko had seen this second woman before. Everyone had seen this second woman before.

"You're the--" Yasuko started, instantly recognizing the young leader of Britannia, Empress Ava li Britannia.

"I am Ava li Britannia, as you well know. This is the Knight of Four, Hildegarde Waldstein. It's a pleasure to meet you," Ava said with a smirk.

"Why would you come to speak with me directly?!" Yasuko demanded, not understanding.

"Surely you know of my ability. I may be the Empress, but having what I have makes me a valuable commodity when it comes to military interrogations," said Ava, nodding.

"I don't know anything, I swear it. I'm just a private," Yasuko said frantically, shaking her head.

"Please forgive me if I don't believe you," Ava said with a sigh. "But I prefer to find the truth for myself."

"Honestly, I'm not hiding anything!" Yasuko demanded.

"You're name, rank and affiliation, soldier?" the Empress asked casually, her eyes locking with Yasuko's. Yasuko knew then that it was too late.

"Yasuko Tohdoh, private. Soldier of Japan under the command of General Kyoshiro Tohdoh," Yasuko replied at once, unable to stop it.

"Your name and the General's are the same. What is your relation?" asked Ava, fire deep in her eyes.

"He is my father," Yasuko said simply, staring ahead without blinking.

"This one already has more value than the others, Lady Waldstein," the Empress said with a smile.

"Yes. She has political value even if she has no information." The woman next to her nodded.

"Being the General's daughter, would you say you get special privileges compared to the other soldiers of your rank?" Ava asked, focusing on the girl in front of her again.

"Yes. I'm sure I do," Yasuko said readily.

"Do you have any knowledge of the newer units developed by Rakshata Chawla for Japan and the Federation?" Ava asked, smirking.

"I do," Yasuko said with a nod.

"What can you tell me of the Federation model, _Tianlong?" _the woman spoke, giving a soft nod at the one standing next to her for some reason. That woman smiled, looking curious.

"It's pilot is Lieutenant Hu Xuemei. It's meant as a balance to the _Shenlong_. That's all I know," Yasuko said. It wasn't a machine she knew much about.

"Tell me about Hu Xuemei," the Empress prompted.

"She's 19 year old. Silver hair, pale skin, about five and a half feet tall, very pretty. She reveres General Zhou Xianglin but behaves coldly to everyone else," said Yasuko in brief. The Empress nodded.

"What about _Dongfeng_ and its pilot?" Ava, satisfied, turned to a new model.

"His name is Wu Chaowei. He's in his early twenties. He's very brash and energetic. I don't know him very well at all," Yasuko said, shaking her head. Ava merely nodded.

"Well what about the Japanese machines, you'd surely know those? _Hokurei_, the machine you fought alongside, what do you know of it?" Yasuko's heart fell. She'd be betraying her sister's personal details to the enemy next it seemed.

"It's just under 14 feet tall, just over nine tons in weight, equipped with a heavy radiant wave-surger rifle, 2 slash harkens, a fork knife, a large powerful radiant wave-surger shield and energy wing systems. It's piloted by Hiromi," Yasuko struggled in letting out the last bit, wanting everything to protect her sister.

"Hiromi?" Ava prompted, causing severe pain to enter Yasuko's brain as she fought to contain the information.

"My big sister, Hiromi Tohdoh," Yasuko said shaking under the Empress' glare.

"Tell me about Hiromi," the Empress said with a smirk.

"She's strong, and smart, and funny, and likable, and very cool. She goes a little too far to protect me some times and sometimes she can't control her temper, but she's really the best sister I could ever ask for. I lover her so much," Yasuko said, tears entering her eyes.

"H-how… how old is she? What is her rank?" Ava asked, looking sadder now somehow.

"She's 18. A Sergeant Major." Yasuko said, looking fearful for what was surely next.

"Well then, tell me about Chiharu Ohgi, pilot of the _Jinketsu_," Ava prompted. Yasuko was shocked to hear the Empress already had Miss Chiharu's name. She didn't know how that was possible.

"She's incredible. She's kind and friendly, fun to be around and just really cool. She's also amazingly beautiful. I admire her more than anyone else," Yasuko spoke still crying.

"Age and rank?" Ava asked, obviously not interested in the response Yasuko had given.

"19. Lieutenant," Yasuko said softly.

"And what do you know of the machine _Jinketsu? _As you and Miss Ohgi are so close, you surely know something of its specs?" Ava asked hopefully.

"I don't know the real details. It's a solid ninth-generation machine. Unlike _Guren _it was built with an ordinary pilot in mind. It's specs are comparable to _Hokurei, Tianlong, _or any other," Yasuko said nodding quietly.

"Then what allows it to reach the superior speeds we've observed in battle twice now?" asked the Empress. Yasuko had no choice but to answer, even if the girl in front of her would set her sights on Miss Chiharu.

"Chiharu's Geass," Yasuko said, again feeling pain in her head.

"G-Geass?!" Ava exclaimed. "Did I hear that right?!"

"I heard it too, your highness," Waldstein said with a nod.

"Chiharu Ohgi possesses the power known as Geass?" Ava questioned leering blankly into Yasuko's eyes.

"She does," Yasuko confirmed.

"What can she do with her Geass?" Ava asked.

"It increases greatly her strength, speed, reflexes, and mental power," said Yasuko rather simply.

"Enhanced strength? Is something like that possible with Geass? Your Geass, father's Geass, Lelouch vi Britannia's Geass, they all stuck strictly to mentality," Hildegarde started in disbelief.

"The body is all connected to the mind, Lady Waldstein. It's reasonable then that, within a certain limit, Geass can effect physicality as well," said Ava with a steady nod.

"I see. That does seem most reasonable, your highness," said Waldstein.

"Now, girl, I ask, what are the limitations on the ability?" Ava asked.

Yasuko began to shake. The pain was the worst yet. She desperately didn't want to betray Miss Chiharu's weaknesses to the enemy. She'd rather die. But she couldn't resist. With the Empress' Geass eyes on here, she had no choice but to say it.

"It's really dangerous. She'll faint instantly after using it for any more than matter of seconds. If she ever let it last over 15 minutes the doctor said she would surely die."

"Interesting. So it can be safely used in very short bursts, or for an extended period, but only if she is positive she will defeat the enemy within fifteen minutes save risking exposure during the fainting spell." Ava nodded. "I have a friend who will be most pleased to understand how this all works."

"But to think the enemy would have a Geass user in their possession…" Waldstein started in a deliberate tone.

"Where did Chiharu Ohgi acquire her Geass?" Ava asked smiling.

"I don't know. It as after she was shot down in a remote region of the Chinese Federation. She won't tell anyone the truth about it," said Yasuko in a low voice. Ava look dissatisfied.

"Well, I suppose my next question is of the _Onryou. _Who is the pilot?" Ava asked.

"A woman. A mercenary," Yasuko spoke. There was no pain this time. She didn't care about protecting that woman.

"Her name, age, and place of origin?" asked Ava.

"I don't know any of them," said Yasuko. She didn't care to protect the woman but she had nothing to say.

"Very well, the unit itself, were you briefed on it?" asked Ava.

"I wasn't. She stole it. That's the only reason it was out on the field already anyway," Yasuko said bitterly.

"Do you at least have an idea why it is able to disappear from sight as it does?" asked Ava, looking displeased with the complete lack of information.

"Geass," was all the girl said.

"You're joking?! The enemy can't have two!" Waldstein said in shock.

"People don't joke under my Geass' influence, Lady Waldstein," Ava spoke. "The enemy could have a Geass source in their possession. If so, though we have won this initial battle, our war may be far from over."

"Then I'll just have to keep fighting," said Waldstein resolutely.

"I think that's all I want of you for now, Yasuko Tohdoh. Thank you kindly for your patience. You've been a great help to us," said Ava with a nod to the girl before turning around, freeing the girl from her gaze. The Empress and her knight began to walk away.

Yasuko began to cry. She felt horrible. Britannia would have profiles on all her friends now. She was forced to, but she had betrayed them. She began to question why she had pulled that switch in front of the Knight of Two. Things would be better for Hiromi and Miss Chiharu if she were dead. She was left to contemplate that all alone in the dark, quiet cell.

---

Regina Granville lie on her bed all alone in her room. It felt empty. Everything felt empty. Her life was empty. She had nothing left to live for. Why hadn't that woman ended things for her as well? She kept asking that question. She couldn't find a satisfactory answer. It was as if she were being mocked that that woman would be called to retreat seconds after slicing Regina's heart in two.

Why was she spared? Why? She had nothing now. She wanted to die. Thoughts of killing herself had filled her brain constantly since that day. It had been four days now yet she hadn't moved, she hadn't eaten anything since then, she had just lied there, alone in the darkness.

Astrid Weinberg had wanted to comfort her. Gino Weinberg had wanted to comfort her. Ava li Britannia had offered her a heartfelt apology. Regina didn't want to hear from any of them. She didn't care about any of them. None of them mattered. Nothing mattered. Everything that mattered to her was gone. The only one who could have comforted her no longer existed in that world.

Her mind was clouded in darkness and isolation as she lie there alone, staring up into nothingness. She had no purpose now. She had nothing. She wanted to die. She didn't know if that would reunite her with him, but she still wanted it. She wanted an end to this loneliness.

A stray thought then crossed her mind. He had died saving her. She had survived that day to live on. Would she really be okay with ending everything just like that? She had no purpose now. She just needed to find a new one. She needed to find some way to use this life of hers that had been cruelly spared.

What better way to do so then making them all pay? She'd kill that woman. She'd kill them all. Every soul that breathed against Britannia she'd kill. It was as simple as that. She'd become an embodiment of the hellfire of judgement as she let if rain upon her enemies. Everything was so simple. Thats all there was now. That was her purpose. That was her mission. Vengeance would be hers. Solace would be hers.

Mad laughter soon filled the dark room completely.

---

Ava wore a composed look as she entered the research and development wing of the Britannian military headquarters in Vortigern. She smiled as she was greeted by the figure of Rayner Wilde, wearing a serious expression as he stared up at a battered _Bedivere._

"Empress, what gives us the pleasure?" started the voice of Earl Lloyd Asplund from nearby, sauntering toward her with a grin on his face.

"There are some questions I have, but before that I thought I'd see how things are going with the two of you," Ava spoke with a short nod.

"We have a lot of work to do coming from this battle, but we'll get it done," said Wilde finally taking his eyes off the machine in front of him. "New projects are also underway."

"I'll be pleased to hear of them. But first, I'd like to hear more of this one and its lost counterpart," said Ava nodding to the _Bedivere._

"_Bedivere_ and _Lucan_ had core specs on par with _Lamorak _or _Viviane. _It's simply poor luck that it was _Guren_ those kids ran into. None of the units we have could safely be put on that level these days, but then again few of our pilots could handle such a machine," said the Earl in an easy voice.

"What makes Kallen Kozuki so superior to any of my men?" Ava asked, frowning.

"Some are just born gifted. They can take a continual strain that would kill most. Kozuki is one such individual," the Earl said, lightly.

"Would you say we have any?" asked Ava.

"Probably Cross. I'm convinced that guy could take anything and keep fighting at his best," Wilde said with a short laugh. The Earl nodded.

"Yes, that man is certainly on the level. I'd put Hildegarde there as well," said the Earl. "And maybe Astrid."

"You really have that much faith in her?" Ava said looking down.

"She's a prodigy. That's been evident from the start. She just gets better with each fight too, that girl will surely be a star of Britannia," the Earl said with a showy nod.

"But her father, Marsh, Enneagram, they aren't on Kozuki's level?" asked Ava surprised.

"In my observations twenty years ago, I saw quite clearly that as good as the 'Gino Weinberg's of the world got, there would always be a gap between them and the 'Kallen Kozuki's and 'Suzaku Kururugi's of the world," the older man said, grinning.

"Do you want us to rework the _Viviane's _specs to _Guren_ levels when we do the repairs?" asked Wilde, nodding.

"I would. Do the same with the _Galahad _when it is rebuilt," said Ava nodding.

"You sure? Astrid will see more strain as a result?" started the Earl, head tilted.

"The enemy force contains two Geass users," said Ava suddenly. Asplund's eyes widened.

"If you don't mind me asking, where did you hear that, your highness?" he asked.

"From the mouth of a POW well connected within the Japanese military," said Ava sternly.

"My, that is shocking news then. I suppose we can't afford to be sloppy now, even if the enemy is well contained," Asplund said, beginning to smile again.

"Speaking of this Geass, that is actually a question I had for the two of you," Ava started.

"Yes, Empress?" Wilde asked, interested.

"I'm not sure what you know of the power, Geass, but I am curious if you know of a technology existing by which a power within the mind may be transmitted to a knightmare?" the Empress asked wearing a smirk.

"A man named Bartley Aspirus once oversaw a project for Prince Schneizel in which he was able to cybernetically enhance a man and link him into a machine so as he controlled it directly though his nervous system. If I had to wager a guess, this technology could be tweaked to work as you say. I personally have little experience with it, but a certain colleague of mine was able to get her hands on it at one point," said the Earl, his voice serious.

"I see," Ava sighed. "Such a troublesome weapon."

"I've heard about this invisible foe. I suppose we know how it works now," said Wilde, connecting the dots. Ava nodded to confirm it. "We'll try to devise a countermeasure," he assured as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

It was right then that base sirens began to blare. Everyone began to look around confused at what was going on. It took a few minutes for someone to run into the room, looking out of breath.

"You sir, what's going on?" Ava asked this man. He looked up and froze momentarily, clearly surprised to see her.

"A key location nearby is under attack," he panted.

"Well out with it then, don't keep your Empress waiting," Ava said looking impatient.

"A small unknown force with at least one Energy-winged knightmare has broken into the private military prison not far from here," the man revealed. Ava's yes went wide. The very place from which she had just come was now a small battlefield. She had to question who the attackers could be. This wasn't possible for Japan. it had to be an internal enemy. It had to be someone with interest in the facility's biggest named inmate, Suzaku Kururugi.

"Who can be deployed, Dr. Wilde?" Ava demanded.

"_Constantine, Morganna, _and_ Lionel, _are in the best condition," Rayner said readily.

"Right! Let's contact the pilots and have them deploy. That prison contains valuable things that we can't afford to lose," Ava said with intensity, setting a frantic pace.

---

Jeremiah Gottwald looked out at the horizon from the balcony of the building who's basement he had secured. A orange Zero mask was held proudly under his arm. His wife of many years now, Sayoko Gottwald wore a resolute expression as she held her own, white version of the mask.

"It should be starting about now," Jeremiah said, smirking.

"Yes. I have no doubt they will succeed," Sayoko said in a soft voice. "The machine Red and Blue worked on is a powerful one, and of course the pilot is more than capable."

"Securing Kururugi, securing Zero, would be an important first step for Absolution. And with what has happened in Japan, it's necessary we make that step now," Jeremiah spoke in a low voice.

"But then again, Suzaku Kururugi isn't necessity of the plan. The true objective here is making our presence known. We already have the resources and connections for a fight with or without that man," said Sayoko coldly. Jeremiah nodded.

"Correct. Absolution doesn't fear failure. It prepares for it, and finds a way to turn it into success," he inserted.

"Gold reported that Amelia is likely to be the agent used for securing the primary objective based on her current standing," Sayoko said looking down.

"I hope that girl is smart. The chance of failure there is high. I'd rather not lose her needlessly in the fight for this cause," said Jeremiah darkly.

"That's a rather cold thing for a father to say of his child," Sayoko said shaking her head.

"Amelia is prepared to give her life. Though I'd give my own to prevent this, in our position there are some things we just have to accept," said the founder of Absolution with a steady nod. "It's painful to think it, but very soon either our daughter or our sworn enemy will be dead, and it's really all a game of chance."

"I wouldn't ever state things as being so black and white," Sayoko replied.

"I suppose not. That man did show me back then that things don't always occur as we expect," Jeremiah said. "I hope his spirit is with Amelia. Her path is the easiest by which to save the world I swore to him I would watch over in his stead."

"Absolution will set the world back on the path he laid out for us. I'm sure of it," the man's wife gave a nod.

"We can only hope," Jeremiah said in a resolved voice as she stared out into the distance a while longer.

A/N: I know this one wasn't as spectacular as the last. It was a sort of transition chapter. You can't go from intense action chapter to intense action chapter. But yeah, it served to show the effects of the battle and set up the next little action scene. We had our third little Ava dream which provided a few small insights. Cynthia's introduction and her talk with Miya was cute, I thought.A fairly uneventful meeting scene with Chiharu side people, more Astrid-Amelia bonding, and the necessary Chiharu grieving scene followed that. Yasuko's interrogation scene might have been too long. The beginning of Regina's descent was fun. The final scene was moderately informative, mostly just an excuse to include a couple characters I haven't in a long time before setting up the next event.

Anyway, with the poll, it's clear you guys want more yuri. No one thought having two lesbian couples in the spotlight was already enough. But there was a split in the vote regarding how much restraint I should use. 9 of the 20 voters told me to put as much yuri in as possible. The other 11 told me to keep it reasonable. I ran this poll to test my audience mostly. And with this test, I think it's safe to include a fair number of side couples without getting complaints that I'm going overboard. Thanks to everyone who voted.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Cynthia Moore


	15. Turn 14: Bloody Haze

A/N: Turn 14. Let's see where this goes.

Disclaimer: Hildegarde: "CrazyNinjaPenguin does not own Code Geass; however, the original characters within this story do belong to him."

Hildegarde Waldstein wore a scowl on her face as she ran down the corridors of the Britannian Private Royal Military Prison. She had been overseeing the prison pretty much since returning from battle and seeing the new POWs to their cells. Now the prison was under attack. Luckily the Empress, who had been there for interrogations just moments ago, had departed before the danger struck.

Hildegarde unsheathed her trusted broadsword as she charged recklessly in the direction of the sound of the initial explosion, a fire in her eyes. Enemies of her Empress and her Britannia deserved a swift and painful death. Terrorists with eyes on freeing the Empire's worst enemies, with eyes on perhaps freeing the man that Hildegarde most despised, deserved that death more than any other.

Eventually the proud warrior arrived on the hectic scene. Three men dressed in black combat suits each wearing a colored mask shaped like that of Hildegarde's enemy, one Yellow, one Silver and one Brown, were racing toward her with machine guns blazing. Behind them was an average sized, armored, deep green knightmare, propelling itself through the prison on foot despite having an energy wing pack on its back. The walls were red with the blood of the prison guards who lie dead on the floor. Hildegarde was filled with rage, but smart enough to realize that charging in alone was suicide. Using a key she had on her, she opened a nearby cell and slid inside.

"What's going on?" the prisoner in the cell, a young Japanese girl, Yasuko Tohdoh started, in shock. Hildegarde kneeled on the floor in the shadows until she saw the heavily armed men and the green knightmare pass.

"They're terrorists. The scum of the Earth," Hildegarde spat, standing up.

To Hildegarde's dismay, she soon heard running. They had been overheard. The man in the yellow mask soon appeared in front of the cell.

"I thought I saw some movement over here. Don't blame me for this, young Hildegarde," the man said, shaking his head as he pointed his gun through the prison bars.

The man began to fire. Hildegarde was again filled with rage. Machine guns weren't safe at this range; the fire from the gun would not only kill her but the uninvolved Yasuko as well. These men were monsters. She grabbed the young girl and brought her down to the floor, under the fire. Then after a swift roll forward, in one swift motion, she pulled out her sword and impaled it through the masked man's gut. He dropped his gun and fell to his knees.

"So this is how I die? It's been a fulfilling life, I suppose," the man spoke, coughing.

Hildegarde pulled out her key and reopened the cell door, but not before grabbing Yasuko's wrist.

"What are you--?" Yasuko started, shocked.

"It's not safe here," Hildegarde spoke, nodding.

"But I'm your enemy," said Yasuko, shaking her head in disbelief.

"A knight acts with chivalry even toward her enemy," said Hildegarde. "Now come, let's go, before the others come back!"

"R-right!" Yasuko started,

Hildegarde stopped at the Yellow masked man's corpse. She kicked the helmet off his head. She recognized him as a former comrade, one time knight of eleven, Benjamin Wakefield. She closed her eyes in quiet respect.

"This man is an example of a true knight who has gone astray," she said softly, before grabbing the Japanese girl's hand.

"Hey, Yellow, what's--?" a voice sounded down the corridor. It cut off suddenly and started anew, this time louder. "You, wait! How dare you kill our comrade!"

Machine gun fire was now blazing toward Hildegarde as she ran in the opposite direction. Hildegarde took Yasuko in closer to shield her, as she picked up her pace, darting toward the hole in the wall that the knightmare had made. Just as they were about to make it out, a second explosion sounded, The roof collapsed, blocking the exit. Hildegarde, turned to see that the green knightmare had shot at them, hitting the roof instead.

"Come, we can't waste any time. We must get out of here, as quick as possible," Hildegarde told the girl as she broke into another sprint.

"But they have guns and knightmares! They'll kill us," Yasuko said frantically.

"They're not here to kill us, girl. If we move fast enough, they'll remember this," Hildegarde said, not wasting any time as she raced through the large facility.

"I hope so, Miss Hildegarde," Yasuko said in a heavy voice. Hildegarde found the girl's means of addressing her, an enemy, odd, but didn't question it.

---

"Deployed immediately after passing our test, huh? I guess Absolution's serious stuff," said Miya Ashford in a steady voice.

"They still called this a 'training mission'. Funny considering there's a very real chance we'll die here," Cynthia Moore said in a very oddly cheery voice, her hands on the controls of a knightmare frame. It was a _Vincent Aether, _Absolution's new mass production model; essentially a _Vincent Ward_ with simplified Energy Wings and a few other add-ons.

"Every thing's moved so fast this last week. I know I never thought I'd be piloting one of these, yet here I am," Miya said with a laugh. She too was piloting a _Vincent Aether. _Three of their fellow trainee agents also had units positioned in the sky nearby.

"But it's necessary to remain committed to this mission. We have to keep the enemy at bay while the Masks inside secure Zero," Cynthia said, her voice gentle as she looked down below at the Private Royal Military Prison. Soon her attention went elsewhere. Three knightmares were racing toward them. From the extensive records she had been forced to memorize, she knew them as the brand new model, _Lionel, _the famed lancer, _Constantine, _and a monster, _Morganna. _Cynthia's eyes set on this last one.

"Let's engage. We cannot allow them to get close to the prison!" shouted a male agent that Cynthia had never gotten to know.

"Right!" everyone replied. Cynthia flew straight for _Morganna. _She noticed Miya heading in _Constantine's _direction along with the male agent of before. The remaining two agents raced at _Lionel._

"Knight of Eleven, your sins are too great. Even in death, you will not be forgiven," Cynthia spoke as she held her VARIS rifle forward at the enemy.

"If you don't mind me asking, what have I done to offend you girl?" asked the woman, Callista Blackwell with a smirk.

"A true monster needn't rear it's fangs at one personally for one to have want to purge it from existence," Cynthia replied, firing several powerful shots at _Morganna. _They were absorbed by the machine's shields.

"I'm a monster then?" Callista gave a hard laugh. "Suitable." _Morganna _flew at Cynthia fiercely, engaging her in close range with it's scythe blades. Cynthia pulled out her two MVS blades and deflected the strike.

"You deserve nothing but the fires of hell," Cynthia said in a low roar, throwing off the scythe blade and going in for a cut. It made it through the shield and chipped into _Morganna's _armor_._

"You aren't bad for piloting such a cheap unit, but you have to realize that this is a losing fight," Callista said in a light voice, pointing a hand at the _Vincent Aether, _ready to fire her now infamous converger beam. Cynthia backed away.

"I may not be able to defeat you, but, for Absolution, I will still succeed!" Cynthia said in a proud but still somewhat soft voice.

"You have spirit, kid. Mind letting me know your name before you die?" Callista started with a cold laugh.

"Cynthia Moore," the girl replied readily.

Callista gave an impressed laughed and then dismissively said, "I suppose it is a common name." She then flew her machine back and fired off her scythe harkens. With some expert dodging, Cynthia flew past them both. "Let us fight, Cynthia Moore."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Cynthia said with resolution. She charged forward engaging with her swords again.

"Damian, me and Claudio can take on these children, try and break through. They're obviously trying to stall us," Callista said to her comrade while keeping Cynthia at bay with her retracted scythe blades.

"I agree, Lady Blackwell. We can't all waste time here," Marsh spoke. Soon his machine, capable of high speed charges, sped past Miya and the other Agent on path to the prison.

"Crap! We let him get through!" MIya said in a frustrated voice.

"_Bercilak _is with the Masks. We must have faith that that will be enough to subdue _Constantine," _Cynthia spoke.

"Yeah! Now, let's take this one together, Cynthia!" Miya called with energy as she flew toward _Morganna, _prepared to join Cynthia in her fight.

---

Green was shaky behind the controls of new model _Bercilak. _Blue and Red had finished the machine just that morning. No tests flights had been run. He didn't know how much confidence he should have in two women who wore masks, but he had enough confidence in his own skills to mostly maintain his nerves. _Bercilak's _impressive armaments helped.

The deep green machine was heavily armored. It's main weapons were a large halberd and a heavy rifle. It had pale green, 12 feathered wings, which currently were off as the machine made its way through the prison.

"Dammit! Where is Kururugi?! We should have found him by now," Brown, on foot, stammered as he searched cell after cell.

"Patience, you fool, we'll find him," said Silver, who Green wasn't sure why he was there, as he had hardly fired his machine gun in the fight with the guards.

"Stop, terrorists!" shouted a new group of Britannian soldiers, racing toward the three of them on foot. Green fired a single blast into the center of the crowd. Most of the men were instantly killed. Brown slaughtered the rest with his machine gun.

"This seems wrong. These are our countrymen," Green said in a low voice.

"We can't lose sight of our objective, boy. Being of Absolution isn't the same as being a knight. We have pledged to fight toward our goals and not question the means," said Brown in a steady, grizzled voice.

"I know, still… this shouldn't be necessary," said Green, his heart feeling heavy.

"According to the maps, the most restricted cell block is this one. We'll likely find him here," said Silver, looking at a map of the prison, made by an agent who had quietly infiltrated weeks ago.

"Right, the two of us will split up. You stay guard, Green," Brown commanded.

"Right!" Green responded.

It was exactly then that the wall directly behind the _Bercilak _gave in. Green moved out of the way quickly as a high speed knightmare barreled through into the prison. It was _Constantine; _it was the Knight of two. Green was filled with fear.

"An interesting machine you've got there! I assume you won't be letting me pass without a fight," said Damian Marsh in a dark voice.

"Your unit's specialty is high speed charges, Knight of two. You won't have the room for something like that in here," Green said, thinking it over. This fight might not be so bad.

"Do you honestly think _Constantine_ has but one trick?!" Damian challenged before shooting the slash harkens from his shield. Green deflected four of them with his halberd, the two that made it through only striking for minimal damage. He then fired a massive shot from his rifle.

"_Bercilak _isn't such a simple machine either," Green said with force as he rushed forward, going into a slash with his halberd.

"Well, we'll just have to see which of us is more capable then," said Marsh in an amused voice as he deflected the blow with his lance.

---

Silver, as was the color of the mask he wore, walked slowly past each cell. He recognized the faces of many of the men they contained. They were Britannian nobles and men of influence, all of whom had been public in their disapproval of Ava li Britannia. He was surprised he wasn't in there, but then again he had never been very vocal.

Orders had been to free anyone that might be of use and have interest in Absolution's cause, but these me weren't worth it. Silver didn't even really care so much for the cause. It had led him here. That was the only reason he had donned the mask. It was too easy to deceive people when both they and you wear masks.

Inevitably, he arrived at the one prisoner he intended to free. He smirked as he reached for the small plastic explosive they had been given. He plastered it about the door lock.

"W-What's going on here?!" the man inside the cell started, shocked by what was before him. He backed away as the door was blown open. Silver stepped inside.

"I'm here to set you free, my lord," the masked man spoke, offering the other a hand.

"Z-Zero?" the man started, looking shaky as he stared at the mask the other wore.

"Forgive me my lord," Silver said before removing his mask, revealing his face to the other.

"Kanon? What are you doing here?" the man, Schneizel el Britannia, rightful first Prince of Britannia, started as he stood up.

"Your mind was finally freed when the idea of Zero died. I thought it a shame that you still remain a prisoner," said Kanon Maldini with a smirk.

"You snuck in here alone?" the prince started, surprised.

"With men who were convinced I was their ally," Kanon said shaking his head.

"I see, they plan to free that other man, then?" Schneizel laughed.

"That is correct," Kanon nodded.

"Lelouch may be dead, Zero may be dead, but as long as that man who lived as Zero remains, I fear I may still be partially bound to my brother's words," Schneizel said in a low voice.

"I've thought about this, my lord," Kanon said rigidly. "You needn't worry. Suzaku Kururugi is already dead, I've already made arrangements with a certain group of people."

"I see. Interesting, Kanon," Schneizel spoke, wearing an evil grin. "Well, I suppose we shouldn't linger here any more."

"I have the map, my lord, let's find our escape," Kanon said with a smile.

---

Brown rushed from cell to cell freeing whoever he could with his explosives. He still hadn't found the one he sought. He still hadn't come across Suzaku Kururugi. Still he would search. It was his duty as part of Absolution. He would take the hero of Justice from his cell and set him where he belonged back on the world stage.

Inevitably, the end of the corridor came into his sight. At the very end, was a single, small and dark cell. Everything told Brown that this would contain his target. He rushed forward.

"Kururugi, are you in there?!" he called as he approached.

Looking in the cell, he saw that Suzaku Kururugi was indeed standing there. Something was wrong though. He wasn't making any sound. His face looked cold and his eyes were staring forward endlessly. Seconds after Brown made his call, the one who had lived for twenty years as Zero fell forward, his cell door flying open as he limply crashed to the ground. Brown knew instantly that he was dead. He looked up, a figure stood in the darkness behind him.

"Who are you?! How could you do something like this," started Brown, staring at the figure as it moved into the faint light. It was draped in pitch-black hooded cloak that concealed all but the face. The face was that of a beautiful girl, very pale skin, white hair, red eyes, fine features. She was fairly tall, and had a very cold air about her.

"Suzaku Kururugi has no place in the world any longer. My master has decided this," the girl spoke in a soft voice. "His strength would be too great an obstacle in your hands."

"You work for the Empress?" Brown growled.

"I do not. I work for my Master, and only my Master. She is the only one I serve," the cold girl said in a somewhat creepy voice, moving even closer to the man.

"Well, I don't really care, I'm still going to shoot you full of holes!" Brown shouted before pointing his machine gun at the girl.

The girl then did something surprising. In a single lightning quick motion, before Brown could even reach his gun's trigger, a large knife came shooting from her hand straight at his mask. It didn't pierce the mask very deep but cracked it quickly in two, revealing half of the man's face, and left a small cut just under his eye. The girl looked into this eye. The man was soon overwhelmed by an intolerable pain resonating from the wound. He dropped his gun and clenched his face, beginning to scream out in agony.

"You didn't shoot me full of holes, as you said, former Britannian Knight of Nine, Larkin Ellison, why is that?" the girl spoke, her voice devoid of emotion.

"What did you do to me?!" Larkin screamed as he panted at his knees on the ground.

"Even though he had been commanded to live, the pain I can bring was enough to subdue that dead man there until I could find a lethal blow. Killing you would be easy, but you will not die from that tiny wound," the girl said as she passed Kururugi, her voice still cold.

"Who are you?!" Larkin demanded, his voice still nothing short of a deathly scream.

"I am the left hand of the darkness. I am a killer. My Master calls me Signa Norrell, though even with that name one will never find me unless that one is to die at my hand," the girl spoke in a low voice as she walked past Ellison.

"You monster!" Ellison screamed, as he clenched his face. The cut was hardly even bleeding.

"My Geass wanes after a few minutes, Larkin Ellison. You should be grateful that my Master would see no benefit from your death," Signa Norrell, the deadly assassin, said before disappearing back into the darkness.

---

_Bercilak's _halberd met with _Constantine's _shield and was thrown off. Green had managed to hold his own in a fight with the Knight of Two. He was damn proud of himself. He fell back and fired a blast from his rifle. Marsh evaded, leaving the blast to find a wall, which was soon destroyed. The Knight of Two then fired its own blast from his lance. Green fell to the side, and threw out a counter blast. When this was evaded, he went in again with his halberd.

Soon, some prisoners were coming out of the high security cell block. Green knew they must be men Brown had deemed worthy of freeing. He tried his best to keep them from harm, but it was difficult to save them all amidst the fight.

"Why do you fight for the Empress, Lord Marsh? You're a man of honor," Green started as he pushed off _Constantine's_ lance with his halberd.

"I still believe in Britannia. Where I can't say I agree with everything my Empress stands for, she has a certain level of my respect," Marsh explained.

Green didn't know what to think. He still wasn't even sure he was supposed to be on Absolution's side. It felt somehow wrong fighting Damian Marsh of all people, just as it had felt wrong shooting down Britannian soldiers. He wasn't sure why it had come to this, but it had. Now he had nowhere else to go.

"Green! We must get out of here!" a voice shouted out from the ground below. Green looked around. He caught sight of a familiar man, Larkin Ellison, the man who had recruited him to Absolution.

"Sir, your mask!" Green started, alarmed.

"It was destroyed," Ellison spoke. "What's more, Suzaku Kururugi is dead."

"Kururugi is dead, Larkin?" Damian Marsh started, shocked by this.

"An assassin snuck in, likely just after us," said Ellison with a scowl.

"That Empress will stoop to anything," Green said in a heavy voice, knowing their mission was a failure.

"She wouldn't do something like--" Marsh started, not believing it.

"The man is dead, Damian. Who else has something to gain from that?" asked Larkin, looking up at the _Constantine._

"Where's Silver?" Green asked, finding it peculiar that they're comrade hadn't resurfaced, knowing now that his path was a dead end.

"Likely dead. That man didn't have the air of a soldier whatsoever. I know not why he signed up for this mission. He likely crossed paths with Hildegarde just as Benjamin did," Larkin presumed, shaking his head.

"Wakefield was slain by Hildegarde?" Damian said in a low voice.

"Aye, Damian. In respect to him and Kururugi, you won't get in our way, will you?" started Larkin, looking up at the Knight of Two.

"This has all turned into a big mess hasn't it? I knew it would happen. Men like you couldn't sit idle through this. I knew retaining my position would mean pointing my lance at you eventually, still it is unfortunate," Marsh said, turning his knightmare frame around.

"You could come too. Absolution would have use of you," Larkin spoke, nodding.

"I'm not as great a man as you think, Larkin. I lack the courage to throw away my knightly title and pick up a mask and gun as you have. It's unfortunate, but I'll have to remain your enemy," Marsh spoke. "Now go, while my back is still turned."

"I always respected you, sir," said Green breaking through the wall.

"You have potential for great things, Alastair," Marsh laughed. "That was an intense fight we just had."

"I don't--- I'm not-- I'm just the Green Mask of Absolution," Green shouted back. His identity was to remain hidden at all costs. That was Absolution's number one rule.

"Well then, Green Knight of Absolution, till we meet again," Marsh said with amusement as _Bercilak_ flew out into the sky to meet up with the _Vincent Aethers, _only three of which still remained. Below, Larkin, found his way to a truck hidden close by driven by Blue, guiding as many of the freed prisoners on board as he could.

"Master Green, how went the mission?" trainee agent and _Vincent Aether _pilot, Miya Ashford, asked in a soft voice through a private transmission.

"Suzaku Kururugi is dead," Green replied in a down voice.

"No! How?!" Miya demanded, shocked.

"An imperial assassin got to her before we could," Green explained bitterly.

"That's not right! She wouldn't do something like that," Miya shouted loudly, refusing to believe it.

"Maybe your light wasn't as bright as you thought it was, Miya?" Cynthia Moore, another new pilot and agent, said in a soft voice.

"Maybe so," said Miya morosely.

"Regardless, we should make our escape. Agent Ashford, fly down and make sure the truck comes to no harm. We didn't get Kururugi, but we did get some people who would support our cause," the Mask explained.

"Right sir," Miya said before flying down to follow the older.

The other three began to fly away.

"Running away are we?" Callista Blackwell beckoned, charging forward.

"I'll slay you and the other monsters of this war someday. Till then, Queen of Blood," Cynthia snapped back quickly before bolting away with her comrades. _Morganna _did not pursue.

---

"Are you sure we should be doing this, my lord?" Kanon started. Schneizel smiled at the man.

"Yes, of course. Kill every prisoner you see," Schneizel said, excited.

"You know I am not suited to this sort of work," said Kanon. Regardless he pointed his machine gun at the cells and continued let it blaze.

"Put on that mask as well," Schneizel suggested.

"Yes sir," Kanon nodded. He put on his silver mask and continued to kill.

"The times have changed, but I think I just may be able to start the old plan anew," Schneizel said, feeling very smug. The interminable period he had spent as a slave who couldn't even put himself down, was now over. He was free once again. It was time to try once more to change the world. Killing off Britannia's POWs and political enemies was a start. Ava li Britannia had no intention of it obviously. If she had, he would have already been dead. Cornelia's daughter was a cunning girl, but she was far too soft. It was too easy for her to become attached.

"You there! What are you doing?!" a woman screamed. Schneizel looked over. It was the knight of Four, Hildegarde Waldstein, daughter of his father's most trusted soldier, and the sort who spoke and likely thought with her sword. Next to her was a girl. She looked very surprisingly like a young Japanese POW.

"You should be grateful Lady Waldstein, your Britannia's enemies are dying all around you," said Schneizel with a laugh. The girl next to the knight was crying.

"Stop this madness! They don't deserve this!" Hildegarde shouted. "If there was one fiend in this prison who deserved to die, it's you, you bastard!" The girl's hand went very predictably to her sword.

"It's not my fault that the kind men of Absolution saw to free me," Schneizel laughed again. He turned to Kanon in his silver mask. "Now, sir, could you take care of this wench?"

"Of course sir, by Absolution's will I will eliminate her promptly," Kanon spoke before pointing his machine gun at Hildegarde.

"You think your quick enough?" Hildegarde scowled. "Yasuko, get down!"

The Japanese girl fell to the floor as Hildegarde, move forward, staying ahead of a a trail of rapid bullets. She beat the gun from the man's hand as it stopped firing and held it at Kanon's chest.

"You loathsome terrorist, I'll kill you just like I killed your Yellow Masked comrade," Hildegarde spat in disgust.

Then, suddenly, a knife flew by Hildegarde's shoulder. It seemed like a shallow cut, but soon she was wailing in unbelievable pain. It was really quite ridiculous.

"The two of you should leave this place while you can," a very cold, emotionless female voice said from directly behind Schneizel. He turned. He saw nothing in the darkness.

"Let's go. Hildegarde Waldstein needn't die today," said Schneizel, nodding as he walked off, the Silver masked man grabbing his gun off the floor and following.

"Miss Hildegarde! What's wrong, please!" Schneizel could hear that Japanese girl shout as she attended to the still screaming knight.

There were some things that made no sense to even Schneizel el Britannia.

---

"So, what did they report?" asked Sayoko, serving her husband a glass of orange juice while he sat at his desk.

"Yellow and Silver were lost. The enemy found Suzaku Kururugi before us," said Jeremiah, taking a sip from his cup.

"Failure?" Sayoko tilted her head.

"You can never count on success," said Jeremiah in a low voice. "I wouldn't be surprised were you to find we were betrayed."

"I could determine the identity of all the Masks were you to request it," Sayoko suggested with a short nod.

"Though anonymity creates these trust issues, it's still necessity. People aren't ready to accept and follow just one man in a mask again, and my face is every bit as polarizing as Kururugi's," said the proud man in a low voice.

"How vital to the mission was Kururugi?" Sayoko asked.

"Hardly. He's a talented pilot and commander, but he was far from vital," said Jeremiah somberly. "The more difficult part of this is losing such a trusted comrade and respectable man."

"It is a sad thing. He was close to Master Lelouch," Sayoko spoke, feeling a sense of sadness.

"On the upside. I'm confident we'll receive news any second that our true goal was met," Jeremiah said in an even voice. Almost comically, it was then that the phone rang. Sayoko picked it up.

"Yes, Anya?" she started.

"Miss Sayoko, I've completed the mission successfully," Anya Alstreim, the girl they had taken in as a charge twenty years ago, spoke on the other end.

"I see. That is good news," Sayoko said smiling.

"How did the other mission go?" asked the girl curiously.

"Far from well. We'll brief you when you return," Sayoko said.

"Of course," Anya said before cutting out.

"The more important component has been secured without a problem as I thought it would," said Jeremiah, satisfied.

"No one notices the quiet infiltration of a remote manor when a high security prison is being loudly broken through," Sayoko said, nodding in agreement.

"I promised Master Lelouch I would look after his world and his sister. I'll meet that aim regardless of the means it requires, even if I must betray my chivalrous oath," Jeremiah said in a very low voice.

"I'll be pleased to see Empress Nunnally after so long. She was always a kind master," Sayoko said, smiling.

"Absolution will not fail. Master Lelouch's vision shall be restored no matter who betrays us or steps in our way," said Jeremiah, taking another sip of orange juice.

"And I will stay at your side to ensure that is so," Sayoko said, feeling resolute. She would do her best for Jeremiah's sake and for Lelouch's sake as well.

---

"It doesn't add up, Richter," Ava li Britannia started, looking over at her advisor from where she stood on her throne. "Why would these terrorists break into my prison, kill Kururugi, free Schneizel and a bunch of other noble scum then shoot up most of the lesser prisoners?"

"It is quite puzzling," said Richter, looking to be in deep thought over the matter.

"I honestly have no idea what any of this is all about, but if these are our enemies then so be it," said Ava with a laugh. "Our approval by the masses will just spike."

"Unless their plan is to place blame on you," Richter said in a calculated way.

"I don't understand how they could," Ava shook her head, seriously confounded by the whole news report she had received. Something most peculiar had occurred in that prison. She was only seeing just a portion of the truth. She doubted anyone understood it all.

"The First Prince's freedom troubles me. He is known to be a cunning man. He could become something of an obstacle," said Richter in a deliberate voice.

"My uncle is a murderer and a villain. His reputation is beyond repair. He's not worth an ounce of use to anyone who values public opinion," said Ava with a cold laugh.

"And suppose this group doesn't? Perhaps they aren't antigovernment in the first place, perhaps this Absolution is nothing more than group of radicals with want to stir up chaos and bring about a wave of death," said Richter sternly.

"Larkin Ellison and Benjamin Wakefield wouldn't be a part of such a group. Such a group wouldn't use Zero's mask as their symbol, and quite simply, Richter, such a group would never call itself Absolution," said Ava.

"Then perhaps our enemy's effort was sabotaged by a third party? " said Richter smirking.

"That is most likely. Though this party worries me, how they make this situation appear works entirely to my advantage. Absolution will find nothing but hate by the masses at news that they had killed so many prisoners in a botched attempt to save the traitorous Kururgi, killed in the attempt, through which only my monster of an uncle was safely extracted."

"It's almost too perfect for us," Richter said shaking his head.

"Empress!" a call suddenly came. Margaret Enneagram came running before her. She smiled at Richter briefly before becoming serious.

"Yes Margaret?" Ava started.

"We've received some bad news," the red-haired girl spoke in a heavy voice.

"Go on," Ava urged.

"Former Empress Nunnally vi Britannia has disappeared from her house arrest," Margaret said in almost a single breath.

"Shit!" Ava cursed, kicking her foot. "The flashy show at the prison was a damned distraction! Aunt Nunnally easily has to most respect and influence. With her they could rightly sway some…"

"Japan was an easier enemy to predict," Richter said, his eyes slightly wide.

"We need to find as much about this group as we can. Still, we mustn't forget about the Japanese and their Geass soldiers," Ava said in a strained voice. "Why is it that things are now so much more complicated when we won the fucking war?"

"Maybe Geass is the secret to making things clearer?" Richter started with a smirk.

"That's a very valid suggestion, Richter," said Ava nodding. "I think there is an annoying witch with whom I must have a little chat."

"If there's anything I can do, I'd be pleased to help, Empress," Margaret said in a strong voice.

"Good, Margaret. I spoke to Earl Asplund today. He mentioned something of a special project overseen by a man named Bartley Aspirus under Prince Schneizel. I'd like you to find out all you can of this project and compile a list of names of any who may know something of it," Ava said with a steady nod.

"As you wish," Margaret said readily. "Anything else?"

"We'll see, Margaret," Ava said smiling.

"Right!" the red haired girl nodded with enthusiasm.

---

"Those are the statements that arrived on my desk today," Milly Ashford spoke into the phone, hiding behind the news building, uneasiness in her voice.

"Silver betrayed us then," said the man on the other end. Milly knew not who he was.

"What makes you so sure?" asked Milly, tilting her head.

"They had a name and a body for Yellow and just a name for Brown. They had neither for Silver," said the man in a simple voice.

"You think he tipped off Britannia then?" Milly started, her voice becoming grim. She still couldn't believe Suzaku was dead. She had already lost her one time friend once, and even though any time he had spoke with her in the last twenty years it had been through a mask, this was not any easier.

"Most likely. He then turned his gun on the prisoners and freed Schneizel el Britannia," said the man.

"Gee, who hired this guy? You'd think we'd all use a little discretion with this sort of thing," Milly said, shaking her head.

"It's hard to know someone, Gold. You can almost never know a man's truest loyalties," the man said with a sigh.

"Maybe not, it still seems a little easier to become a Mask then it should be," Milly sighed

"Humans make mistakes. It is their nature. We can only learn from them," the man said. "Regardless of what happened, we have the rightful Empress now in our hands. The next phase of the plan will come shortly."

"Right. I already have everything set up for that here," Milly said in a steady voice.

"It's good to hear it," said the man.

"Well, I think I have to go. My job calls," Milly spoke cheerfully. The man hung up without saying goodbye.

---

"This attempted prison break in, perpetrated by a terrorist group calling itself Absolution resulted in the death of 23 Britannian soldiers and 64 prisoners, including Suzaku Kururugi, the man the group was likely intending to rescue. During the chaos, the group set free many wealthy nobles who has spoke out against the Empress, including first Prince Schneizel el Britannia," Milly Ashford, a nice woman, Astrid's friend Miya's mom, said on the television, looking halfway distracted despite her experience. After a pause she went into more details. Astrid turned down the volume.

"Don't you think this is horrible Amy? Such destruction has to happen so close…" Astrid said softly. Her servant, Amy Glen wore a smile as she dusted furniture nearby.

"It is alarming. But it's only natural that this sort of group would pop up given the circumstances," said Amy in a hum.

"I don't want this to escalate. It will pain me and it will pain Ava, if Britannia is forced to fight itself," the blonde girl said in a low voice.

"I don't think one botched terrorist attack on a military prison is the same as a civil war," the maid said, giving a nod.

"I guess not. Still…" Astrid murmured.

"I understand. No one knows what will happen," Amy said in a soft voice.

"I worry for Ava. This whole war, it must be hard on her," said Astrid, closing her eyes.

"The Empress has always seemed a very able woman to me," Amy said smiling.

"I'm one of the few who knows it, but she's a lot more delicate than she lets on," The knight said softly smiling as well.

"If your worried, why don't you go to her?" Amy suggested.

"I don't--" Astrid started in a low voice before being cut off.

"No, I insist. I'll drive you there," Amy said nodding steadily.

"I couldn't ask you to go through all the trouble," Astrid said in a quiet voice.

"It's no trouble. In fact, I've always rather wanted to meet the Empress. My family's situation has improved greatly since she took power. I'd treasure an opportunity to thank her directly," Amy spoke in a sweet voice. Astrid smiled.

"Okay then, it's settled. Let's go see Ava," said Astrid, standing up and turning off her television.

"Yes, let's." Amy said with a hardly noticeable smirk.

---

Yasuko Tohdoh wore a rough smile as she sat on the luxurious bed, her world having turned around completely in a number of hours. She understood little of everything that had just happened.

Men in masks had infiltrated the prison in which she was prisoner. They had massacred countless guards with high powered machine guns and a single advance knightmare. Hildegarde Waldstein, a beautiful and incredibly brave knight of Britannia had freed her from her cell after a run in with one of these masked men.

In their desperate attempt to escape the prison, they had found most the exits impassable and had quickly gotten lost. After a length of time they came across the former prime minister and first prince of Britannia, Schneizel el Britannia and one of the masked men, who was in the process of murdering the other POWs.

Hildegarde was to put an end to the cold murder, when she received a very minor wound that somehow came with excruciating pain. The two men had then escaped. Most of Britannia's prisoners in that place were killed after that, including those in Yasuko's cell block. She'd have been dead now were it not for Hildegarde Waldstein.

But she wasn't dead. She was sitting on a luxurious bed within the royal Britannian castle admiring pretty decorations with an incredible confusion swirling in her head.

Hildegarde had taken her to the castle. After briefly speaking with the Empress, she was allowed to stay as a guest within the place. She was put in a pretty dress and given this room and provided with exquisite food. Yasuko understood none of what they had planned for her. It was, however, much better than that dark prison. It was better than death.

A knock sounded at the door to her room.

"Yeah, come in," she started in a soft voice. Hildegarde soon appeared there. She walked inside.

"I wanted to see how you were adjusting," the woman started in a tentative voice.

"Well, I have no clue what is going on or why, but I'm not traumatized, if that's what you're asking about," Yasuko started with a mild laugh.

"That's good to hear," the woman nodded.

"You think you could fill me in on this? I heard the other survivors had just been shipped to the standard imperial prison," Yasuko spoke, head tilted.

"You saw a lot today, enough to make you a special case. This coupled with your political importance made you of enough significance to protect the interests of," said Hildegarde in a low voice.

"Does that mean I'll be set free soon by any chance?" Yasuko asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid not. You're still a prisoner. Your prison has just changed significantly," Hildegarde said, looking up.

"Say, um, Miss Hildegarde?" Yasuko started, averting her eyes slightly.

"Yes, Miss Tohdoh?" Hildegarde replied.

"Please call me Yasuko," the girl said softly.

"Yes, Yasuko?" Miss Hildegarde corrected herself.

"Why did you go so far for me? You really shouldn't have cared," Yasuko spoke, feeling very conflicted.

"I can't leave someone to die when I see the potential to save them. It was all a coincidence it was your cell I picked to hide within, but I would have saved whoever I found there," the woman said, looking down.

"Coincidences can be wonderful things, I suppose, then," Yasuko sighed then.

"Why's that?" asked Hildegarde.

"Before now, I hated Britannia and all the people who fought for it, but I can't hate you," said Yasuko smiling. "If one good person fights for Empress Ava, surely a second does as well. Stuff like that makes me question the cruelties of this war, you know…"

"You're a kind girl, Yasuko. I have to question why you decided to become a soldier," the black-haired knight spoke softly.

"Well, I wanted to make my parents and my big sister proud. I suppose it's as simple as that really," Yasuko said, giving a fond smile.

"I suppose we're not too dissimilar then. My father was a knight. I picked up a sword to appease his memory," said Miss Hildegarde, a reflective quality deep in her eyes.

"His memory?" Yasuko started tentatively, knowing what this meant.

"He fell in battle against Suzaku Kururugi while he acted on the orders of Lelouch vi Britannia," Hildegarde, said, a somber vulnerability within her strong voice if only for a moment.

"I see… it must have been painful…" Yasuko said, thinking about the world and many things in a different way then she previously had for the first time.

"You shouldn't worry about me, Yasuko. I'm strong," said Miss Hildegarde her voice heavy.

"Okay," said Yasuko. "And, thank you, miss Hildegarde, for every thing."

Hildegarde Waldstein gave a brief smile before turning around. "Take care of yourself, Yasuko," she said quietly before walking out of the door.

Yasuko lied back on the comfy bed and stared upward, her mind so lost in thought it felt empty.

---

D.D. was smiling softly as she lounged atop the Empress' bed, dressed in nothing but very sexy lingerie. She was growing vaguely bored. Ava li Britannia was fun to watch and kind of fun to play with, but she resisted just a little too much. She obviously wanted D.D. but she had too much pride. It was somewhat infuriating. D.D.'s desires were simply not being met.

The witch perked up when Ava li Britannia suddenly entered the room. She winced as she noticed D.D.'s state of dress and the shook her head. She then walked up and sat on the bed.

"Here to play, Empress?" D.D. cooed.

"I want to ask you a few things," Ava started, cutely serious.

"Go ahead. I'll decide what you have to do to get an answer," D.D. giggled, sitting up and crawling toward the girl at an angle by which her exceptional bust was largely exposed.

"I'm not here for games, you indecent witch!" Ava spat coldly. Despite this, she was looking.

"Whatever you say, Empress. Go ahead and ask your silly question," D.D. said in a low voice.

"How many witches are there in this world?" Ava asked. D.D. shook her head.

"You expect someone who's been asleep the last 200 years to know that?" she said with a laugh.

"I suppose not," the black-haired beauty said looking down. "How does one become a witch?"

"Take on another witch's code, or that's how it usually happens," D.D. said with a nod.

"Code?" Ava said, not recognizing the term.

"This here," D.D. said with a heavy smirk before removing her tiny, lacy panties suddenly. She displayed the small wing mark in the upper right corner of her pelvic area for Ava to see. She wasn't sure that was the only place the young Empress was looking.

"You have no shame," the girl said simply, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Of course not. What have I to be ashamed of?" D.D. laughed, and gave a twisted smile. "You want me to put them back on, or leave you easy access?"

"Please dress yourself," Ava growled.

"You're so cute, Empress," D.D. giggled girlishly.

"So who did you acquire your code from?" Ava asked, forcing her eyes up to D.D.'s face.

"No one. I didn't become a witch the usual way," D. in a sexy purr, making no effort to redress herself.

"Stop being evasive. Tell me how you became a witch," Ava demanded.

"I'm an anomaly. I'm one of the incredibly rare originals born with a dormant code on my body. It matured after 24 years of life, and I became immortal. It's as simple as that," D.D, spoke in an easy voice.

"People like you, how rare are they?" asked Ava.

"You'd be lucky to get one every 100 years. The number of codes is thus always quite limited, but most transfer from person to person. It's unheard of that I've held mine for so long," D.D. gave a very proud laugh.

"On another subject, is there any limit to the number of contracts a witch may have at any one time?" the cute girl asked another question.

"None whatsoever. Multiple contracts are fine, though most like to keep their focus on one," D.D. answered.

"I think Japan may have a witch in their possession," Ava spoke, looking down.

"Geass users show up?" D.D. smirked.

"Yes. Two of them," Ava replied.

"You want me to form more contracts, don't you?" D.D. said giving a high laugh.

"Would you?" asked Ava hopefully.

"I only form contracts with people who are fun for me," D.D. said simply.

"Well then, do any of my pawns seem like fun?" Ava asked hopefully.

"Your advisor boy looks the type I could get along with," D.D. said after a moment's thought.

"Richter Novak is a man who would prove dangerous were he to ever acquire any real power," Ava said shaking her head.

"The one with the mouth on him isn't so bad to look at and wouldn't take much energy to intrigue," D.D. said thinking some more.

"Cross is a possibility, though with his strength and energy I may have another idea for him," said Ava in a deliberate voice.

"Well aside from him, and now that that cute soldier boy is dead, you have nothing but boring old men serving you," D.D. said in a low sigh.

"Well, what about women?" Ava asked tentatively.

"I'd think you'd know how I feel about that. Not every girl is as susceptible to my wiles as you are, Empress," D.D. said in a teasing voice.

"I'm sure that with your unmatched beauty, you'd be able to capture any of them," the girl flattered.

"I could always give your cute little girlfriend Geass, we all know she has the right persuasion," D.D. said with a hard smirk.

"You are never to lay a hand on Astrid," Ava said, deathly serious. D.D. gave a giggle at the cute reaction.

"All right, she's yours then," said D.D. dismissively.

"What's your opinion of Hildegarde Waldstein?" Ava asked, smirking.

"That's the stalwart warrior girl, huh." D.D. gave a brief laugh. "If I'm able to get under her skin, she could be a lot of fun."

"She's one of my most loyal soldiers, and one with marked potential. If this is going to be a war won by individual soldiers rather than machines, then she rightly belongs at the front of things," said the Empress in a dark voice. "What's more, her father held a Geass it seems. She respects the power greatly."

"Understood. Is she the only one you have your eyes on for this?" D.D. asked.

"Margaret Enneagram? What do you have to say about her?" Ava asked, smirking yet again.

"Your cute little school friend?" D.D. gave yet another laugh. "She seems fairly set on that Novak boy, I don't see her as being so susceptible to me."

"You could always try. Margaret somewhat immature and seems easy to fluster. I think your advances could prove successful," Ava said looking down.

"Perhaps so. But if you describe her thusly, what makes you think she's worthy of Geass?" asked D.D. smiling.

"There's something about the girl… something hard to explain… but she has this certain… pure... quality… that makes me think she's on her way to becoming key to my efforts," said the Empress very slowly, giving a soft smile.

"Very well, I'll play around with those two, but I won't do it for free," D.D. said, crawling closer.

"What do you want of me?" Ava asked, averting her eyes. Her face had a cute blush on it.

"Service me with your mouth," D.D. said bluntly, laying back and spreading her legs.

"Are you insane?!" Ava stammered, after half a minute that was. D.D. giggled, the black-haired girl had actually considered doing it.

"Very well. A simple kiss will be enough then," D.D. whispered before bending toward the other, lips parted.

Ava's lips moved a couple time, fully splitting once, before shutting firmly. "I can't!"

"Oh come now! You expect me to do a favor for you and you're not even willing to give up that much," D.D. scoffed, shaking her head.

"I just can't… I'm sorry…" Ava said, looking down, her face red.

"Oh, okay, I'll let you save your first kiss for little Astrid, if it's that important to you," D.D. said before giving a long sigh.

"T-that's not why…" Ava went into her cute denial mode.

"Take off your clothes and strut around for me, that'll be enough," D.D. said with a teasing giggle.

"I would never--!" the prideful woman started.

"We may have a contract, but I'm not your servant. I'm not going to move for free," said the witch shaking her head. "No one will ever know but you and me."

"Very well. But if I do this, you will not approach me again for a while, witch," Ava said with a scowl, her face red. She stood up.

"As you wish, if I end up with a couple new toys, I won't have to spend as much time with you anyway. A good show might prove worth it," said the blonde, smirking.

Ava turned around. She began the long process of removing the highly ornamental white Empress' garb, starting with the attached cape. The white jacket took several minutes to undo and remove. The matching pants and the fine silk blouse were quicker to reach the floor. D.D. was grinning wildly when the Empress of Britannia was standing before her in nothing but her expensive red silk undergarments.

"Is this far enough?" Ava asked, turning around tentatively.

"Eh, I suppose so," D.D. said, tilting her head and admiring the alluring sight before her.

Ava li Britannia with her long flowing black hair, soft, pale skin and perfectly curved, tall figure was nothing short of a stunning beauty. D.D. hadn't spent much time admiring the figures of other women, but there was no denying the girl's allure. It was the cute blush on her face, and the knowledge that it was the strong, proud Empress of Britannia giving off such an adorable reaction that made D.D. purr with excitement.

"I can hardly keep my hands off of you," D.D. cooed playfully bending toward the girl, continually eyeing her.

"All you get is to look," Ava said shyly, her head tilted downward.

"Fair enough, I'll help you then, I suppose," said D.D. standing.

"Good, now put on some clothes and leave," Ava spat, sitting down on her bed, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Whatever you say, Empress," D.D. said in a light voice, walking past the other.

---

Villetta Nu had a cold look on her face as she entered the dark room, unsure what to think. Had the very group she was now about to meet with truly inadvertently brought about the death of Suzaku Kururugi and a number of imprisoned soldiers fighting for the Japanese cause? If so, what did that mean for the remnants in the Federation? Absolution was their only hope as it was.

"Please sit," a vote beckoned her. She found a seat. A dim light found the room. Eight individuals wearing colored Masks could now be seen.

"It is a pleasure to be meeting with you, Miss Nu," the man in the Orange mask said. His voice was glaringly familiar from her past, and the color of his mask only made his identity more apparent.

"I suppose it is, Mr. Orange," the woman laughed coldly.

"When you didn't respond immediately, we figured you were a lost cause. Tell us, what convinced you to meet with us?" asked a woman in a Pink mask. This voice was less easy to peg, but knowing the color along with the knowledge of the man in the Orange's identity, gave Villetta a suspicion.

"My young daughter was lost in the conquest of Japan. Our home was destroyed and we were forced into hiding. I have nothing left but anger and hatred for the new Britannia," said the former ambassador in a spiteful voice. "You appeared as a final hope for us."

"We are sorry for your loss, but pleased to have you with us today," said a woman in a White mask with a solemn voice. This voice too was vaguely familiar, though the woman couldn't place it either.

"Yes, well I have some concerns regarding this recent operation. If this is how you operate, I'm not sure we wouldn't be better waiting for another terrorist group to arise and challenge Britannia," said Villetta, looking down.

"We understand. You must realize though that, while that operation went poorly, we are most horrified at the loss of Suzaku Kururugi and that our name would become attached to death and murder, but out of this we have gained many important cards," said Orange in a low voice.

"In saving a small crowd of wealthy Britannians we have accrued funding unheard of for this sort of enterprise," said a man in a Brown mask. Villetta hadn't heard his gruff voice before.

"What's more we have the rightful Empress in our hands," a man wearing a Green mask said in a fairly youthful voice, that again, Villetta did not know.

"You've been around knightmares before, Miss Nu, if you want to see the ones I have designed for use by Absolution so far," a woman wearing a Blue mask spoke in a somewhat gentle voice. It wasn't hard to piece together this woman's identity, even if Villetta had only met her a very limited number of times.

"And all our soldiers are put through very rigorous training that they like to complain about," a woman in a Gold mask said with playful energy; a woman in a Red mask seemed to glare at her after this. This voice was unmistakeable. Even in Japan it was still hard to avoid hearing it at least once a week if one watched television.

"Our force, including the eight of us, number less than 20 men and women, but our agents are all trained extensively in numerous areas of expertise. Among the eight of us, four are accomplished knightmare pilots, two are from a scientific backgrounds, one has deep connections to the media and one is master of combat and espionage," the Red masked woman gave a proper analysis of their force.

"And we're still recruiting, of course," said Green, nodding.

"It is a start. Though I don't see such a small force making such a dent so easily," said Villetta deliberately.

"We'll grow shortly. And if something goes our way in the very near future, we may not have to," said Pink in a calm voice.

"What does that mean?" Villetta asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Our most highly trained field agent is currently moving in range for an attempt," said White in a cool voice.

"You mean assassination?!" Villetta's eyes quickly widened.

"That would solve all our problems, wouldn't it?" Orange asked in a solemn voice.

"I suppose it would." Villetta smirked. She was in no way opposed to the tactic. She had no sympathy for the Empress who had taken Kiyoko from her.

"Well then, will you do it? Will you sign on as our link to your comrades?" asked Orange in a steady voice.

"I don't see why not," VIlletta said, smirking.

"Then we have a lot to discuss," said Orange.

"Of course," Villetta quietly replied.

A/N: End chapter. This was a chaotic mess (hopefully, in the good way), wasn't it? We have things twisting differently then most of you probably expected them. When I revealed that Absolution was breaking into the prison, how many of you immediately thought that Schneizel would be freed and Suzaku would be killed along with most of the prisoners? About Suzaku's death, I originally wasn't going to do it, but I wasn't looking forward to using his character and Schneizel seemed more interesting. I'm sure Yasuko's character arc has taken turns no one had foreseen. Then we have other fun stuff like that long talk between Ava and D.D. culminating in some very hard teasing and Ava giving a little strip show. And of course innocent "Amy Glen" wants to "thank" the Empress. We'll see how that goes. Chiharu and friends were strangely absent from this chapter after having dominated so many earlier chapters; that made things strange; I missed Megami... The prison scenes were a little harder to write for me then some; I'm finding certain characters (Ava, Chiharu, Megami, D.D., Miya, Astrid, Yasuko, Ulric, Richter and Callista mostly) to be easier to write as the central point of view then others and so few of them were featured in the beginning of this chapter. As I said they might, I had my three throw away knights reappear. Only one of them turned out to be a true throw away (mostly because I ended up not liking his name…). And well, this conflict has certainly become conflicted. How many different sides are there? Britannia, Japan, the EU (who will get more real coverage shortly), Absolution, Schneizel and whatever he decides to do, and Signa Norrell (who is awesome) and whoever it is she works for. But who thought this story'd be simple? it has an over 15,000 word (and growing) information page.

Anyway, there's an issue on which I'd like some opinion from you all. I'm currently running my Bleach pairing poll, and can't disrupt that, but I've opened a topic in my forum on this site, if you care to join me there. It has a poll, so if you don't want to talk for some reason you can just go there and vote. Just use the link to the forum from my profile page. It's about Kallen in this story.

On yet another point, I was talking to daiki-kasho again, and we started talking about CG:AotCT, and well, let's just say I arrived on the idea of creating a separate "story" on the site that would contain a number of short side stories within the CG:AotCT universe; you know maybe some quick character development pieces centered on the side characters (or even canon characters), maybe some irreverent comedy scenes, and of course some pointless fanservice. Something for the people who think this story doesn't have enough fluff. Chapters would be very short in comparison to these chapters, so it's not like I'd see any noticeable delays. It sounds like a fairly fun idea, so if there's any interest out there at all, I just might start with it next week.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Britannian Private Royal Military Prison

Vincent Aether

Bercilak

Signa Norrell


	16. Turn 15: Solitude's Web

A/N: chapter 15. That's pretty cool. Seems like I still just started. Anyway, thanks go out to everyone reading. Also, this chapter contains some sexiness, finally, though it's not a full lemon (by my standards).

Disclaimer: Signa: "This story's author does not own the animated television program, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, on which the story is based. This story's author does own the added elements, however."

Nunnally vi Britannia wore a composed look as she sat silently in her wheelchair, staring down at the ground of the large farm house. Sayoko, her former maid and a woman she always thought of as a friend stood close by; the man she had married, Jeremiah Gottwald, a man Nunnally had vague memories of sat at a table nearby, across from him was a pink haired woman roughly Nunnally's age named Anya. This latter was the one who had taken her from the manor where her niece Ava had placed her. Things were eerily silent between them all.

"Would you care for anything to eat, Empress Nunnally?" asked Sayoko in a soft voice, smiling.

"No thank you, I'm fine, Sayoko," said the former Empress, wearing an even expression. "This is a nice home you have. I'm glad to see you are well."

"Thank you, Empress," Sayoko said tilting her head graciously.

"Empress, you must realize who we are," started Jeremiah in a low voice. Nunnally frowned.

"I assume it has something to do with my brother," she said in a grim voice.

"We swore to him we would protect his world, that we would protect you," the man said in a very serious fashion.

"What my brother did was good for the world, but it was also cruel. I am thankful for the world he created, but I don't believe I am entitled to extra protection in it just because I am his sister," said Nunnally in a tense voice.

"Don't you realize you're needed? You represent the kind and peaceful Britannia, the Britannia that will reemerge when your usurper has fallen," Anya started, low and intense.

"I don't want to see Ava die. I've lost to much of my precious family already. If you plan to kill her, I will have no part in this," Nunnally said frantically, her whole body shaking.

"You say that even after everything she's done? She spat on your brother's noble sacrifice, she subjected the world to a cruel, selfish war of conquest. Many people have died because of her, yet still you would defend her?" Anya said very sternly, her intensity never parting.

"Even so, I can't abide by what you're doing. I overheard that you had sent assassins…" said Nunnally looking very dour.

"Empress Nunnally, please understand. Ava li Britannia sent an assassin to kill Suzaku Kururugi. Was that boy not your friend?" Jeremiah said in a cold voice. Nunnally's heart became conflicted.

"I know, you told me. I can't believe Ava would give that order," said Nunnally in a quiet voice.

"I'm sorry, the niece you knew is gone, Empress. The Ava li Britannia who exists now, contaminated by Geass, is nothing but a deranged sociopath that doesn't blink at ordering one to die," Sayoko said in a somewhat soft, but entirely venomous voice.

"My brother, Schneizel, once told me similar things. As a result I betrayed what my heart felt and did things I would come to regret. I don't want to go through that again," the wheelchair-bound girl said quietly, her voice serene and honest.

"This is completely different, Empress. Ava li Britannia and Master Lelouch bare no similarities aside from Geass. That girl is a simple murderer intent on spreading a cloud of darkness across this entire world your brother sacrificed both his life and his name to save," said Sayoko in a dark voice. Nunnally looked down, her mind spinning from conflict.

"I've known that girl all her life, Sayoko, and I have to say you are wrong. Ava is a kind girl with a beautiful but troubled heart. She's doing this, because somehow, in some way, she believes it is just," Nunnally argued in a gently.

"The simple fact is, Empress, that even if that is true, we--- you--- know it is not just. We can't sit idly by this injustice when we have pledged to Master Lelouch we would protect his vision," said Jeremiah, with a single nod.

"It's a valid point," Nunnally said looking down. "I don't want to be handed a trigger again. I don't want to bloody my hands for this. I don't want to see Ava come to harm. I do want her to see that what she is doing is wrong. I do want you to stop her."

"All we ask of you is a few words, should they be necessary," said Jeremiah in a low tone.

"I pray that they are," said Nunnally, with a quiet nod.

---

Hildegarde walked down the castle halls with a very slight smile on her face. She had just had her second chat of the day with the young captive girl, Yasuko Tohdoh, who, after the previous day's commotion, had wound up here in the castle. Hildegarde found herself strangely attached to the girl. She knew not why. Yasuko had a sweet innocence about her. She was kind and well-humored. She was such a far cry from what Hildegarde was. Maybe that's where the fascination lied.

Hildegarde supposed it was somehow strange to be filled with a warmth by another girl, especially one 10 years her junior who was her enemy. Still, she couldn't help it, the girl just exuded warmth, and now some of that was being directed at Hildegarde. That was enough for her to lose herself. She really was too emotional. It was unbefitting of a warrior.

"Hey there, cutie," a playful voice started from behind Hildegarde; a playful female voice, that is. Hildegarde turned with her eyes narrowed.

"Are you talking to me?" she started as her eyes came to an immensely beautiful woman she didn't know. She was blonde, had flawless curves accentuated by immense breasts, and a perfect face highlighted by two piercing blue eyes.

"See any other cute girls around here?" the blonde woman giggled as she approached Hildegarde, a seductive look on her face.

"Just who are you?" Hildegarde started, blushing, as she kept her eyes not focused on the deep cleavage shown through the woman's tiny black dress.

"I'm D.D. and you're Hildegarde Waldstein," the woman replied in a low purr. "Now that we know each other's names, why don't we get to know each other even better."

"I don't think this is…" Hildegarde started before the woman placed her hands on her shoulders. "Stop!" she insisted but was somehow powerless to prevent the blonde from pressing her through an open door into an empty bedroom and eventually onto a bed.

"You're too easy. You already want me so bad, I can just tell," the strange woman, D.D., if that really was her name, said with a sexy laugh.

"T-this is indecent, we don't even know each other," Hildegarde stammered as the other woman crawled over her.

"You're quite a bit stronger than me, miss warrior. If you wanted to stop me, you could," D.D. said through a sigh.

Hildegarde's blush deepened. This woman was right. She really would have had no trouble overpowering her. She was only pinned to the bed because she had shown no resistance. Hildegarde felt ashamed of herself. She shoved the woman off and sat up.

"Just what do you want of me, woman?" Hildegarde demanded, her eyes averted downward toward the bed.

"I want to understand you," D.D. said with a short giggle.

"What on earth are you talking about?!" Hildegarde shook her head vigorously.

"So, when did you find out you were into other women?" the blonde asked with a devilish grin. Hildegarde tensed up.

"I am not--" she began to say.

"Please now, don't deny it. Your reaction was far too cute for that. Most women would miss the appeal of one of their own, even if she is as ideal as myself," D.D. boastfully cooed, leaning slightly against the other.

"I am a knight dedicated wholly to Britannia. My entire life I have let no one, man or woman, enter my heart," Hildegarde said turning away.

"Now that's kind of sad. Twenty-seven years of celibacy… I'm not sure how you managed," D.D. said in a quiet voice. Piercingly, playfully, she then started, "but if that is the case, it does make me wonder why you were so susceptible just now. Perhaps I caught you in a moment of vulnerability?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hildegarde said still hiding her eyes from the other.

"So, that young Japanese girl, you fancy her don't you?" D.D. said, giving a low purr.

Hildegarde gasped. "How do you--?!"

"I've been following you all day, trying to size you up. Isn't it peculiar you'd pay some petty prisoner a visit twice in only a few hours?" D.D. said in clear voice. Hildegarde felt like burying her head in shame.

"She's been through something trying. Besides, no one else will talk to her. It's reasonable that I would feel obligated," Hildegarde said deliberately, still not looking up.

"Of course that's what you'd say. A knight dedicated wholly to Britannia can't love anyone, much less one of her enemies," D.D. teased. The black-haired woman could hardly bear it.

"Please, don't say it like that. I can't take it," Hildegarde said in a soft voice.

"Your Empress has a lot of faith in you," D.D. changed the subject very suddenly, completely shocking the other.

"You know the Empress?" Hildegarde asked suspiciously.

"I sure do. You could probably say I know her better than anyone else after the fun show she put on for me last night," D.D. said in a suggestive way, smirking.

"I don't believe you," Hildegarde said, doubting very much that her Empress would engage in any such act for this woman.

"Would the Empress tolerate me were I a liar?" the blonde said, smiling smugly.

"What exactly is your connection with her?" Hildegarde asked, still skeptical.

"Geass," was the simple answer that came off the other's lips.

"Geass?! What do you know of it?!" Hildegarde's eyes widened.

"That's right, you're interested in it, aren't you? Your daddy had Geass if I recall what I was told…" D.D. said, smirking playfully.

"Answer my question," Hildegarde demanded.

"I am the immortal witch, D.D.. I gave Ava li Britannia the power of Geass, just as another of my kind granted the same power to Bismarck Waldstein," said the blonde in a strong voice. Hildegarde wasn't sure what to think.

"If that's true, what's your game for me?" Hildegarde asked, her eyes falling piercingly on the voluptuous blonde.

"Japan has somehow come to posses two Geass users, they, in conjunction with the Japanese demon of the battlefield who took the life of your companion, the Knight of Seven, have the Empress thinking she should find ways to improve the soldiers she has," D.D. explained.

"What does that mean for me exactly?" Hildegarde said, still staring at the other coldly.

"The Empress has deemed you to be the soldier most worthy of what I have to give," D.D. giggled.

"You mean Geass?!" Hildegarde couldn't contain her excitement.

"You're eager. Do you want to step up and take on the burden for your country, or do you just want to be like daddy?" D.D. said with a cruel smile. "Not that that matters to me. I'm just here to make a contract."

"My Geass, what will it be?" Hildegarde asked, still excited.

"I couldn't tell you," D.D. said, shrugging. "What could your father do?"

"Apparently, he could see a number of seconds into the future," said Hildegarde recalling what she had told. Only weeks ago she had never heard of Geass, then after the Empress took over, Lord Marsh told her the story of her father's eye. Learning her father had possessed the power came as a surprise.

"Interesting. I once had a father and son back to back, and they developed very similar powers. I suppose that could have been mere coincidence though," D.D. said smiling.

"How do I get this power?" Hildegarde spoke. "You mentioned a contract..."

"It's a simple contract. The Power of the King which will show you solitude, in exchange for a single wish of mine," D.D. said, lying back on the bed.

"Your wish?" Hildegarde asked, staring intently at the other.

"You needn't trouble yourself over that. It won't be something very difficult for you," D.D. said shaking her head.

"Fine. I accept regardless of the wish," said the knight, continuing to leer at the witch.

"Very well," D.D. giggled before flipping up her dress. To Hildegarde's bewilderment, she wore nothing underneath it. "Touch me."

Hildegarde glared. "Is this part of the contract?"

"It sure is," D.D. cooed. "Now come, I want to feel your fingers inside me.

"The Empress has done these sorts of things with you as well?" Hildegarde started with a blush.

"Sure has. Though with her it's usually me touching her. Since you're so strong, knight, I thought I'd let you play with me instead," D.D. said in a sexual voice, spreading her legs wide and shifting her weight so that one of her nipples, as she wore no sort of bra, poked out through her neckline. Hildegarde couldn't deny that the sight aroused her.

"And you're sure this is crucial to forming a contract?" Hildegarde said, blushing as she eyed the glamorous beauty up and down.

"Oh, absolutely," D.D. said with a smirk. "Now hurry, I can't wait any longer,"

Tentatively the Knight of Four let her hand waver up the blonde's perfectly smooth, shapely thigh. With much apprehension, she looked at the lewd woman's face watching her lick her lips seductively, then looked back down between the other's legs. Reminding herself of her knightly courage and that she was doing this to obtain the power to better serve her dear Britannia, she came to a deadly focus. Her hand now moved unwaveringly straight for the other's sex.

She ran a single finger across the slit. It was very damp and incredibly smooth and soft. Hildegarde found two of her fingers slip inside the warm, moist hole with ease. She jerked and pulsed them around and the witch began to moan.

"You're so good at this," she said in a hum. "Your cute Japanese girl, will be so pleased…"

Hildegarde, in spite, slipped a third finger inside the woman and began to thrust with all the force she could muster. This back fired.

"Yes, give me even more!" the blonde cried. She then suddenly pulled back one of the straps of her dress, allowing one of her impressive breasts to be fully exposed. She grabbed immediately for Hildegarde's free hand. "Touch me here too," she said as she forced the woman's hand to the soft flesh.

The feel of D.D.'s breast was incredible. it was amazingly soft and pillowy, yet firm to the squeeze at the same time. The feel of the witch's prominent nipples, rock hard against her hand, was particularly entrancing to Hildegarde, who found herself overcome with lust. Both hands moved rather frantically, prompting harder moans from the blonde as she writhed blissfully under the touch.

"Yes! Yes! Just a little more!" D.D. cried, her breaths now pants.

Hildegarde increased her pace, pounding away at the blazingly hot opening, slipping a fourth finger in in the process. It didn't take long after that. With just a few hard jerks of her hand, D.D. was crying out louder than before. Her body gave a hard spasm as a very short spurt of fluid poured out of her slit and across Hildegarde's fingers. The witch panted hard for a while, before sitting up.

"Women really are just as good. Thanks for being my first," said D.D. in a purr.

"B-but I thought you said you and the Empress had--" Hildegarde started, taken aback, as she dried her fingers on the bed.

"I've touched her before, but every time she's stopped me from getting anywhere close to this level," D.D. said, readjusting her dress.

"But you said it was necessary for the contract!" Hildegarde shook her head in disbelief.

"You're going to play with me like this every so often. That's the wish I told you about; an integral part of the contract," D.D. smiled as she moved toward the other.

"You--" Hildegarde began to say. She didn't get any further than that. The witch was kissing her. She felt the woman's tongue slip into her mouth. She was still under the woman's spell, she was still incredibly aroused. She kissed back fully. Soon it became not just a simple kiss. Hildegarde felt something strange start to happen. It was an odd feeling. It was as it a strange sort of light was seeping into Hildegarde's very being through the woman's lips and tongue.

D.D. broke the kiss and licked the stray saliva from her lips. She smiled as she stood. "The power of the King is now yours, knight. Use it well."

Hildegarde didn't know what to say. She still felt strange. As the witch began to move toward the door she decided quite readily she wasn't ready to just end things.

"Wait! Aren't you going to--" the knight of four started. The blonde gave a laugh.

"You're all hot and bothered and want me to service you now, don't you?" she said. "How cute."

"I--" Hildegarde began, her face red.

"Keep your pride knight. I don't want to see you beg," D.D. said callously. "I'll please you too next time."

"But--" the other attempted to make another interjection.

"I wonder who you think about when you satisfy yourself, me or your Japanese girl," D.D. gave a laugh as she opened the door. "Either way, have fun," the woman said before stepping out, closing the door behind her.

Hildegarde stared at the door from the bed for a few moments. Then, feeling nothing but shame, her hands found the hem of her pants. As she slid them off she wondered what Yasuko would think of her seeing her do something so unclean. Her thoughts would stay on that girl.

---

A woman let out a sigh as she sat on a bench on the outskirts of Vortigern City Park. She was bored. She was to rendezvous with someone there, yet they hadn't shown up. It wasn't that the other was late; the set time was one minute from the current time at the moment. This woman was just particularly impatient. Luckily, she didn't have to even think about the notion of the other being late.

There she was; on time to the second. Suitable. The woman watched as the other moved forward, her pitch black cloak making her stand out ominously among the greenery of the park under the midday sun. The woman stood up and approached her.

"Hey, Signa. On time as always," she greeted the other familiarly.

"Are you Naida Fiametta?" the cloaked girl began in her deadpan voice.

"You still have to ask?! Please, SIgna, we've known each other for 12 years now," Naida started, shaking her head.

"I cannot recognize your appearance. I shouldn't have to explain it to you beyond this," Signa coldly responded.

"Tch, I know. With your Geass you can amplify a persons sense of feeling, but as a result you don't feel much of anything yourself, physically or emotionally. Unlike Master, Laz, the Sage, and even the little one, you can't tell just from my mannerisms, you lack the emotions to make the connection," Naida said shaking her head.

"This conversation is unnecessary," Signa said turning around.

Naida gave a laugh. She reached for Signa's hood and pulled it down, revealing her gentle, pale features and long white hair. "Gee, I know it was an assassination, but do you really have to dress so creepily?

"Master told me to wear this. She said it would aid me in moving around unseen in the darkness," said Signa lifelessly.

"I think it's a little overboard. No offense, but you're already pretty creepy, even without the black," Naida said with a well placed laugh.

"This is pointless. You were to meet with me so the two of us could meet with that man. Nothing else is necessary," Signa said, staring straight ahead.

"You're Geass certainly does put you in the right mindset to be an assassin. Mine's suitable for the job as well, of course, but with a big fish like Kururugi I'd surely choke and fuck everything up with how nervous I can get. You're the only one of us who could have managed it," Naida said with a smile. Her expression quickly morphing to a morose frown, she then added, "Well, her power was perfect for it. If she was still with us, and if she didn't have that problem with killing, she'd be able to do it too."

"Master has forbade any mention of that woman by any of us for any reason at any time until the time she returns to us," Signa said as detached as ever.

"I know, I know. I still miss her, you know? She wasn't like the rest of us. She wasn't a bloody monster. Talking to her I could feel almost normal; I kind of miss that, even if I'm happy for her," Naida said, sorrow in her eyes as she remembered a good friend.

"I do not comprehend your attachment. That woman betrayed Master and left her. You have no reason to harbor such feelings," Signa argued, her voice toneless.

"I sometimes wonder how you were before you got your Geass. It's been fully evolved since I've met you," said Naida, looking at the pale, white-haired girl who looked much younger than her 28 years. "I bet you were real cute when you still smiled."

"These comments are meaningless. We are wasting time," the expressionless girl said before starting to walk forward.

"You really are no fun, you know that? I almost prefer partnering with that obnoxious, psychopathic idiot," Naida shook her head as she followed behind the other.

"I don't know who you are talking about," Signa said, lifelessly.

"I feel sorry for you. You feel no fear as you move into kill, but you don't even understand people anymore. Makes me glad all I have to put up with is some bad migraines and losing the ability to connect with normal people for any length of time," Naida said with a sigh.

The other made no reply. As they walked forward, Naida wondered why she had wound up on this dark path. She was told the power known as Geass would lead to her solitude, Signa was likely told the same thing. Naida figured that this was always said, because this was always true. All seven of them had nothing but solitude and despair as their friends. Naida prayed that the one time eighth of them at least would succeed at batting away the darkness. For if that girl fell to solitude, she'd truly disappear.

---

Megami Subarashii gave a yawn as she lazed about the _Hitokage_, fairly bored. Chiharu was on the rebound. Her little sister's death was obviously still hanging pretty heavy over her head but she had regained most of her spunk and energy, and had begun intensive training at using her Geass effectively. The girl Hiromi was worse off. News had arrived in that the military prison in Britannia was shot to hell. Poor Yasuko was very likely among the dead. The father and the mother seemed to avoid the emotion and hold onto hope, but one look at Hiromi revealed a girl so crushed and depleted that she looked as if she would break.

Megami was bored, but she wasn't complaining. Aboard the _Hitokage_ she had everything she needed. It was much easier on her body than life as a thief and much easier on her spirit than the life she had had before that one was. Yep, she liked being Megami Subarashii more than any of the other people she had previously been. It was easy. It was carefree.

"There you are, mercenary, I've been looking for you," a voice started from the door of the room. It was Wu Chaowei, the young Federation captain; he entered the room slowly, the federation Lieutenant Hu Xuemei behind him.

"Yeah, what you guys want?" Megami said all in one yawn, stretching her arms before sitting up.

"You are being made a member of an illustrious elite unit under General Kozuki that will help in aiding a rebel group within Britannia," the young man said with a smirk.

"Am I now? That's pretty sweet," Megami said with a laugh. "I get paid more?"

"You do not," Xuemei coldly said, looking to hold spite in her voice.

"Tch, then what the hell's the point?" Megami shrugged.

"It's already been decided. The two of us, yourself, Major Ohgi and Lieutenant Tohdoh are all counted as members of this unit," Xuemei explained.

"Wait! Hold on, Major Ohgi? Lieutenant Tohdoh?" Megami started, her eyes widening.

"Everyone chosen for this team was promoted at least two full ranks this morning," Chaowei said, a beaming smile on his face.

"Wow that's crazy. I'll have to give Chiharu my congratulations," Megami smiled back.

"That's right. You're currently looking at one of the youngest Lieutenant Colonel's in the force," Chaowei said, very proudly.

"I'm kinda surprised they'd promote you after you lost so bad in that fight the other day. I mean, even sword girl here at least fought her opponent to a draw," Megami did her best to deflate the other's ego. It worked to an extent.

"Yeah, well I don't have some cheap trick to rely on in battle, like some people," Chaowei contested, snarling a bit. Megami shook her head.

"Easy, no need to get confrontational. If you keep getting promoted all the time, you must be at least doing something right. Keep at it!" Megami said quite patronizingly as she stood. She walked past the Federation's best and out the room, set on finding her silver haired beauty. As luck would have it, they found each other in the halls after only about a minute's walk.

"Hey what's up?" Megami started, looking at the other.

"I was just going to go do more training," Chiharu said in a heavy voice.

"I think I have a better idea!" Megami said playfully before grabbing the other girl's hand. She pulled her down the hall a bit and then finally into an open area with a single large monitor.

"What is this about?" Chiharu asked, bewildered.

"Care for a match?" Megami started, pointing down at a video game system at the foot of the large monitor. Chiharu expressed surprise as she recognized it.

"This isn't the time for games. It's nothing more than a stupid waste of time," Chiharu said, closing her eyes.

"Your father told me you loved these games, that they were always what made you the happiest," said the mercenary, tilting her head.

"You talked to my father?!" Chiharu started, looking at the other in disbelief.

"Sure did. I was curious to learn a little more about you, kid," Megami said with a smile.

"I'm sorry. I just don't have any interest in this sort of thing anymore," the silver-haired girl said before turning halfway around.

"You think it's childish, don't you?" Megami started, smirking.

"Well it is kind of. It's fantasy. There's nothing in it that resembles the real battlefield," Chiharu said somberly.

"I've always thought that the most childish child is the one that refuses to ever be a child," Megami said giving a shrug.

Chiharu considered this for a moment. She then shook her head and said, "That doesn't make any sense!"

"Well maybe I'm not that bright then," Megami said, sighing. After a pause she then said. "Now, I insist, one match, just to humor me."

"Fine, have it your way," Chiharu sighed before sitting down and flipping on the game. Megami sat down as well.

"Cool! I'm go going to beat you," Megami boasted, grabbing her controller.

"I think it's pretty clear who the childish one is," Chiharu said under her breath as she picked up her own.

Megami heard the comment but let it pass. She navigated through the game menu and selected the versus mode. She selected the _Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. Eight Elements_ as her unit; Chiharu went straight for the_ Lancelot Albion_. The game began shortly after that. They both flew their machines around trying to score hits of the other to deplete the others energy meter. They seemed fairly well matched.

"You're pretty good, you play this before?" Chiharu asked, getting into it after a few minutes.

"I had an older version of this game a while back. I used to play it with a friend of mine sometimes," Megami said, smiling. "You're certainly good yourself."

"Online, I'm regarded as one of the best there is," Chiharu said boastfully. She was smiling. This made Megami up her game. Chiharu had only agreed to one game. Megami wanted that smile to last.

"I heard about your promotion to Major. Congratulations on that," Megami said passively, hoping talk would distract the other and let her close some of the gap that was forming.

"Thanks a lot," Chiharu said, grinning as she brought the other within an inch of defeat.

"Here's a little present, in honor of the occasion," Megami said before bending over and placing a soft kiss on the other's cheek.

"You freak, what was that for?!" Chiharu demanded looking away from the screen and over at the other for a moment.

"Ha! There, I won!" Megami cheered, as she scored the winning blow on the other while she was very much distracted.

"You little cheat, to think that you would--" Chiharu started in shock. "Don't think I'm going to let you get away with that! We're having another match," the flustered girl shook her head.

"Fine by me," Megami wore a full smirk.

Megami quickly selected the _Sutherland Sieg_ as her unit. Chiharu seemed at a loss as to whether to this time pick the _Mordred_ or the _Percival_. She cycled between the two for a while. She then spoke.

"You know, I think Yasuko is still alive. Regardless of what Hiromi seems to believe, I just don't feel right even thinking that she's gone until I have some proof. I'm pleased that I'll be going to Britannia. I want to save her. I want to keep my promise."

Megami gave a very light smirk. "You're strong, kid. I'd crack under that burden. That said, I'll be at your side always so long as I'm able."

"God, you're a freak," Chiharu said with a harsh laugh, choosing the _Shinkiro _instead of either one she was previously considering.

"I guess I am," Megami said shaking her head.

Megami supposed it was a mushy, romantic thing to say. She figured, she likely was in love with Chiharu. It was easy enough to accept. The girl was conflicted but amazing. She was worth loving. After the cold winter that had been the first 26 years of Megami's life, Chiharu really was like the thousand springtimes that, according to the girls father, her name represented. She was the first thing in Megami's life she had ever loved. That kind of satisfied her but kind of scared her. When she had been given Geass she had been told that it led to solitude. She was draped in solitude already then; she had no fear of it. Only now had this changed.

---

Amelia Gottwald moved with a kind smile on her face as they entered the walls of the Britannian castle. This was just her usual guise for Astrid though, in truth she was filled with a not so subtle anxiety as she considered what would happen. Could she really kill the Empress? Was this not a mistake? Her father had a backup plan. It left her uneasy to think she was risking her life when there were other options.

"My, the castle sure is beautiful," Amelia said to keep her mind off things, looking around.

"Yeah," Astrid said simply. She smiled uneasily. "I'm glad we decided to visit Ava."

Amelia was surprised how simple it was. The previous day she had persuaded Astrid to take her to see the Empress with incredible ease. They had waited until the morning to go, as Astrid hadn't wanted to trouble her friend in all that was going on the previous day. Now Amelia was at the hard part, the actual deed. It was hard enough already to convince herself to kill, but Amelia wanted to avoid doing it in front of Astrid at all cost.

Inevitably they would reach the throne room. The black haired girl who reigned over Britannia sat just inside, gazing over some documents. She looked up at the sound of footsteps.

"Astrid! What gives me the pleasure?" the Empress started as she stood. She was smiling brightly as she approached the girl.

"I just wanted to visit. I figured you must be troubled with everything that's happened lately," Astrid said in a soft voice.

"You needn't worry about me, Astrid, I'm able to handle things fine," the Empress said putting a hand on the other's shoulder."It is a great pleasure to see you again. Tell me, how have you been?"

"Okay, I guess. I've just been thinking a lot about everything," Astrid said in a somewhat shy tone.

"You really needn't trouble yourself over such things," the Empress said shaking her head. "Anyway, who is your friend here?"

"This is Amy. She works for us. She said she wanted to meet you so she could thank you for everything you've done to help Britannia," Astrid said with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Amy," the Empress said warmly.

"Yes, your highness. Thank you for everything," Amelia said with a full bow, smiling.

"It does my heart good to know that the Britannian people are receiving some benefit of this," said the Empress, looking somehow sorrowful. "It makes me think it is truly worth it."

"Let's go, Ava," Astrid said with a short laugh, before very suddenly grabbing her friend's hand.

"Go? Go where?" the Empress tarted, looking surprised.

"Somewhere that will help ease your heart," Astrid said, seeming uncharacteristically bold.

"What's gotten into you Astrid, you haven't acted this way since… that day…" the Empress started, shaking her head.

"Never mind me," Astrid said as she pulled the Empress of Britannia along. "You can come too, Amy."

"Uh, all right," Amelia said giving a giggle before following along.

Astrid sped her beloved a significant distance through the castle, Amelia following behind quickly. They passed people in the halls, all of whom seemed intent on staring. Eventually the blonde came to a halt.

"Astrid, what's going on here, what is all of this about?" asked the Empress, still startled.

"It's because you need it Ava… your spirit needs something like this every once in a while," the young knight said in a more typical voice as she reached for a door.

The Empress stepped through it. Astrid then beckoned for "Amy" to do the same. She emerged out into a small open garden of beautiful flowers. Amelia knew at once that this beautiful garden, fairly cut off from the rest of the castle, would be the site for her blood-soaked attempt on her friend's life.

---

Margaret Enneagram was satisfied. She walked with pride, clutching the short list she had compiled to her chest. She gave a nod as she entered the throne room, prepared to meet with the Empress, expectant of praise. She supposed this was a significant change from her old self. It was her sworn rival from whom she was hoping for just a few kind words, whom she had just had hundreds of conversations, most of which were dead ends, all to collect information for. Ava li Britannia now had too many things Margaret did not. The girl was beginning to accept that the gap was just too big to close.

As Margaret walked through the throne room, she suddenly decided to actually look up at the throne. To her bewilderment the black haired girl Margaret had known and competed with her entire life wasn't sitting there. In her place, a certain blonde witch in a lewd black dress sat atop the throne with her legs crossed, smirking softly.

"What are you doing here? Where's the Empress?" Margaret started, shaking her head.

"You just missed her. Her little girlfriend came over and took her by the hand to go play," D.D., as Margaret remembered the woman's name to be from their one meeting, said in a smug tone.

"Astrid's here, huh? I see. Even so, I don't think that gives you permission to sit on that throne," said Margaret in disdain.

"Heh, you'd rather be sitting here yourself, wouldn't you?" the witch said giving a short laugh.

"I know what you're playing at. She must have told you about our relationship," Margaret gave a quick sigh. "But you're mistaken. If there's one thing I'm at terms with it's her birthright. The royal blood in her veins makes that throne hers to take, but it will never be mine."

"So she's pulled ahead of you completely, huh, with there being no way possible for you to ever find a lead? Must be depressing for a girl like you," D.D. said almost passively.

"Don't patronize me, please," Margaret said shaking her head as she turned slightly. She extended the list she held to the witch. "This is some information she asked me to gather. Give it to her when you see her next."

The blonde made no effort to take the paper. "Don't you want to give it to her yourself? You want to hear the words of the praise spill from your Empress' mouth to sate your bloated ego."

"Where do you get off talking to me like that?" Margaret was stunned.

"What do you think makes her better than you? It's not just the blood is it?" the witch finally stood from the throne. She walked toward the young redhead and began to examine her.

"What are you doing?" Margaret started, unease in her voice.

"You're pretty, talented, easy to understand and likable despite your faults," said D.D. "What does that girl have that you lack? It's not just the ability to sit in that chair is it? She attended your school and competed in the same games as you not too long ago."

"You should know that! You're the one who changed it all! You gave her that Geass thing, which made this all possible. It's only because of Geass that she could climb so far ahead!" Margaret cracked, feeling angered by the other's words.

"So if you had Geass, you think you might be able to catch up a little?" asked the witch smirking as she continued to circle the red-haired girl.

"What are you getting at? Why would I be given Geass?" Margaret spoke, staring at the woman with a scowl.

"Because the Empress has asked me to give it to you, girl," D.D. said simply, giving a sigh. Margaret's eyes widened.

"I don't believe that for a second!" she stammered.

"She thinks a lot more highly of you than you may think," said the blonde. "She values you, trusts you and considers you a friend."

"You're wrong. She knows she's better than me. She always flaunts that fact to me," Margaret said looking down.

"That girl is very sentimental at heart. No matter the nature of your relationship, you are familiar to her, which places you as something irreplaceable to her. Something for her to treasure," said the witch, smiling.

"I think you may have me mixed up with Astrid here," Margaret said, smirking lightly.

"The same applies to any of you. She's more familiar with that girl, which certainly makes their relationship stronger, but she's attached to you as well," said D.D.. "She wants you to be important in her life still, even if she wouldn't say it to your face. Somewhere in her heart she likes having you compete with her."

"I guess I have no choice then. If you're really going to give me Geass, I'll take it," said Margaret, not as happy about it as she might have expected to be.

"Hmm, I don't know if I want to," said D.D. in a low voice stopping her constant circling, behind the girl.

"What?! But I thought she told you to," Margaret demanded.

"You're mistaken if you think I'm bound to serve that girl. She suggested I make a contract with you, but I'm not going to just do so with a girl who doesn't amuse me," said the witch in a very forward fashion. Margaret was to turn to face the other when to her shock the woman embraced her from behind, one of her hands going immediately to Margaret's chest, which it massaged abrasively.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Margaret shouted, and tried to force herself out of the woman's grasp.

"Don't struggle so much, it's not cute," D.D. gave a low purr into Margaret's ear before lining it with her tongue.

This sent a little tingle down Margaret's spine that calmed the girl slightly. She began to realize things. The blonde's heavy breasts were pressed against her back, her breath was at her neck and of course her hand was continuing its massage, only it had become more gentle. Shamefully, Margaret could feel the woman's touch starting to get to her.

"S-stop this, I'm not into this sort of thing," said Margaret, knowing she was blushing profusely and her hardened nipples could likely be felt by the other through her blouse.

"Oh, that's right, you're eyes are on that handsome advisor boy," D.D. gave a short laugh. "But you don't seem to be minding this as much as you say," The witch's velvety voice at Margaret's ear was somehow entrancing.

"I-I'm not enjoying this. You're mistaken," Margaret lied, feeling ashamed as she knew it was a lie.

"No, I can tell from your reactions even if they aren't as strong as the Empress'," said the blonde playfully.

"You do this with her?!" Margaret was taken aback. She couldn't even picture her longtime rival falling to the seductive witch's wiles.

"Of course. She's quite taken with me on a physical level, but she seems rather interested in women in general so that's not surprising," said D.D. with a smile.

Margaret didn't know what to think. Was this witch telling her that the only girl more talked about among the men at her school than her was a lesbian? She didn't quite believe it. Sure the girl's relationship with Astrid had always been suspect, and there had been rumors about the two before, but Margaret never even considered any of that was true. Not that it really mattered if Ava li Britannia was a lesbian, when it looked very much like she herself was probably bisexual.

"You're almost perfect. I'm sure you could excite anyone man or woman, no matter their preference," said Margaret, knowing it was probably a foolish thing.

"In a thousand years of living I've met a lot of women. I could prance around in the nude around most of them and they wouldn't be anymore flustered. As exceptional as I am, only a number of girls want me. Though I don't doubt your interest in men, I believe I can count you in this number just like your friend the Empress," said D.D. continuing to purr, massage and radiate soft kisses at Margaret's neck.

"I guess I am sort of attracted to women," Margaret admitted. "That's sort of how it started…"

"Oh? And what might you mean by that?" D.D. cooed, licking the girl's neck, causing her t release a moan.

"When we first met, I think I fell for her… I wanted to impress her, I wanted her to see me as someone worthy in her eyes, that's why I started trying to match her. Over time it morphed into something else, and I had other reasons driving and I lost sight of that initial impression… but when we first met… I thought she was beautiful and perfect… I wanted to stand beside her…" Margaret said, not quite sure why she did. She supposed it was just because it had occurred to her and she was feeling particularly vulnerable.

"You can say really cute things sometimes, you know that?" D.D. giggled before ending her embrace.

"W-why did you stop?" Margaret stammered, feeling unsatisfied, though still ashamed. She was simply surprised when the other woman pushed her back to the ground, where she fell onto the steps in front of the throne.

"Because I'm getting eager. I think I'll reward your cuteness with something better. If you let me now and maybe a few times later, I'll give you Geass," the witch said in a playful voice. "That is if you have no fear of the solitude Geass will bring."

"Go ahead. I want you, and I want Geass regardless of the price," Margaret said, blushing as she spread her legs. Her hands finding the button to her pants. She undid it and started to remove them.

"You're certainly less evasive than other girl's I've pursued," D.D. said licking her lips as the other pulled off her lacy pink panties.

"Please hurry, I don't want anyone to come," Margaret said, averting her eyes momentarily. She then let her eyes return to the blonde as she dropped down ad crawled toward her. Margaret was once more captivated by the blonde's full lips, immaculate skin and bountiful breasts, mostly visible through the tiny black dress. Fluid was spilling out from her sex onto the royal step. She couldn't really comprehend how this had her so excited, but she couldn't deny that it did.

"You really are adorable," D.D. purred as she found her way between the girl's legs. "Let's see how I like this."

"You haven't done this with a woman before?!" Margaret stammered.

She didn't get a verbal response. The witch just dove in head first, and began to lick away recklessly. Margaret moaned incessantly as her sopping-wet slit was delivered continuous attention from the blonde's long, skilled tongue which just seemed to get better at satisfying her with each lick.

"You're sure excitable. I didn't know girls could get so wet," D.D. lifted her tongue to say in an explicit, direct fashion that only furthered Margaret's lust.

"Please, don't stop," the redhead half moaned.

"As you wish," D.D. said as she brought a hand deliberately up to the dripping pink hole, sticking two inside the girl.

She began to move them inside Margaret, making her feel so full and warm. Her moans became higher and harder as the blonde's wrist found a better tempo. Then, when the witch returned her mouth to it's place and began to time quick lick to her clit, her moans became soft cries.

"You might not want to be so loud, there's an echo in this hall. Someone might come looking," said D.D. in a purr between licks.

"Please just..." Margaret failed to give much of a response between heavy moans. She could feel herself getting closer with each motion of the other and just wanted to be brought to her release. She didn't even care who saw her in bliss anymore.

"Mmm, I guess I'll just finish you off then," said D.D. seductively, before forcing a third finger into the girl.

Again she began to pulse away at Margaret's insides while delivering well placed licks. Margaret quivered in delight. She gasped. Her hand shot up to her chest which she began to knead in time to the other's thrusts. Saliva was trickling from her open mouth as she felt her pleasure well toward imminent release. A few movements of tongue and finger later and that release came. Margaret moaned loudly as her body shook through a massive climax. Done, she lied back on the steps and panted.

"I wonder if the Empress will make as much noise when I finally get to do that with her," D.D. said, licking Margaret's juices off her fingers while the redhead watched.

"That was…" Margaret failed to start, between pants. Before she could get any further, the woman bent forward and kissed her, thrusting her tongue into her mouth. Margaret could taste the not so slight flavor of herself on the other woman's lips and tongue and savored it as she kissed back eagerly. Then the kiss intensified in a strange way. Margaret felt something strange flowing into her. It was kind of warm and hard to explain, but it made her mind race.

"The Power of the King is yours," said D.D. breaking the kiss and smiling.

"Thank you," Margaret said in a soft voice, blushing.

"I'll play with you again soon," the with said in a teasing voice as she stood, straightened her dress and turned around. "I hoped you enjoy your new power."

Margaret simply smiled. She looked up at the high ceiling and then back at the throne behind her. She then decided to hurry up and put her pants back on.

---

Schneizel el Britannia sat in a chair thinking. He was free now, but he was highly wanted and had no one to support him but Kanon. This made things problematic. He simply didn't have the resources to resurrect _Damocles_, nor the standing for it to matter if he did. Even with his cunning mind, he was drawing a blank as to what he should do next.

Kanon's former group, Absolution as they were call saw him as an enemy. Ava li Britannia saw him an enemy. Japan and the Federation obviously saw him as an enemy. The best option seemed to be fleeing to the EU, where he wouldn't stand out and they wouldn't be looking for him. Maybe there, he could start to climb back up again.

"We can't stay here much longer, my lord. Have you decided what we will do?" asked Kanon who was standing nearby. They were currently in Kanon's home in Vortigern, collecting materials which they would take as they went into hiding.

"I think I'll head for the EU. You'll stay here Kanon and act on my orders," said Schneizel in a cool voice, not seeing any other options.

"You sure about that, Prince," a female voice spoke from the door. Kanon quickly stepped in front of the other man.

"Who are you?! How did you get in here?!" he stammered as he lifted a small handgun from a table nearby.

"Picking a lock is no big deal for someone as adept with her hands as Signa here," the woman said again. Schneizel, curious, stood and walked from out behind Kanon.

Two women were standing there. One was fairly short, had pigment-free skin and hair, and lifeless red eyes; she looked youthful, but it could have just been her fair features which were contrasted by the spotless pitch black coat she wore. The other women was a quite beautiful girl of roughly 26 years, about fix foot tall, with a womanly figure but a young girl's face, long turquoise hair and sort of dark red eyes.

"I'll ask again, who are you?" Kanon started, pointing his handgun at the short, white-haired girl.

"I am Signa Norrell, the assassin of Suzaku Kururugi," this girl said coldly, her inflection never changing.

"And I'm an associate of hers, Naida Fiametta," the other one spoke, her voice containing much more life.

"You're the assassin?" Kanon was shocked.

"It's good you've come, ladies. I've been quite curious about this assassination, and Kanon here only knows so much. Please have a seat," Schneizel said with a charming smirk, motioning toward a couple chairs. Naida took one. Signa continued to stand.

Naida began to speak in a matter-of-fact way, "It's a simple story really. Your friend here joined Absolution with honest intentions, hoping to combat the Empress in retribution for defaming and imprisoning you. The group I work for caught wind of his group by chance and decided to investigate. We quickly determined most of the core member's identities and reasoned that your friend here would be the most sympathetic to us.

"So I approached him and prompted a conversation about Absolution; he was shocked to hear the name off my lips. I pressed for information on their upcoming plans. I used you as a chip as I had been told, saying we'd help in freeing you were he to cooperate. He seemed understandably skeptical, but we provided him with some information on his group that he did not know and he was impressed. He told us they were breaking into the prison to free Suzaku Kururugi, a plan he did not approve of. We then agreed to secure your freedom so long as we were free to kill Kururugi. Your friend did not object."

"So you were the one who spared Kanon and I from Hildegarde Waldstein," Schneizel said to Signa, smirking as he did so.

"Correct," the girl affirmed.

"But that's wrong! I've never seen you before in my life! The person I talked to looked completely different! He wasn't even a woman," Kanon spoke up suddenly, looking rather angered at Naida.

"More like this?" Naida started. Suddenly she wasn't the same. In a blink of the eye, the attractive turquoise haired girl was replaced by a completely different person, a fairly young man with thick sideburns, glasses and a plaid shirt.

"How did you--?" Kanon started, his eyes wide in confusion. Schneizel wasn't confused.

"Geass," he said with a cool nod.

"Exactly," said Naida, her-- or perhaps his, Schneizel wasn't so sure anymore, voice having changed completely to fit the new form. "With my Geass I can affect the faculties in the brain responsible for recognition, making you see and hear a completely different person in my place. Ever since it evolved I'm always someone else now, and it shifts automatically after a while, but it's a fairly fun power."

"And your friend's Geass amplifies the sensation of pain, if I'm not mistaken," Schneizel said recalling what had happened with Hildegarde in the prison.

"Not just pain, but feeling, both physical and emotional. Her Geass amplifies not just the pain and other sensations that are transmitted to the brain by the nervous system, but also the fear, isolation and desperation that may be inside them. That's why it was perfectly suited for Kururugi," said Naida, smirking.

"Who are you people? Who do you work for?" asked Schneizel, staring at the two darkly.

"We're a small group with a varied set of goals. Our master decided Kururugi joining up with Absolution would endanger some of these goals," said Naida, looking down. "unfortunately, that's the only description I can give you."

"Kururugi was a washed up old man who had grown delusional from wearing a mask for twenty years, why was he so dangerous?" Kanon spat aggressively.

"Lelouch vi Britannia's Geass was powerful. Mine, Signa's, Ava li Britannia's, they're handy little powers, but they lack much of the punch that your younger bother's eye had to it. Kururugi held a remnant of that great power inside him. He had been commanded to live, this made him a soldier who could best most anything, this along with his skill as a commander would have given Absolution a strength beyond what my master deemed they deserved," explained Naida, nodding several times.

"Yes, I'm painfully aware of how impossibly persistent his Geass was. I've been a slave to it the last twenty years," said Schneizel scowling.

"You're still a slave, Schneizel el Britannia, only your master has changed," Naida said smiling evilly.

"What was that?! You--" Kanon started. It was then that Naida's form changed yet again. The young man of before was gone; in his place was none other than Zero in full cape and mask. Schneizel's eyes widened. He bowed in service.

"Yes, master Zero?" Schneizel said, unable to help it.

"You bastards! I'll kill you both!" Kanon shouted pointing his gun square at the masked man. Schneizel stood and blocked the gun's path. Kanon's hand began to shake from nerves. Signa then stepped forward and met Kanon's gaze. A few seconds later his eyes went wide and he dropped his gun, going into a mad panic.

"Now then, let me explain what you must do," Zero began to speak. Schneizel listened, unable not to.

---

"Heh, I remember this place, Astrid," Ava started in a soft voice as she walked through the familiar flower garden. She gave a laugh. "This is where I gave my boorish cousin, that good pummeling seven years ago."

"Yeah, but it was more than just that. Before that, we would come down here all the time just to admired the flowers all alone," said Astrid with a low sigh, seemingly disappointed that all Ava remembered was the violence.

"Yeah, we had some good times here," said Ava, pleasant memories of her childhood returning to her. "It still is beautiful."

"Yeah. Wouldn't you agree, Amy?" Astrid asked, tilting her head to the maid behind her.

"It is quite lovely," said the cute young maid in a pleasant voice.

"Heh, look here, Astrid, these were your favorites back then," said Ava looking down at some beautiful pink flowers.

"You do remember all that stuff from back then…" said Astrid in a very soft voice. "That makes me happy."

"Back then, my time with you was the only thing that mattered to me. I could never forget any of it," Ava said, smiling as she faced the girl.

"Ava…" said Astrid softly as she bent down to find the pleasant scent of the pink flowers.

"Thank you for this Astrid. I never would have found the time to admire the beauty of flowers like this if left on my own," Ava said, admiring the scenic garden. She then looked over at the girl. To her horror, Astrid suddenly fell face first into the display of flowers. She wasn't moving.

"What did you do to her?!" Ava demanded turning around immediately.

"A simple, fairly painless knockout technique. I didn't want her to see this," the maid said, her voice suddenly a lot colder than it was before.

"Who are you?" asked Ava glaring at the other without flinching.

"I am the one who hold the blades that will strike you down," the girl said boldly before pulling too large knives from her thighs, under her maid's skirt.

"Very well," Ava said, smirking as she pulled the jeweled short sword from her belt. "Try your best."

A/N: End chapter. Cliffhangers sure are fun. So are yuri sex scenes. D.D. had a lot of fun in this chapter. She's a lot more bold with these two than Ava because she could be. They both have very strong desires for Geass, and were willing to make a trade; additionally, D.D. wasn't quite as into the idea of other women when her and Ava formed their contract yet. Other interesting things this chapter. Signa's Geass and character are elaborated on, and new character Naida Fiametta was explored. She has a fun power, let her quickly force Schneizel back into the role of a pawn. Speaking of powers, I wonder what Margaret and Hildegarde will be able to do.

The Kallen debate I started in my forum after the last chapter has yet to end. If you were too lazy to check, we've been arguing over there to decide something of what I should do with Kallen's character in the story, or more so her personal connections. I want to be set on something by the next chapter.

And the first two chapters of the side project I mentioned last weeks have been posted. If you like this story and its characters, check it out.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Naida Fiametta


	17. Turn 16: Divergent Lines of War

A/N: Another chapter. Thanks go out to everyone reading. Hope you continue to enjoy.

Disclaimer: Margaret: "Crazy Ninja Penguin does not own Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion or any of it's associated elements. He does own the original characters and elements"

Ava gave a short grunt as the maid's blades met her own. The girl was stronger than she appeared, much stronger. Ava was quick to find an angle of leverage and push back, allowing herself time to collect herself and step back. She could tell instantly that this girl was expertly trained. This would not be an easy fight by any means.

"You made a mistake, assassin. I should have been your only focus. If you hadn't paid Astrid any mind you could have had my life," said Ava with a cold laugh as she faced off against the young girl, sword pointed out. She knew this was true.

"You overestimate yourself, Ava li Britannia. I have made no error," the girl said coldly, knives held rigidly. "It doesn't matter how many other rich, spoiled children you have defeated at some sport where you hold something shaped like a sword. My training is perfect."

"Very well, prove it," Ava said, smirking.

"Fine by me," the maid nodded cooly before closing the gap. Her attacks came with speed for which Ava wasn't prepared. It was intense. The fact that she had two blades, obvious ambidexterity seeing either move just as fast as the other, only made things so much more difficult. Ava determined quickly that this was not just a hard fight for her, but an impossible one if she approached it directly. She had to use her head to get out of this.

Ava quickly parried one knife swipe and stepped to the of another. She then quickly made her own swipe at the assassin. The girl did a full back flip to evade it, and then launched two smaller knives at the Empress as she found her feet. Ava caught them in time and managed to deflect them effortlessly. But the girl was already pressing forward by that time. Ava moved quickly into a sprint back, trying to put some distance between herself and the maid. This turned out to be a mistake.

The assassin's speed was beyond anything she had. She could feel a knife cut painfully deep into her right shoulder, blood pouring out to stain her Empress' garb. She panted as she turned around. Like her opponent, Ava was also ambidextrous, so she switched her sword to her left hand to avoid aggravating her wound as she put up her defensive. Despite the pain, she was able to maintain face, and avoid further damage through practically a full minute of bombardment by her opponent's knives, a lock of her long black hair, the only thing that fell casualty.

Ava was scared. She was weakening. She, who had never been bested at fencing, was losing this fight like all that was a joke. The girl was right apparently, all of that before had been a child's game. This woman was a real fighter, with intent to kill burning in her eyes. Ava's strength was waning. Blood was pouring from her wound, making her feel lightheaded. She was avoiding damage, but not finding any opening herself. The rigorous activity it would soon see her fall. She was going to die there, surrounded by those beautiful flowers.

Finally she saw a gap in the maid's strikes. She made a lightning quick thrust, straight for her opponent's heart. The masterful assassin caught the blade between her own, threw it back with extreme force, unbalancing the young Empress and sending her back to the ground, blood from her deep shoulder wound splattering on the pink flowers into which she fell.

Ava cursed it. She still had so much to do. She had only done so much for Britannia. The world as it was wasn't stable, it would fall apart were she to die here. In the face of her supporters, now not afraid to voice their support, who still believed her goals were right, the war wouldn't end, it would just become less orderly and more divisive and bloody. She couldn't die here. The assassin's cold blades pointed at her. Her thoughts went to the day six years ago that changed everything. Her thoughts went to her mother. Her thoughts went to Astrid. Tears left her eyes as she mouthed the words, "I'm sorry."

"Bane of out peaceful world, your time has come," said the young girl darkly, nothing but hate in her eyes as she inched the knife forward, ready to bring it down upon the Empress' neck.

"Please, no, Amy!" a scream came just as the blade was about to find it's mark. To Ava's ultimate surprise, the scream made the girl flinch. Ava took advantage of this, beating the knife from her assailant's hand with her sword and pointing it upward.

"You've already lost," the maid coldly spat, clearly angered before crouching down past the sword and thrusting her second knife into the Empress's thigh and quickly pulling it out. Ava cried out in unspeakable pain and dropped her blade. A now bloody knife was soon pointed at her neck.

"Please, Amy, why?!" the voice of before, Astrid, started. The girl was conscious now and standing to the right of the scene.

"Amy Glen was a lie. I've done nothing but lie to you Astrid," the girl said in her usual cool voice. That voice soon became less stable. "Now, watch as I strike down the one you…"

The skilled assassin was trembling. She was actually shaking and her voice was cracking. Ava couldn't believe it. She was in too much pain to do anything though. She couldn't stand with the wound to her thigh. She barely would have the strength to lift her sword. She was exhausted and anything more would cause her to faint.

"I don't believe you, Amy. You can try denying it, but I still consider you my friend. I know, deep down, you can't kill Ava, you won't," Astrid said, her voice quite shaky itself. Ava wondered if perhaps Astrid wasn't trying actively to do whatever she could to save her.

"You're wrong Astrid. This is my only purpose," the maid said. The eyes that once burnt with nothing but hate now held fear and uncertainty. Ava could have won now, she could have, but she didn't have the strength.

"Then do it, Amy, kill my most beloved friend while I watch! Show me you can, show me you honestly don't care about me at all!" Astrid challenged in a surprising roar. It was a bold tactic and made Ava a little uneasy, but she had hope that Astrid was making the right call.

"I'm sorry, Astrid. It's not that I don't care, but rather I have no choice," the assassin said, quivering as she held her knife out toward the bloodied Empress. Ava thought for a moment she even saw a tear leave the girl's eye. "I have to do this. I'm sorry."

As conflicted as she was, Ava knew the maid would see her attack through. She had to. It was her reason for being. That knife would still kill her unless something got in its path. Desperately, Ava tried to lift her sword. It was so heavy. She raised it upward very slowly. The assassin effortlessly bat it several feet out of her hand.

"Huh, what's going on in here?" Ava could hear an easy voice say. She looked over. She could see a familiar red head of hair bent over, picking up the jeweled sword. The girl lifted the sword and then looked up. Her eyes widened as she caught sigh of Ava and the assassin.

"What the hell is happening here?!" a stunned Margaret Enneagram screeched as she ran toward her rival, holding the sword tightly.

"Margaret, please, save Ava!" Astrid demanded, her voice finally revealing her incredible fear.

Margaret made no verbal response to the other but rather made a daring slash straight at the maid who dodged quickly. and flipped to the side, reclaiming her second knife. Astrid ran immediately to Ava's side and lifted her into her arms.

"Ava, I'm sorry! This is, this all my fault…" Astrid weeped horribly as she cradled her friend desperately. Ava put all her strength into lifting her left arm and placing it atop her friend's head which she pet gently.

"It's all right Astrid. I don't blame you. You saved me just now, after all," Ava said in a weak voice as she stared up at Astrid, beautiful despite the tears in her eyes. Her embrace was so warm and comforting. Ava didn't want her to ever let go.

"Ava, we need to get you help," said Astrid softly as she pulled off the girl. She ripped a long piece of fabric from her dress and tied it hard across Ava's leg wound. The pain was great but Ava knew it was necessary. "Can you stand?"

"I hope so," Ava said in a weak voice, as she put her good arm around Astrid, who tried to lift her up and balance her. With considerable effort they found their feet. Standing Ava's eyes immediately found a most peculiar sight. Margaret Enneagram was coming out of a sideways flip and connecting a vicious full slash to the maid's side. The assassin went to her knees in obvious severe pain.

"Ava, since when had Margaret been so good at this?" Astrid asked, obviously having caught the spectacular display herself.

"I've fenced against that girl probably a hundred times, Astrid, and never once did she come close to beating me. Why she now is besting an opponent who so thoroughly defeated me, I have no explanation," Ava said, wondering if she was seeing things due to loss of blood, but knowing that since Astrid was seeing them too, that couldn't be.

"Who are you?! How do you move like that?! It's the same style as mine, a mix of my mother's speed and grace and my father's power and intensity. No one should be capable of this but me," the assassin seemed frantic, scared and confused as the jeweled sword was pointed at her neck by the redhead, who held a certain blank expression in her eyes.

"Do not kill her Margaret," said the Empress, making the girl stabilizing her smile.

Margaret lowered her sword. Her glossed over eyes regained their life. She looked at the girl and gave a laugh. "I think I like Geass," she said smirking.

"That witch!" Ava started, her eyes widening.

"I don't understand this, answer me, who are you?!" the beaten assassin stammered, shaking as she looked up at the girl.

"A nobody. A simple girl of no importance who's never come out on top at anything she's ever tried. A girl's who lived her whole life in the shadows of others. That's who has beaten you at your own game," Margaret spoke coldly, looking as if she enjoyed her new power a little much.

"So, Margaret's Geass, it allows her to read a person's abilities and perform them herself, than?" Astrid started, her head tilted as she looked over at her redheaded friend and her maid.

"I believe it's something of that sort," said Ava smirking. " Bring me before your Amy, Astrid."

"Umm, okay," Astrid replied reluctantly, moving the Empress forward step by slow, painful step.

"Margaret, use something to bind her arms," ordered Ava.

"Right!" Margaret nodded and quickly pulled a sash from her outfit and tied it quickly across the girl's wrists. She then brought the girl up to a standing position, so she was face to face with the Empress.

"Who are you?" Ava asked, activating her Geass.

"Amelia Gottwald," the assassin answered, her voice very cold and hateful.

"Gottwald? There is a rather infamous Jeremiah Gottwald recorded in the pages of history. He served the Demon Emperor. Reports indicate that Zero himself hunted the man down and killed him after the Demon Emperor's fall." Ava said giving a laugh, feeling a lot better now for some reason, despite the pain. "Tell me, what is your relation with this man?"

"He is my father," said Amelia slowly, her eyes looking dead.

"So he is alive?" Ava started.

"Yes. The reports were lies released so he would be free to live a peaceful life without people tracing him back to Emperor Lelouch," said the captive girl, still staring ahead.

"Are you a part of the group that intended to free Suzaku Kururugi from my prison? Are you a part of Absolution?" asked the Empress, her gaze still focused.

"I am," Amelia said with a nod.

"Are there other assassins in place to make attempts on my life?" asked Ava, frowning.

"There are," said Amelia simply.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to make it even more difficult to enter this castle," Ava sighed. "So, who are the core members of Absolution?"

"My father, my mother, Anya, and several others who's identities I don't know," said Amelia shaking her head.

"Anya wouldn't be Anya Alstreim, former Knight of Six, reported killed in the Demon Emperor's fight against the _Damocles,_ would it?" asked Ava, raising an eyebrow.

"It would," Amelia said simply.

"Since Absolution seems to be a meeting place for influential ghosts, would you mind telling me your mother's name," prompted the Empress.

"Sayoko Gottwald," said Amelia softly.

"Sayoko...? Hmm… I seem to recall limited references to someone of that given name in a few official records," said Ava closing her eyes.

"Ava, I think that's enough. It's important that you get to a doctor quickly," Astrid pleaded.

"One more question please, Astrid," said Ava with a nod.

"All right," said Astrid unsteadily.

"Amelia Gottwald, what is Astrid to you?" Ava asked, giving perhaps her most serious glare yet. Astrid was surprised.

"She is a valued friend. I care for her deeply," Amelia said with a little more warmth than before. Ava nodded.

"Margaret, take this girl to a holding room in the same tower we put the Japanese General's daughter, instruct the guard to treat her well, but never let her out of their sight," said Ava with a smile.

"Thank you, Ava," said Astrid, embracing the other very softly, reminding her of her warmth, "you're really too kind to me."

"I want to die for this. I don't want to be kept as your pet, Ava li Britannia!" Amelia started as Astrid turned Ava around.

"Astrid would be sad then. You wouldn't want that, would you?" Ava said back to the other who shook with despair.

Very slowly, step by step, the sweet blonde took Ava to find treatment.

---

Hildegarde Waldstein wore a very faint look of embarrassment as she stared at the door leading to Yasuko Tohdoh's room for the third time that day. She felt ashamed of herself. She had done lewd things with that witch and then lewder things by herself to the thought of the girl in this room. Hildegarde didn't want to admit that she was infatuated. She didn't honestly understand why she would be, but could she really deny that she was? She opened the door slowly.

"Back again, huh? You just can't get enough of me," Yasuko teased with a wide grin at sight of the woman.

"When you're alone, you surely remember that this comfortable room is really just a prison cell," said Hildegarde smoothly, containing her blush.

"Isn't it better I remember that? I am a prisoner after all. I really shouldn't be so blessed with such wonderful company," said Yasuko, still smiling.

Hildegarde didn't really know what to say. Selfish reasons had driven her there. She couldn't deny that, "I just wanted to talk some more while I still can. I never know when I'll be called into battle again." Hildegarde closed her eyes, "But I understand perfectly if you'd rather be alone for a while."

"Oh, no, Miss Hildegarde, not at all. I'd have you here all the time if I could. When you're here I don't think about everyone. I don't worry about what they're going through. I'm actually able to smile," said Yasuko, doing just that.

"I'm glad I can offer you even a small bit of comfort in this time of darkness, then," the knight said, smiling at the girl as she found a seat inside the room.

"Heh, you're really cool, Miss Hildegarde, you know that?" Yasuko laughed.

A slightly troubled look crept across Hildegarde face as she remembered the shameful things she had just done once more. She stared at the innocent youth and questioned what the girl would think if she had seen that side of her. Then something very strange happened. Something inside Hildegarde flipped. Suddenly she wasn't seeing through her own eyes.

She could see a very small room, it looked like an officer's room aboard a ship of some sort. She had no control of her body. It was very odd. She was lying on a small bed. She looked down. She was wearing a Japanese soldier's uniform, her body small and thin. One of her small hands went to her side and lifted something to her line of sight. It was a framed photograph. Yasuko was in the picture; next to her was a very attractive, young woman with dark skin and silver hair wearing a cool smirk. Hildegarde's eyes became transfixed on this woman for some reason.

As her right hand held the photograph, her left hand did something unexpected. It undid the uniform belt she wore and slipped under her pants and then under her panties. Soon the hand was massaging the sex of the body in which Hildegarde inhabited, as she knew it was not her own. She couldn't feel the sensation, she couldn't feel anything, just see from that body's eyes, but she could hear moans begin to resonate from its mouth. Then a soft call. "Miss Chiharu!" it came; It was Yasuko's voice. It hit Hildegarde at once, she was seeing Yasuko pleasure herself to the thought of her friend.

And then, just as suddenly as the strange experience started, it stopped. Hildegarde no longer saw through Yasuko's eyes but instead her own, as she faced the smiling girl. A blush appeared on her face.

"Are you okay, Miss Hildegarde? You seem a little out of it," Yasuko started, tilting her head.

"Chiharu Ohgi, the pilot of the _Jinketsu_, you said you really admired her, correct?" Hildegarde started, looking at the floor. The young girl was obviously taken aback by the sudden question.

"Y-yeah, why?" Yasuko started, blushing. Hildegarde's eyes widened. Had what she had seen actually happened? Did Yasuko actually have pent up sexual feelings for Chiharu Ohgi. She wanted to know, but approaching the issue seemed difficult.

"What's she look like?" asked Hildegarde, tilting her head.

"Why should you care?" Yasuko asked, looking at the other like she was strange.

"I seem to recall you calling her beautiful. I was wondering what you thought of as being so," said Hildegarde, quick to find a realistic excuse. Yasuko smiled.

"Gee, you certainly can pick some embarrassing topics of conversation, Miss Hildegarde." Yasuko rolled her eyes, "Well, she's only half-Japanese, so she definitely stands out over there. She's a bit taller than you, similar proportions but not as muscular; similar hair style, but left longer, and a very cool silver color. She has brown eyes and fairly dark skin."

"She sounds quite attractive," Hildegarde said. There was no mistaking it; this was the girl from the picture. "How did you meet her?"

"Well, she's been Hiromi's best friend since we were all children, so I guess she's just always been around," Yasuko said softly.

"You two must be very close then," Hildegarde said with a smile.

"Well, I guess," Yasuko sighed. "But really, whenever Chiharu was over it was just to see Hiromi. Even though I'm just a year younger than Hiromi, I was just the kid sister who was also there. The way she looks at me, its hardly different from the way she looks at her own little sister, Kiyoko."

"You want her to see you as a woman, don't you?" Hildegarde asked.

"Gah, what are you suggesting, Miss Hildegarde?" Yasuko stammered, her face a deep red.

"I didn't mean anything strange by it, just that you would want your role-model to see you as more of an equal," Hildegarde gave a steady nod.

"Right, of course..." Yasuko said, looking at the floor.

"Unless there is something else to it," the knight started, smirking.

"Well…" Yasuko spoke in a very tentative way. "I guess there is… but you'd probably think I was weird for it."

"I make an effort not to judge others," Hildegarde said with an inviting smile.

"Yeah, well, I think I… you know, like her," Yasuko said, very shyly. Hildegarde closed her eyes. The girl seemed immediately flustered, "Liking another girl, see I'm weird, huh?"

"I don't think so. I-I'm pretty much the same way," Hildegarde admitted, shocked she did.

"Whoa! You're joking, right?!" Yasuko started, taken aback. "You have a girlfriend, Miss Hildegarde?"

"Umm, no. I've been devoted to knighthood for my entire life so far… but I would say.. I'm attracted to other women." Now Hildegarde was blushing.

"Wow, someone as beautiful as you is…" Yasuko stammered. Hildegarde blushed. Yasuko had called her beautiful. She wanted to claim the girl as her own then and there, but something in this seemed foolish. Yasuko was here enemy, her prisoner. More importantly, Yasuko already had someone.

"Thanks," Hildegarde said in a soft whisper. "I honestly don't know how your Chiharu misses the beautiful woman in front of me."

"Gee, Miss Hildegarde, do you want me to fall for you?" Yasuko sarcastically squealed, hiding her eyes.

Hildegarde thought to say, "yes" but instead just laughed and said, "I doubt that would work very well for either of us."

"It might be better if I find someone else. I don't ever see Chiharu looking my way, especially now that that woman is there," Yasuko gave a long sigh.

"What woman?" asked Hildegarde, head tilted.

"The _Onryou's_ pilot. Some self-centered, apathetic westerner who calls herself a goddess, and makes hard advances at Miss Chiharu," Yasuko spat venomously.

"Does Chiharu even like other women?" Hildegarde asked, curious.

"I don't really know. I've obviously never asked her about it," said Yasuko shaking her head.

"I guess not," Hildegarde laughed.

"You know, Miss Hildegarde, if things were just a little different…" Yasuko started but choked mid sentence.

A knock then sounded at the door. Hildegarde stood as it opened.

"Waldstein, though I loathe the thought of being a messenger for the likes of you, I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and was given the task of telling you," said a woman. Hildegarde recognized her as the Knight of Six, Rowena Winfield. "A servant gave me this for the prisoner," she said as she set a tray of fine food before Yasuko.

"Yes, what happened?" Hildegarde started, surprised.

"It's not something for enemy combatants to overhear," said Winfield, shaking her head.

Hildegarde sighed. She smiled as she turned back to Yasuko. "We'll talk more later, Yasuko."

"Thanks. I look forward to it Miss Hildegarde," Yasuko called back cheerfully as the other left.

"You're sure friendly with the enemy, aren't you Knight of Four?" Winfield said with scorn, glaring at the other.

"I don't want to be reprimanded by you, Winfield, if this isn't important, I see not why my conversation be interrupted," Hildegarde said harshly.

"An attempt was made on the Empress' life," Winfield said completely deadpan. Hildegarde's eyes widened.

"When?! How did this happen?!" Hildegarde was filed with disgust and hatred.

"Just a few moments ago. The assassin had apparently long since been masquerading as the Knight of Nine's servant and had garnered her trust. Her attempt was luckily foiled by Enneagram's daughter," said Winfield, looking serious.

"The Empress, is she well now?" asked Hildegarde hopefully.

"She's injured but being tended to," Winfield said simply.

"The assassin was killed on the spot, I trust," Hildegarde said, scowling at the thought of a person so low as to try and take her Empress' life.

"She lives. Actually, on the Empress' orders she was placed in that room there," said Winfield shaking her head as she pointed at the room across from Yasuko's.

"Why?" Hildegarde demanded.

"Haven't a clue myself," Winfield shook her head. "If it makes you so angry to have her live, why don't you go in there and shove that sword down her throat. I wouldn't stop you."

"I won't defy my Empress' will even if I don't agree with it," Hildegarde spat, glaring at the other.

"Oh, that's right, you're a good girl, aren't you, Knight of Four. You always do as your told." Winfield gave a superior laugh at the expense of the other. Hildegarde shook her head as she wondered why the other was such a vile person.

Then something clicked again. Hildegarde wasn't seeing though her own eyes anymore. The person who's eyes from which she saw was very small in comparison to the sparse furnishings around her, clearly a child. She was standing in what appeared to be a very small, dilapidated room. In front of her was a woman lying on a bed. She looked unwell.

"Mommy, are you going to be okay?" the little girl who Hildegarde occupied cried as she looked at the woman's face.

"No, dear, I'm not…" the woman replied hoarsely. "It's like the Emperor says, girl, this is a world where the strong survive and the weak perish. It's as simple as that," the woman stopped to give a harsh cough. "Ever since war claimed your father, I've barely managed to care for us both. I simply don't have the means to pay for this illness. I'm weak."

"But, mommy..." the young girl started, tears were clouding her, Hildegarde's, eyes.

"Silence child, don't cry for me. Swear to me, that once I'm gone you'll be a strong girl, someone better than I was. You won't get swallowed up and end up like me, you'll climb to the top and sit beside Emperor Charles himself," the woman said at all at once from her sickbed. Afterwards she began to cough uncontrollably.

"I promise, mommy, I promise, I will!" the child ran up and hugged her mother tightly, "please, just don't leave me yet."

"I hope you do keep that promise, my precious Rowena," the woman said, rubbing her cheek against that of the child.

"I will. Whatever it takes," the little girl spoke looking into her mother eyes. Then those eyes disappeared and Hildegarde was again looking at Rowena Winfield.

It didn't take Hildegarde more than a second to piece it all together.

"I think I understand you, Winfield" Hildegarde said.

"What the hell does that mean, Knight of Four?!" the cruel woman spat.

"Why you value wealth, power and rank so much. You once had none of it. You were once a commoner living in poverty," Hildegarde said, nodding. Seconds later she was slapped with force she could hardly imagine.

"How dare you speak such a disgusting lie?! I am a proud member of the noble Winfield family, not some common swine!" Winfield was unhinged, mortified, beyond angry, hysterical. There were even tears in her eyes. "I don't know who or what gave you this sickening idea but I want you to never bring it up to anyone, anywhere, ever again or I swear I'll kill you!"

"As you wish, Knight of Six," Hildegarde said, unfazed by the screams of the other who left in a huff. Hildegarde smirked. She now knew it was fact. The scene she had seen; both scenes she had seen, had actually happened. Her father could see a few seconds into his future; she could catch glimpses of other's pasts. That was her Geass.

---

Kallen Kozuki wore a sharp smirk as she knocked at the door of a certain room aboard the _Hitokage._

"Yeah?" an energetic, youthful voice called.

"It's your mother, open the door, Katsumi," Kallen replied. The door opened after half a minute.

Katsumi Kozuki wore a childish grin on her face as she stared at her mother. She was dressed in nothing but her underwear, a sports bra and some plain panties, much to Kallen's chagrin. At fifteen Katsumi looked very much like Kallen did in her youth. Her hair was perhaps a shade darker, and her eyes had a violet tint to them, but she had an alarmingly similar figure to her mother, and even wore her hair in the same spiked out fashion as Kallen.

"So, what did you want to tell us, Mother?" came a more reserved, though still youthful voice. Kallen looked over at Katsumi's sister, Katsue, and smiled. Like her sister, she was dressed only in undergarments, hers more feminine and lacy, but not tacky. She was sitting atop the bed.

As they were identical twins, the two looked very much the same. There were noticeable differences in their personalities. While Katsumi was more aggressive, assertive, willful and romantic, Katsue was more patient, studious, quick-witted and playful. To make it even easier to tell them apart, Katsue wore her hair straight, in the fashion Kallen had when she originally attended Ashford Academy.

"I have something to tell you guys," Kallen said, smiling at the girls.

"We're listening, mom," said Katsumi, nodding with enthusiasm.

"I've been selected for a reassignment," said Kallen in a serious voice.

"Back to the _Huoyun_, then?" Katsue asked, head tilted.

"No, I'm afraid not. I'm being put in charge of a special operation, girls. I'm leaving for Britannia where I'll aid a resistance group there, the General spoke, an uneasy smirk on her lips.

"So I take it we won't be tagging along this time," Katsumi said, looking disappointed. The twins had been with Kallen since she was first deployed. Maybe she was the over protective parent, but she couldn't just leave them behind for her to worry.

"I'm afraid not," Kallen responded, giving a shake of her head.

"It sounds rather dangerous, mother. Make sure you're careful out there, you're all we have," Katsue said in a low voice.

"Ha, that sounds like something a mother should say to her child, not the other way around," Kallen said, giving a quick laugh.

"So, who'll be watching over us while you're gone?" asked Katsumi.

"I asked an old friend of mine. A civilian onboard, Mr. Tamaki and his wife," Kallen said nodding.

"In your stories, isn't Tamaki always the loudmouthed idiot?" asked Katsumi, smiling.

"Well, yeah." Kallen laughed. "Don't trouble him too bad, girls."

"I'll make sure sis doesn't get into any trouble, mother," Katsue nodded softly.

"Thank you, Katsue," said Kallen. "I trust you two not to do anything too stupid anyway."

"General Kozuki!" a voice started from behind Kallen, she turned to see a lieutenant she didn't know standing there, saluting. "The team is assembled and awaiting you to address them."

"Understood!" Kallen nodded. The lieutenant left and she turned back to her twin daughters who were now both standing at the door. "Looks like I gotta go, kids. I'll miss you."

Both girls began hugging her. She smiled. Neither of them had ever been the rebellious teenager. She was grateful for that. She hugged them back.

"We'll miss you too, mom," both said in practical unison. As different as they were, there were brief moments when they did sync up.

"Stay out of trouble," Kallen said firmly as she turned around waving back at them.

She smiled. After Lelouch's death her heart had been so empty. She had tried to fill it. Gino Weinberg's proposal to her had been a sort of wake up call. She realized quickly that she couldn't let go of the old memory, that she couldn't accept the love of someone new so readily. It had pained her to a degree, but she had rejected him. She bounced between lovers after that for a while but never let herself get close to anyone; she just couldn't move forward for some reason.

Then her thoughts had turned to her mother one day. She recalled the warmth of her mother's love, a love who's meaning had evaded her for a long time, but eventually appeared as one of the most beautiful and pure things she knew. Even if Kallen's heart refused to open to another after Lelouch, she thought that just maybe it could be filled with this pure love for a child. That's why she let herself be impregnated by artificial means. Being blessed with two children instead of one had come as a bit of a shock but Kallen was rarely anything but grateful, even if sometimes it was hard to care for them both all alone. They kept her from being lonely, they gave her newfound purpose.

Kallen was still smiling when she arrived in the hangar and found herself face to face with her squad. She nodded at each of them. It was strange; she had just left her teen daughters now here she was with another group of teens and young adults, only this group was burdened with the future of Japan and the entire world. It was Kallen's hope that Katsumi and Katsue never were made to pilot a knightmare frame.

"It's nice to meet you all. I'm General Kallen Kozuki," Kallen said with a strong nod, to the group, which she was surprised to see was overwhelmingly female. "Please, introduce yourselves."

"Major Chiharu Ohgi, ma'am," said a beautiful, silver-haired, dark skinned girl whom Kallen had met many times in the past. Her voice held strength and commitment.

"Lieutenant Hiromi Tohdoh," a dour faced brunette girl Kallen had also met previously said, looking a far cry from her well-humored usual self.

"Lieutenant Colonel Wu Chaowei," the sole male member of the squad said, grinning and nodding like he thought he was cool.

"Major Hu Xuemei," said a cold eyed, Chinese Federation beauty with long, snowy hair.

"And I'm the mercenary, Megami Subarashii!" the oldest of the group, an attractive woman in her mid twenties, tall with turquoise hair and red eyes said with enthusiasm.

"Megami Subarashii…? Did you even try, when you thought up that?" Kallen asked under her breath, giving a sigh. She then looked back up at them. "As you have all already been told, a group with resources and influential personnel calling itself Absolution has shown itself in Britannia. The six of us are to aid their still small force in their coming battle."

"Wouldn't it be better to send more than just six pilots?" asked Chiharu, looking serious.

"You should know this more than anyone, Major, but the face of war has been changed. In this age, a single unit can have the power of an entire army of old. It just so happens that a single unit is a little easier to move than an entire army," Kallen responded wearing a deep smirk.

"I suppose that does make sense," Chiharu said, smiling.

"Anyway, your custom units have all been refurbished since the last battle. They have been loaded on a small ship which we will be boarding. We will take it to a small private Britannian harbor, owned by an Absolution insider. We will then hide out until we receive orders to move out. Understood?"

Everyone nodded and gave a call of affirmation.

---

Margaret Enneagram wore a serious expression as she walked through the hospital. It was night now, the night at the end of one of the strangest days in her life. She had spent her morning finishing up her research on something she had determined was called Code-R. Finishing that she had returned to the Castle to give her report to the Empress, but instead ended up having sex with another woman in the center of the throne room before being granted the power of Geass.

Still intent on delivering her findings to the Empress, she had questioned a guard who told her that Astrid had whisked her away to the flower garden. When Margaret entered that garden, she got the surprise of her life in seeing the Empress face to face with death. Margaret charged in recklessly and engaged the assassin, and ended up doing some crazy ninja moves that should have been impossible for her, and actually beat the skilled assassin, who for some reason, the Empress spared, and didn't even send to a formal prison.

As she was concerned, Margaret was now here to visit her friend, rival and Empress. She found the girl's room and knocked softly. A very soft reply came, "Come in." Margaret opened the door and walked in. A fairly able Ava li Britannia nodded at her, wearing a slight smirk. Astrid Weinberg was in a char nearby; she was fast asleep.

"How long she been like that?" Margaret asked in a whisper, shaking her head.

"She's been here all day exhausting herself with undue worry. It finally caught up to her just ten minutes ago," said Ava, smiling as she looked at the sleeping blonde.

"So, you feeling any better?" asked Margaret slowly.

"You needn't worry Margaret. There was some bone damage to my shoulder but it won't hinder me too badly; and the doctor says it will heal quick. I lost a lot of blood, but I'll be up on my feet in just a couple days," said Ava.

"That's good to hear," said Margaret, nodding.

"It's really thanks to you Margaret, you saved my life today. For that I will always be thankful," Ava said, smiling kindly. Margaret almost froze. It was unreal having Ava li Britannia look at her in such a way. It just didn't feel right.

"Well, that witch probably deserves some of the credit. That and good fortune," said Margaret modestly.

"So your Geass, have you determined its exact parameters?" started Ava. "It seemed to me as if you attained temporary mastery of your opponent's physical abilities."

"Well, assassin girl's still the only one I've used it on. That one time was pretty cool. I was doing all that stuff, and I didn't even really know how," Margaret said, shaking her head.

"It's an interesting Geass. It let you finally surpass me Margaret. You beat an opponent I could not," said Ava, smirking softly.

"I doubt I could best you one on one, even with it. That girl seemed distracted and taken aback. You wouldn't be," said Margaret nodding.

"Astrid had thrown that girl's heart into turmoil seconds before you arrived. Not to belittle your power, Margaret, but I could have defeated her at that point were I able to stand," said Ava in a low voice.

"I figured as much. She hardly struggled once beaten. It was as if she had lost her will to fight," the redhead said, remembering the sadness in her defeated opponent's eyes.

"She was just a young girl. As well trained as she was, she was just like you or I. She had been given the mission of winning Astrid's trust and ended up honestly bonding with the girl. It's testament to Astrid's warmth, I suppose," said Ava, looking again at the dozing blonde.

"Astrid would be the type hard to betray and easy to get attached to I suppose," Margaret said. "I'm sure Astrid could easily throw your heart into turmoil, just as she did that assassin."

"I don't doubt that, Margaret," said Ava, closing her eyes.

"Do you love her?" Margaret asked, tilting her head.

Ava stared ahead almost blankly and smiled slightly. "I'm sure I do. Even if I don't want to."

"Why not? It'd make the two of you happier," Margaret said giving a soft laugh.

"Six years ago, I was responsible for something that cause Astrid a lot of pain. She changed after that day; she became a lot more fragile. I've become a sort of support for her. Without me she'll break, and I'm certain my quest for the truth will consume me as it did my mother. I don't want Astrid to become like my father, if I can ever avoid it. I don't want us to become even closer," Ava said with untold vulnerability. Margaret was shocked. Why the hell was the Empress being so damn honest with her? It was depressing. Margaret thought to quickly change the topic of conversation. She broke eye contact and looked down grabbing for the slip of paper she had still yet to give the Empress from her pocket.

"So that's how it feels?" said the Empress in a very morose, tired voice.

"How what feels?" asked Margaret, tilting her head.

"Margaret, you just used my Geass on me," said Ava frowning.

"What are you talking about?! I didn't--" Margaret started, shocked by the accusation.

"It's not just physical abilities you can mimic, Margaret. Right now, I could do nothing but tell you things I don't tell anyone," the young Empress said, smirking just slightly.

"Well… I'm sorry I guess…" said Margaret, scratching her head.

"You're my friend Margaret. I don't mind. I've always wondered what it was like on the receiving side of my Geass, and I made the same mistake with Astrid; the first time I used my power it was unintentional," said Ava, looking down.

"This is the list you told me to compile," Margaret said, finally handing the other the Code-R research.

Ava looked at it. She smiled. "It's a short list, but I suppose my uncle Lelouch would have let the involved parties be some of the first to die. I'll speak with these people and see if I can't find any details. Thank you, Margaret."

"Eh, it's no problem, Empress. Whatever you need, I'm here to serve," Margaret said smiling.

"Our enemies will likely mobilize. I want you to take a heavy combat role in the coming fight," said Ava, nodding.

"Whatever you say," said Margaret.

"Thank you for visiting me," said Ava, smiling.

"No problem," said Margaret as she stood to leave, waving back, wondering perhaps if her and Ava's relationship hadn't changed forever.

---

Belisario Nemesio, President of the EU's Universal Commission, wore a soft smirk as he stared at the four figures in front of him. Twenty-four years ago his name had first been recorded in history's pages. After his commander had fallen in battle, he, a mere officer of twenty years had managed to deter and beat back a force under the command of Britannian master strategist, Schneizel el Britannia. After the war he had entered politics. As one of the few men who could be called an EU war hero, it had been easy for him to steadily climb to the top, his charisma, intellect and good looks only helped.

Now he sat in this current desk, a desk which grew in influence daily. It would be easy to force the whole of the EU under his iron fist. The people of the EU knew fear more than most. They were malleable. He could control them.

He looked from face to face at the four before him. They were The Four Champions. The four pillars of the Universal military force. They were the swords he would use to make his mark in the world.

He looked at each of them in turn. The first of them was Edouard Valentin, an effeminate man with a playful expression in his late twenties, dressed in a stylish hat and cloak. Next to him stood Valeria Giullare, a pretty dark-haired girl in her early 20's with sad eyes. At her side was Cesia Moreva, a bookish intellectual in her early thirties with short brown-blonde hair and glasses. Elischa Mayer, a very tall, muscular man of noble character in his mid thirties stood at the end of the line.

"Thank you for answering my call so quickly, my Four Champions. You have served the EU well in the initial struggles of this war," Belisario addressed them in his authoritative but relaxed voice. "Thanks to your efforts, the EU was able to make incredible progress into the Chinese Federation prior to them surrendering."

"Cut it, Nemesio, tell us what game you have for us to next play," said Edouard, giving a devious laugh.

"We're going to press on into the Federation," Belisario obliged the man in a strictly serious fashion. Valentin laughed again, harder this time.

"That's absurd. They've surrendered. They're no longer our enemies," started Elischa in a strong voice. Like the others he was a former member of the Black Knights, but he was the most outspoken in his distaste for fighting against his former comrades.

"We've received compelling evidence that Japanese political and military remnants are hiding out in the Federation," said Belisario giving a steady nod.

"So we have no choice then. We must fly against the Federation once more..." Valeria said in a dark, placed voice, looking down.

"Why don't we leave this sort of manhunt to Britannia? Why must the EU continue to dirty its hands for them?" Cesia asked in a stern voice. Though she asked, she and the others knew they couldn't question the will of the EU and its leader.

"But it sounds like so much fun, dear Cesia," Edouard said with a deep smirk.

"We don't all share your enthusiasm for this fight, Monsieur Valentin," Elischa said with a resolute nod.

"That's right. Now let us just receive our orders and be done with this," said Cesia directly.

"You are all to deploy immediately and fly to a mountainous region of central Federation territory where the Japanese battleships have been spotted. You are to destroy them entirely. Take no prisoners, leave none alive," Belisario said rather coldly.

"To do something so..." Valeria started, closing her eyes and quivering.

"Is this what the EU has become?" Elischa challenged.

"I wonder which of my own students I'll end up slaying next," said Cesia sighing as she seemed to remember her days as lead instructor for the Black Knights.

"You guys are too serious. You miss the beauty that exists on the battlefield," said Edouard smugly.

"If you understand the orders you may be dismissed. You will be further briefed by the tactical officer when you reach the base. Please, do not fail me," said Belisario, smirking very softly.

"Yes sir!" all four started with varying degrees of intensity. They then filed out.

Belisario leaned back in his chair and let out a yawn. He then picked up the phone at his desk. He dialed a number quickly. And placed the piece to his ear.

"Is this you, Belisario?" a voice more lovely than any said into his ear.

"You know it is, my sweet," the man said in a smooth voice.

"You gave them the order?" the beauteous woman on the other line asked in a strong fashion.

"I have," said Belisario firmly.

"Good. Ava li Britannia is distracted at the moment. It requires the strength of you and your champions to pound out the Japanese and reignite the war with the Federation. Then all you have to do is conquer the Federation claim their resources as your own before you can set your sights on Britannia," the woman gave a firm laugh.

"You make it sound so simple," Belisario sighed.

"It is a simple thing, conquering the world, especially for a man as strong and charming as yourself, Belisario," the woman said in an almost sensual voice.

"You flatter me, my sweet." Belisario laughed. "My own champions question my right. I'm doubtful I might lose the support of the commission and even the people before long."

"Abolishing the commission should be easy. It exists mostly as a formality by this point, does it not?" the enchantress cooed into the phone.

"I suppose it does, but I'm not sure I could become so bold without soldiers who will obey me regardless of the order," said Belisario realistically.

"You'll have such soldiers, Belisario. A few pawns must shuffle about the board before the King and Queen can put the world in check," the woman said in an amused voice.

"That seems only reasonable, my dear," the politician said, smirking.

"It's been pleasant chatting with you Belisario, but a couple of my toys have returned from Britannia. I must mingle with them," said the woman, her voice becoming low.

"I understand, my dear. I look forward too seeing you again," said Belisario pleasantly. The other disconnected and he hung up the phone.

He thought about her for a while. She was the woman who's beauty had captured him completely where no other had. She was the woman who had promised him the world and honestly meant it. After all, she was the closest thing to a goddess that existed in the flesh. He had had no qualms in pledging his soul to that goddess.

---

Jeremiah Gottwald gave a sigh as he stared blankly at his TV, waiting for something. It had been two days since Absolution had received it's last contact with his daughter Amelia. She had failed. She was almost certainly dead. This had caused him horrible pain the first night, but he had been prepared for it. He had known the risk of putting the girl in the field, and he was not going to let his loss get in the way of his loyalty. He would restore the world to his young master Lelouch's vision for his sake, Marianne's sake and he supposed even Amelia's sake. Absolution wasn't created to lose.

Then, suddenly it happened. The Empress' face was on the television screen. Jeremiah turned up the volume prepared to hear what his adversary had to say.

"You are now seeing live footage from the Imperial castle where the Empress is prepared to speak," the voice of Milly Ashford could be heard as the Empress took her position before the camera.

After a few more moments of setup. The Empress spoke in a strong voice, "Britannia, listen to me, you have likely all heard by now of this terrorist group, Absolution, which broke into our prison days ago, freeing the villainous Prince Schneizel. You've likely also heard of how they abducted former Empress Nunnally from her manor in Northern Vortigern. Now this group has made another move against us.

"The last two days I have been hospitalized after an attempt on my life by an agent of these terrorists. Amelia Gottwald, a trained assassin and a daughter of a coconspirator of Lelouch vi Britannia and Suzaku Kururugi was narrowly thwarted from her aims of claiming my life. The assassin was apprehended and imprisoned, but her assault on my life still rings boldly as a declaration of war by this group, Absolution, on our proud nation of Britannia. Please, Britannia aid me in drawing them out from where they hide and smiting this enemy out of existence. Anyone who does so will find themselves in Britannia's favor. I thank you for listening to me today. That is all."

Jeremiah was smirking as the Empress walked away. In her short, to the point speech, she had said almost word for word what he had anticipated. The only surprise being the words "apprehended and imprisoned" in the place of the expected "immediately executed" but this was a more than welcome sort of surprise. Jeremiah gave a low laugh as he waited for his own show to start. It wasn't long before it did.

The TV screen's image changed very suddenly. Now on screen was the figure of Nunnally vi Britannia, the proper Empress. She wore a serious expression as she faced the masses.

"Citizens of Britannia, listen to me! I know your faith has been tested, I know you have been lied to, I know hardships of our nation were ignored for a long time for the sake of continued peace, but please do not lose your light! My niece speaks in a strong voice and her want for the truth is admirable, but think about what she has done. Is the blood and death brought by war truly a necessity for a Britannia that is strong and true? Did the lies you were told, lies though they might be, not grant you twenty pleasant, peaceful years to hold in good conscience? Why do we turn on that now? Why do we point our sword at the world and think only of ourselves? Is that the Britannia we truly want to be?" the beautiful former Empress said in a very earnest fashion, passion behind her bright, wide eyes.

"Which is why, Britannia," came a deep voice. It was Jeremiah's own voice full of depth and conviction that was playing from the prerecorded tape that their media contact had started. The camera panned up and out to show him, dressed in all black save his orange mask. The other Masks were all assembled around him, Sayoko at his immediate left, Anya at his immediate right. "We cannot remain idle.

"Ava li Britannia sought the truth. But what is the truth? What is truth worth? Each and every one of us lies. Ava li Britannia lies. Sometimes lies are necessary; sometimes the truth is nothing but a gateway to chaos. If Zero was a liar, if Zero was a lie, he was a necessary one. Zero was the hero of justice who slew Chaos, whether Chaos was a man named Lelouch, or the Chaos of war that had gripped our world since the beginning of time. Can we honestly demonize this act as something unjustified now, just because of our petty problems?

"Britannia! Open your eyes! Absolution has made an attempt on Ava li Britannia's life, Britannia, this is true, but is Britannia not better without her brand of truth? Ava li Britannia speaks of war, Britannia, and Absolution intends to give her what she desires. Those of you who have not lost sight of your humanity, those of you who are disgusted by the cruelty she had unleashed upon our world, those of you who lack the selfishness she subsists on, join me in this war and reclaim our Britannia from the jaws of Ava li Britannia's chaotic truth!"

Jeremiah nodded in satisfaction at his own speech as the feed cut suddenly back to the news desk.

"Our network would like to apologize for what was just aired. Our feed was momentarily hijacked somehow and we could do nothing here to stop it. We ask you to disregard what you just saw and not blame us if you were emotionally distressed," said Milly Ashford in a somber, serious voice.

Jeremiah continued to smirk as he stared ahead. The next stage of his plan was soon to come, head-to-head war with Ava li Britannia.

---

"Do you intend to respond, Empress?" Richter asked, as Ava sat on her throne, her thought full of somber thoughts.

"Its unnecessary, Richter. The man intends to split my Empire in two and have it war against itself, but it won't work. People are resistant to change, Richter. Most won't leap to a moral cause even if they believe in it. A few will, granted, but if Jeremiah Gottwald honestly thinks his pathetic terrorist army can stand on equal footing with the might of the Britannian army, then he is simply not right in the head," Ava said giving a harsh laugh.

"They have mass produced units with Energy Wings and an undisclosed number of customs. I wouldn't write this off as a moot threat, Empress," Richter did his job and advised.

"I realize this, Richter. But I have confidence in my soldiers, even if I had hoped to further improve some of them," said Ava resolutely.

"That project you were researching, you said most of the leads led hardly anywhere?" started Richter in a low voice.

"Unfortunately so. Margaret did well in finding what she did, but the physical details of Code-R are so well buried it's become hard to dig any further, as unfortunate as that may be," Ava gave a long sigh as she remembered questioning many men the previous days only to find very little.

"You could always give out more Geass. Winfield, Cross and Granville aren't too old for your witch, I would think," said the advisor in a sharp voice.

"I don't like Rowena Winfield and Regina Granville is on the borders of insanity. Cross is a possibility now that Code-R has turned into a dead end. I may approach that witch with the idea," said Ava, giving yet another sigh.

"Empress!" a call then suddenly came. Claudio Darlton was soon in front of her.

"Yes, Claudio?" Ava started to him.

"We have just received a rather peculiar phone call," the man said, nodding.

"From who?" the Empress asked.

"Schneizel el Britannia," the other simply replied. Ava's eyes went wide.

"Was the call tracked and he apprehended?" she asked, scowling.

"We tried. It's being sent over some sort of secure line," said Claudio apologetically.

"He wishes to speak to me, doesn't he?" Ava snapped, loathing the thought.

"He does," said Claudio. Ava growled.

"Bring me to the phone," she said standing.

"This way, your highness," the man said and led the Empress from the throne room. They found their way to a private bedroom with a phone in it. Claudio connected it to the line and handed it to Ava. He then left.

"Uncle, I don't know what you plan to say to me nor do I know why I should listen," said Ava sounding ultimately serious.

"Come now, Ava, that's hardly the way to speak to me, when I offer you no ill intent," said the older man in a smug voice.

"I don't care what you offer, uncle, I have no interest," the Empress snapped.

"I never lied to you by choice Ava. I'm not like Kururugi. My actions the last 20 years were completely out of my control, it's safe to say you wouldn't even know the real me," Schneizel said coolly.

"The real you is villain and murderer, uncle, I heard as much from your lips," Ava said harshly.

"Do you, young harbinger of chaos, honestly think you escape those labels yourself?" the man asked, giving a short laugh.

"Perhaps not, but what I do, I do for Britannia and for the truth," said Ava.

"Of course. We are quite similar, you and I, Ava, that is why I want to offer you my support," said Schneizel in a sinister voice. Ava could hardly believe the man.

"There's nothing you have I could possibly want!" Ava spat without though.

"Really? Nothing I did twenty years ago interests you?" Schneizel started, surprised. Ava couldn't stop herself from having the idea.

"Code-R and the Geass Directorate. What do you still have on them?" Ava asked.

"Oh? I'm surprised to hear you use those names. I wouldn't have thought that those would be the things in which your interest lie," Schneizel said, giving another quick laugh. "You'll be pleased to learn that I hid copies of most all my research files prior to the _Damocles _incident. They could be in your hands with just a word."

"What are you after, Uncle?" asked Ava coldly.

"A simple meeting, face to face, between us, no guards or prison officers," said Schneizel, sounding self-satisfied.

"Fine, though I know not what you hope to get from such a talk," Ava snarled.

"Right, I'll be there shortly," the man said.

"What, you mean to do this today?!" Ava started. The other had already hung up.

She cursed. She hated that man. She hoped the information he had for her was truly worth having to look him in the eye once more.

A/N: chapter end. An eventful one this was. Amelia was thwarted by Margaret and her Geass (with some help from Astrid). Hildegarde got to use her own Geass with Yasuko and Rowena. Then I introduced the Kallen twins. In case you missed the whole thing (you shouldn't have, I mentioned it in my author's notes twice now), I recently had a bit of a debate in my onsite forum about what to do with Kallen. I ran a little poll there and most people told me Kallen should get a daughter (as opposed to a lover or a full family, or complete independence). This discussion we had prompted me to make that two daughters instead of one. After the Kallen scene we have Ava admitting to loving Astrid, some foreboding EU stuff, an Ava-Absolution exchange before the world, and finally Schneizel in contact with Ava. It'll be interesting to see what becomes of it all, won't it?

Due to some busy stuff happening at the last minute I only had time to do one extra this week. I'll probably do three next week or something.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Katsumi Kozuki

Katsue Kozuki

The Four Champions

Edouard Valentin

Valeria Giullare

Cesia Moreva

Elischa Mayer


	18. Turn 17: Heart of a Killer

A/N: Sorry for the delays. Hopefully it is enjoyed.

Disclaimer: Katsumi: "CrazyNinjaPenguin doesn't own Code Geass but he does own the original characters, including me and my sister!"

Ava wore a frown upon her face as she paced up and down the empty throne room. Schneizel was on his way to talk to her. She had given orders to allow the visit. She had no choice. He had information she desired. She would have to put up with him. He couldn't intimidate her.

She had already given strict orders to her security officers to conduct a thorough search of his body prior to sending him back to meet with her. All she could do now was wait. She was growing impatient when, suddenly, a guard appeared at the entrance of the hall. She retook her seat.

"Prince Schneizel is now ready to see you, your highness," the man said with a bow.

"Understood," Ava said in a strong voice, motioning for the other to stand. The man did so and had soon left. He returned shortly with Schneizel and another guard. The guards left without a word.

"It is a pleasure to see you once more, my most precious niece," Schneizel said with a deep smirk and a full bow. Ava's temper rose.

"Is that so, Uncle? Myself, I loathe the sight of your face," she spat coldly from her throne.

"I see not why, my dear. In truth you've never even known me. The lies to my name were not lies I told myself," the man said still smirking as he shook his head.

"You murdered most of my family before I was born and made an attempt on my mother's life. I'd have to say you deserved those lies," Ava snarled, nothing but hate in her eyes.

"Oh, you know about that bit? I suppose I can understand your contempt then. You always did love your dear mother best." There was a quiet amusement in the man's voice.

"Let's get straight to the point. The file, where is it?" started Ava, coldly, looking in the man's eyes, activating her Geass.

"Your guards stripped it from me at the door. They said it was on your orders. One instructed the other to take it directly to a 'Dr. Wilde' as you apparently had decided," Schneizel explained in a slow voice. Ava was surprised. Her uncle had actually made good on his side of the deal.

"What is your game, uncle? What do you want from me?" asked Ava, not breaking contact.

"I just want to help you, Ava. It's as simple as that. I want to help you win your little war," the villain spoke.

"What makes you think I would ever desire or even accept help from you?" Ava said very pointedly.

"Because you know it could make a difference. You're insecure. You're scared your little plans will be foiled by all the random variables. You know that there are things I know, things I've seen that could help you," Schneizel said, displaying amusement even in his Geassed state.

"What a foolish man. The only thing you had that I wanted was the chip that you bartered up to get into this room," Ava laughed and shook her head.

"Is that really the case? I have the blueprints used to crate _Damocles. _I have the designs for F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads, designs that should only exist in Nina Einstein's head. I also have knowledge girl. Knowledge and a keen mind," Schneizel said, smug and indifferent.

"I don't want your kind of war, Uncle," said Ava glaring.

"Naïvethrough and through child. You don't even know what you want," the man laughed. "You took the world's lies as your enemy, did you not?"

"I did," Ava growled.

"Do you even know what that means?" Schneizel gave another laugh. "Your fight is the same as your grandfather's, did you know that?"

"I've heard the name 'Ragnarok' but little beyond that," Ava started, looking down.

"Father's war against the gods was an amusing scheme. He had found a means to alter the reality of our world, force the collective subconscious of humanity to the surface and force us to all live as one, unable to utter lies to one another," Schneizel explained. The thought of this, uniting humanity as a single being, the stagnant world it would create, was enough to make Ava feel ill. "Are you willing to take your war on lies that far?'

"That's madness! I want nothing of that sort. I just want a world that's more honest with itself. A world where people are allowed to show their true selves and do not have to hide behind lies," Ava responded, frantic and emotional.

"Hmm, then you walk in shallow waters, niece. Lies are your enemies yet you don't want to kill them," Schneizel gave a short laugh. "What do you think happens typically when one fails to kill his enemies?"

"Don't bother me with such trivial philosophical statements, Uncle! I will not tolerate it,' Ava demanded.

"My enemy was simpler. It was war. I was going to smite war from existence and become God of this world. I assume you know what prevented this from transpiring," Schneizel gave yet another laugh. "And, well, quite honestly, I'm too old to be God now."

"Stop making such elusive statements! What do you want?" Ava shouted, looking the man in the eye again.

"I already told you. I want to help," the prince started. "I lost to my enemy, but I could maybe help you turn the tide against yours."

"Then I must refuse. I've managed thus far on my own. I intend to keep it that way," Ava said resolutely, firm in her opinions. "What about Absolution, aren't they the ones who freed you?"

"A member of theirs did free me, but it was not a group objective. My philosophies are less of a match with people of that sort than they are with yours, my niece," started Schneizel.

Ava was getting fed up with the man's roundabout way of speaking. In a direct fashion she asked, staring the other dead in the eye, "In that prison, Who killed Suzaku Kururugi?"

"Signa Norrell," was all the other said. Ava's eyes widened in absolute shock.

"Who is Signa Norrell?" she demanded.

"An albino child with dead eyes and a Geass which amplifies feeling," Schneizel started, smirking boldly.

"Who does this woman work for?" Ava asked, her stomach having turned. She was now positive her uncle was withholding something from her.

"I honestly don't know," Schneizel said with amusement.

"Why did you come to me today, Uncle?" Ava now asked, Geass active.

"Because Zero told me to," said Schneizel blankly.

"Zero is dead," Ava spat angrily.

"Yes, and still he told me. Funny how that is," Schneizel smirked.

"Did Signa Norrell have any accomplices?" asked the Empress, frustrated.

"Yes. One. A Naida Fiametta," Schneizel answered with a nod.

"Tell me about this person," Ava prompted.

"Naida Fiametta was a woman, then a man, then Zero, then a completely different woman," said Schneizel in an easy voice.

Ava's mind was soon buzzing with thought as she tried to piece everything together. Naida Fiametta was likely a Geass user. Had this person used Geass to control Schneizel's mind and send him to Ava? If so, what could possibly be the aim?

"Did Naida Fiametta give you any messages to deliver to me?" asked Ava, feeling very cold and even more ill then before.

"She told me to tell you 'hello' for her. She mentioned something about wondering if the cute little kid from six years ago still remembered her," Schneizel said. Ava's blood ran cold. She stood up and took a step forward with hellish anger in her eyes, and her fist raised

"Who are these people?! What do they want with me?! Where is my mother?!" Ava screamed into the man's face, shaking with unchecked fury.

"I honestly can't answer any of those questions, Ava. I simply don't know," the man replied calmly, taking a single step forward.

"Leave! Get out of my face and don't ever return!" Ava shouted at full force.

"I can't. I won't," Schneizel said simply.

"Why not?!"" Ava demanded.

"Zero has demanded I never leave your presence," Schneizel laughed.

"Guards! Apprehend this man!" Ava called. No one came.

"Where is everyone?! What's going on here?!" Ava called.

"Have you forgotten, the demands I laid out insisted that no guards be present anywhere within our place of meeting. I made sure to reiterate this when I spoke to them. I even let them keep some of the assets they found on my being during that little search of yours if they made sure to remember it," Schneizel laughed.

"Y-you fool, what is this?!" Ava started, feeling strangely scared. She tried to run past the man. He moved quickly before her, moving quicker than he naturally should have been able.

"I am not to let you run away," said Schneizel mindlessly.

"Get out of my way!" Ava demanded as she unsheathed the jeweled blade that she wore at her side and pointed at the other. Her hand refused to hold it steady.

"Come now Ava, can you honestly point a weapon at me?" Schneizel laughed. "You're not a killer. You lack what it takes to cut me down!"

"Leave!" Ava demanded again, eye contact kept. The other gave a laugh.

"I am to serve Zero to the best of my capacity. I'm sorry but I must refuse you," started the other with a smirk.

"Somebody! Come!" Ava called. No one answered the call. She tried to dart to the side of the man. Again he moved faster than his weak old body should have, as if Lelouch vi Britannia's Geass was compelling him past what was possible to keep Zero's orders. Ava might have gotten away despite this, but the steps made advancing from the throne difficult. She ended up tripping in her haste, and falling backwards upon the steps. Schneizel stood over her ominously.

"I refuse your help! I don't want you here; please leave!" Ava shouted frantically.

"I can't do that," Schneizel said again.

What Ava did then she would immediately regret. Her sword arm moved readily, as if it were possessed. The sharp blade pierced all the way through the man's chest. He gasped on the last of his life as he fell forward.

"So… this is it…?" he said before giving harsh cough and falling completely forward, dead.

Ava's brain screamed. She panicked. Tears streamed from her eyes. She began to shake. She lost every intelligent though as she was overcome with nothing but guilt and self-loathing. Blood was staining the all ready red carpet of the throne room. She had no clue what to do about it.

---

"So, I was out of town at the time, what was all this mess with the First Prince about?" started Niles Moore in a steady voice. Callista looked at him from across the meeting table used by the Knights of the Round. They had all been called for a meeting by the Empress, who had yet to arrive.

"I'm not entirely sure of it myself," said Callista. "All the accounts of it I've heard are lacking in the details."

"The monster made threats to our Empress face! What other details are there that matter?!" Knight of Four Hildegarde Waldstein spoke.

"You'd have to be stupid to think that there isn't anything more to this, Knight of Four," snarled the Knight of Six, Rowena Winfield.

"It doesn't make a lot of sense. Schneizel el Britannia was a smart man. I've talked to him many times myself. Why he, after being freed from that prison, would walk right up to the one who had sent him there, leaves me nothing but confused," Knight of Five Claudio Darlton said in a low voice, looking down.

"You're closest with the Empress, Astrid. If there's anything you've heard about this, I'm curious as well," the Knight of One spoke to his daughter. The girl frowned.

"I asked Ava about the matter," Astrid Weinberg spoke in a soft voice. "She seems quite troubled by what happened. She's changed the subject whenever I brought it up."

"I suppose it will remain a mystery then. All that will be known is the facts that are public," the Knight of Three, Margaret Enneagram spoke. "Five days ago, Schneizel el Britannia was struck down in the Castle's throne room by the Empress herself. The next day his most avid supporter of old, Kanon Maldini, was found dead from a self-inflicted gun wound."

"So what do you think the Empress has in store for us now?" asked Waldstein, looking straight ahead.

"The terrorists. Absolution. They won't remain silent much longer. They're the new foe," said Callista, smirking at the thought of battle.

"Heh, I can't wait to kick some more ass. I'm damn tired of all this sitting still," the Knight of Twelve, Ulric Cross spoke in a low growl.

"Have some tact, sir. This new enemy consists of our fellow Britannians," reprimanded Marsh.

"Well I don't care who the fuck I fight, old man," Cross retorted coldly.

"Watch your tongue you insufferable fool!" Waldstein demanded, fire in her eyes.

"Please everyone, let's not get out of hand. We're all grown men and women here, we can remain civilized, can we not?" Gino Weinberg asked with a shake of his head.

"I agree with the Knight of One. This is no place for quarrel," Niles Moore spoke, a serious expression on his face.

"Is it true Damian that they have customs and production models with energy wings?" Lady Enneagram asked, tilting her head.

"It is. For a terrorist group, the technological side of Absolution is first class," the Knight of Two said with a firm nod.

"And their assassins are apparently very well trained," said Gino Weinberg. His daughter looked down, a sadness in her eyes.

It was then that the door to the meeting room opened. In walked Ava li Britannia. She took the one empty seat at the round table wordlessly. She smiled.

"Thank you for answering my call, my knights. This meeting will be brief, but it is not without significance," the Empress started in a direct voice. She did look a little paler than the last time Callista had seen her. "Simply put, we are on the eve of the next great battle of this war. Absolution will decide the time and place, but we will not have to wait long. I want to make sure we are ready for what happens, no matter where they may strike. I have faith in all of you."

"Put me where the most action is this time, Empress. I want to do some real fightin' this time around," Ulric Cross called loudly. Waldstein and Niles glared at him.

"Well enough, Mr. Cross. I will put you and…" the Empress trailed off as she thought. She then smirked. She looked at Callista. "Is anyone else itching for the blood of our enemies?"

Before Callista could make a response about how she was always hungry for the blood of her enemies, another spoke. It was the one knight who had remained silent since she had entered that room. It was the Knight of Eight, Regina Granville. "I want to kill," is what she said, in a voice devoid of life.

The young Empress frowned. She looked at the Knight of Eight and spoke. "Very well, Lady Granville, you and Cross are in charge of the greater Vortigern area. Lady Winfield, Lord Marsh the two of you will be stationed further north, around New Pendragon. Thinking as a terrorist does, it would not be practical for them to launch an attack anywhere else."

"The capital or the city of hope? I suppose those are the key points for a group that's sole point of contention is the leadership of the Empire," said Lord Weinberg, nodding.

"So what of the rest of us?" asked Darlton.

"Two units is not enough to protect a city. Claudio, you and Astrid will support Winfield and Marsh. Lord Moore and Lady Blackwell will support Cross and Lady Granville."

"Myself, Lord Weinberg and Lady Waldstein, your highness?" asked Lady Enneagram.

"Lord Weinberg will be stationed far to the west in case I am incorrect and Absolution takes an unsuspected target. Lady Waldstein shall protect the palace itself," said the Empress steadily. "You Lady Enneagram, shall assist your daughter in a special mission which I shall issue you in private."

"How cruel… you intend to have me fight alongside my Margaret…" the Knight of Three sighed. The young girl frowned.

"I trust you all understand," the Empress said. "If there are no questions, you can all be dismissed."

"Yes, your majesty," most everyone replied at once.

"Very good. Fight well, my knights," the Empress said as she stood. She left the room slowly.

When the Empress was gone, many of the knights stood to leave as well. Lady Granville was quickest to exit, followed by Cross and then young Astrid. Lady Waldstein, Lord Weinberg, and Lady Winfield followed. At this point, Callista decided to stand and leave herself. Niles stood as well.

"The Empress doesn't seem well, wouldn't you say, Blood Queen," started the man in a low voice as they began to walk.

"No. Not particularly. Despite it all I think she managed to divide us well. We have to do our best to let her succeed at times like this," Callista said in a low voice.

"Yes. Quite right," Niles gave a nod.

"Say, Niles, I've been meaning to ask you something for a while now," Callista started, smirking as she recalled the battle over the military prison.

"Yes, Lady Blackwell?" Niles said, nodding yet again.

"I'm not sure you ever told me. What was your daughter's name?" Callista asked in a low voice.

"Cynthia," Niles said, looking down morosely. Callista smirked as her eyes went down.

"I see," she said. "This fight should prove difficult. We must be at our best."

"Of course," the man said with a weary strength in his voice.

Callista wondered if Cynthia Moore would find the monster she sought in the next fight or ever. For some reason, this made her question whether or not there was some other girl looking to slay the monster that was herself.

---

Astrid wore a serene look as she walked down the castle halls. Ava had put her in the support team at the site less likely to flare up as a battlefield. She appreciated her friend's obvious concern for her but she wanted to fight. She wanted to help Ava as much as she could. She wanted to make Ava's dreams come true.

Astrid's lips formed a very slight smile as she opened the door in front of her. She looked down at the tray of food that had been given to her as she walked in. Amelia Gottwald was lying back on her bed, staring up emptily. She looked sad. Astrid knew this was understandable.

"Here you go, Amy," said Astrid as she put the food down at a desk, smiling at the other.

"I've never gone by Amy. 'Amy Glen' was nothing more than an alias," the girl said coldly.

"But we're friends, Amy. You shouldn't mind it from me," Astrid said with a smile.

"How can we possibly be friends? I lied to you in the worst way possible. I was inches away from taking the life of the one you love," Amelia spat with a certain venom.

"But in the end you couldn't do it, Amy. That's why we can still be friends," said Astrid, nodding. "We may have been on opposite sides of everything, you may have had your own ambitions, but you're a good person. The time that we spent together was real."

"It's all your fault," Amelia said, with emotion in her voice. "If you weren't so… I'd have been able to complete my mission…"

"Does the work of an assassin really suit someone with a good heart like you, Amy?" asked Astrid. "I doubt you've killed anyone yet. The knightmares partly shield the reality of it to me, but I have. It's painful. Did you really want Ava's blood on your hands?"

"Astrid," Amelia looked at her. Their eyes finally met. "You're an amazing girl. You know, I hadn't really thought about what I would feel after. Father, mother, everyone, they said she was a monster. Slaying her I would restore the peace of the world. But thanks to you, I realized that she was just a girl. A girl just like me, with friends and family and people who love her."

"I understand why your father, why your friends would want to kill Ava. I understand that a lot of what she does is selfish and maybe not just. I understand this, but I have known her for so long. I have faith in the person she is. I couldn't go against her if I tried anyway," said Astrid, looking down.

"I don't blame you for a second Astrid. You have your own reasons to fight, I won't hate you for them, ever," Amelia said simply.

"I'm glad," said Astrid. She smiled as she grabbed the tray of food and placed it on the bed next to the other. "Here, eat this before it gets cold."

"Heh, After I brought you your dinner every day for so long, here you are brining me mine. Funny how things work out," Amelia said with a short laugh.

"Yeah," Astrid said giving her own soft giggle. The other sat up and started to eat her food. She was obviously hungry. Astrid had been told by the servant who had given her the tray that Amelia had eaten hardly anything the past few days. Astrid smiled.

"This is pretty good," said Amelia as she cut through the perfectly cooked piece of fish with the plastic silverware she had been given. "But I think the pizza at your house tasted better."

"Yeah?" Astrid said, tilting her head.

"Astrid," Amelia started, putting her fork down.

"Yes?" Astrid spoke, smiling.

"I do want to still be your friend. I don't know if that's an intelligent thing for me, but I…" said Amelia in a very soft voice.

"You needn't say anything, Amy. We already are friends," said Astrid, "and we always will be."

"Thank you," said Amelia. "You are too kind."

Astrid gave a soft giggle. She'd have to prepare for deployment soon, but she decided to stay there a little longer, enjoying the company of a precious friend.

---

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," the man in the Orange man spoke as Megami stared at him, strangely amused. Next to him was a woman in a Pink mask, a man in a Brown mask and a man in a Green mask. Behind him were a bunch of kids dressed in modified Black Knights uniforms, wearing pointed eye masks. Weirdoes in masks were fun. Next to Megami stood the other members of their little elite unit, Chiharu, Hiromi, the sexy general, and those two from the Federation. She nodded to the orange dude.

"Yes, it is… how should I address you?" General Kallen spoke, titling her head.

"Orange," the man replied.

"Right, of course. It's a pleasure to be working with you, Orange," said Kallen, rolling her eyes just slightly.

"Quite," the man said with a nod. "Your force looks young but able. Hopefully they will help us turn the tide back in your favor."

"Allow me to introduce you," Kallen said. She nodded to the young man at the end of the line. "Lieutenant Colonel Wu Chaowei, an ace marksman with masterful reflexes and quickness of hand."

"Well enough," said Orange, nodding to the man.

"Major Hu Xuemei, superior agility and mental focus, adept at close combat," Kallen motioned to the next in the line.

"I see," the masked man nodded again.

"Lieutenant Hiromi Tohdoh, a stalwart spirit with great inner strength and passion," Kallen said of the brunette girl who stood in the center of the five.

"Tohdoh, a rather famous name that is," Orange said giving yet another nod.

"As is this girl's. Major Chiharu Ohgi, she's a skilled pilot with a very special gift," Kallen said of the beautiful girl standing next to Megami.

"I see. She's the daughter of Kaname Ohgi and Villetta Nu," Orange nodded several times at this one. "She rather looks like her mother."

"Gah, does everyone have to say that," Chiharu spoke under her breath, shaking her head.

"Well, it's true," said Megami simply yet teasingly, smiling at the other.

"And this is… a mercenary we hired," said Kallen, looking at Megami.

"A mercenary? Why would a simple mercenary be sent as a representative of your force?" Orange was confused.

"It's because I'm the best. Aside from General Kallen here, I'm the only one who won her fight in the last battle," Megami said with boundless confidence. "I'm the unstoppable Megami Subarashii, mercenary extraordinaire."

"Are you now?" Orange said, with hints of sarcasm in his voice. He looked at Kallen.

"I believe you were told of people having certain abilities being in our ranks. This woman is one of them," Kallen said with averted eyes.

"Ah, that would explain it," Orange nodded. "Now it's my turn I would suppose." The three in full Zero masks stepped forward. "These three and myself are the Masks with Knightmare experience. As I plan to serve as commander of the operation alongside the other non-combat masks, these three will assist you in their custom units."

"I see," said Kallen smiling at the three.

The five kids behind them all stepped forward. They were all fairly young. The youngest was a very small black-haired girl of Asian descent, who looked to still be in her teens. Next to her was a tall but very placid looking blonde girl in her early twenties. Three young men stood beside the blonde. Megami never really cared about guys, so she went back to the young Asian girl.

"These five are the top agents to recently complete our training course. Their _Vincent Aethers _are to support us," Orange explained.

"So we have more custom units than you, then?" started Xuemei, seemingly underwhelmed.

"At the moment yes. We are a small group. We have never had the backing of a nation," said Orange. "But the three we do have are of only the highest quality. Additionally, our _Vincent Aethers _have specs beyond anything that has previously been seen in mass production."

"So, what's the general plan for our battle?" asked Kallen, looking at the other.

"Our ultimate goal is the royal castle in Vortigern. Failing that, as we must be prepared to, if we could secure a sizable enough city to use as a launching ad for future battles, it would prove invaluable to us," said Orange in a deep voice.

"That's why we're setting our sights on New Pendragon, the city built up at the edges of the crater," said Pink, her voice soft but intense.

"Hmm, well enough. Just tell us where to go," said Kallen with a nod.

"Pink will lead the squad that tries for the capital, you the other, General," said Orange. "I think five of us will go with Pink, four with you. But you will get three of the five _Vincent Aethers._"

"Understood," said Kallen.

"One of Pink's squad will be given the special task of breaking into the castle itself," said Orange.

"The castle?! Why?! Surely we can't believe an assassination will be possible when this breaks out? The Empress will be under tight security," said Xuemei, again critical.

"It's not about assassination. Our field agents have secured information that the assassin of ours who failed is being imprisoned in that castle. This girl holds many of Absolution's secrets. It is imperative that we secure her before she can be fully interrogated," said Orange in a serious voice.

"That sounds like a dangerous mission. I doubt any of us could pull it off," said Hiromi in a somber voice.

"It will be the hardest part to play in this upcoming battle, but it is vital. It is worth reporting that the same source, a servant at the castle, apparently, made mention of a prisoner in addition to the assassin; a Japanese VIP's daughter," said Orange looking down.

"That could be--!" Hiromi's face lit up. Megami smiled, as did Chiharu, but no one seemed to want to say what they all were thinking in case it wasn't true.

"Megami could secure the prisoners, I'm sure," said Chiharu in a strong voice

"Hold on kid, don't sell me like that. This sounds really dangerous. It's going to cost quite a bit extra to get me to stick my neck out and do this when I don't really favor your cause over theirs," said Megami shaking her head.

"You--!" Hiromi started, anger in her voice.

"This doesn't seem like the sort of operation to leave in a mercenary's hands in the first place," said Brown in a gruff voice.

"Agreed. We need someone dedicated, capable and quick on their feet," said Orange nodding.

"I'll do it," said Xuemei readily. "I live for no other reason than to serve the will of my Empress. I am just as adept out of my knightmare as in it."

"Very well then," said Orange. "We'll leave rescuing the prisoners in your hand, Major Hu."

"I will succeed," Xuemei said in her typical cold fashion.

"Lieutenant Colonel Wu, Lieutenant Tohdoh and Brown will fight alongside you. Green, Major Ohgi and the mercenary will fly with Pink," said Orange turning back to Kallen. "How does that sound?"

"Fine by me," said the General with a nod.

"Good. I suggest we disperse for now then. You'll all receive notice when you are to deploy along with further instructions," said Orange, turning around. He left quickly, as did the other three Masks. Xuemei and Hiromi also made quick exit as well as two of the male Absolution agents.

"Honestly, I wonder if we can count on you for anything," Chiharu said to Megami under her breath.

"If you expect the world from me, kid you're just going to be disappointed," Megami replied in a somber voice. "You're much better off leaving the important thing in the hands of someone who cares a little more."

"You better care enough to keep winning out there," said the silver-haired girl looking down.

"Well I do like to win, I don't think that'll ever change," said Megami with a quick laugh.

"I know the General said that war has changed, but the simple fact that they have more manpower than us hasn't. This fight is going to be harder than the last," said Chiharu in a heavy voice. "Last time I fought her to a more or less draw before I was forced back, but if I run into Astrid Weinberg again out there, there's a good chance I'll lose."

"Did you say, Astrid Weinberg?" the young, black-haired Absolution agent said in a peppy voice, stepping forward. Megami looked at her. She really was quite cute.

"Yeah. The Knight of Nine, Astrid Weinberg. I've fought her twice now," said Chiharu tilting her head.

"Oh, cool! Me and Astrid are friends," the girl started excitedly. This surprised everyone, including the blonde standing at the side of the girl.

"You're friends with one of the Rounds, Miya?" this girl started in a soft tone, tilting her head.

"Yup! We went to school together," the excited, black-haired girl called.

"You are…?" Chiharu prompted.

"Oh me, I'm Miya Ashford!" the young agent said with an eager nod.

"Ashford? Like the famous newsperson?" Chiharu started, head tilted.

"Yep! That's my mom," Miya said, scratching the back of her head and smiling.

"That's your mom and yet you're a terrorist?" Chiharu's eyes narrowed as she stared at the other.

"Well, it's complicated," Miya said with force. "But yeah, I'm her daughter and Astrid was my friend."

"She's a very strong person. I can tell," said Chiharu, nodding.

"Eh, really? I never quite got that from her. She's really shy and cute. Quiet girl, always stuck right at the Empress' side," said Miya, looking down.

"The Empress? You know the Empress?" Chiharu started. The blonde looked prepared to say the same thing, but she was much slower to open her mouth.

"Yep. It was a pretty elite school I guess," Miya started, smiling and scratching her head some more.

"You know her personally and yet you're able to fight against her?" Ciharu started. "That's pretty strong actually."

"I'm just doing what is natural for me," said Miya. "We all have our reasons to fight."

"That's for sure. I fight for my promise, Hiromi fights for her family, Xuemei fights for her country and this idiot fights to fill her wallet," Chiharu said, giving a pointed nod at Megami.

"Hey! You omit the fact that that guy over there fights just to show off," Megami started nodding to Chaowei who stood close by, talking to the one male agent still standing there.

"Hey, I heard that!" the young man turned his head.

"As I see it, no reason to fight, so long as it is valid, is greater than any other. It is only those who fight for no reason, who kill haphazardly with no remorse in their hearts that are beneath us," said the tall blonde in a very gentle voice.

"That's a fair view…" Chiharu trailed off.

"It's Cynthia. Cynthia Moore," the girl said with a soft bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you Major Ohgi."

"Yeah, nice to meet you Cynthia," Chiharu replied with a smile. "But Chiharu is fine."

"Of course, Chiharu," said Cynthia tilting her head while smiling.

"Well it's good to know those who will fight beside you. I hope we all do well out there," said Chiharu.

"So do I," Miya nodded. "You guys seem pretty cool. I'd like to be able to become better friends with you, if you know what I'm saying."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to die any time soon," Chiharu gave a nod.

"Well, see ya around!" Miya called. She grabbed her friend by the arm "Let's go Cynthia!"

"Bye everyone," said Cynthia with a polite nod as she was whisked away.

"They seem pretty cool," said Megami as her and Chiharu began to walk in the same direction out of the building in which they had met.

"You don't," Chiharu said caustically.

Megami laughed. "I really do love you."

"You idiot," Chiharu said, reaching over and hitting the other on the head softly with the backside of her fist.

"But I was being serious," Megami giggled. She really was.

"That's even worse!" Chiharu said harshly.

Megami sighed. Things were quiet for about a minute. Then Megami spoke in a somewhat deliberate voice, "You're really something, you know that, Chiharu?"

"Shut up," said Chiharu without emphasis.

"All the others hate me, and they have the right, as pathetic a person as I am," said Megami. "Thank you for putting up with me."

"Who said I didn't hate you?" Chiharu challenged coldly. Megami ignored this.

"Do you know why I really didn't want to infiltrate the castle, Chiharu?" asked Megami, looking down.

"Why?" Chiharu started, rolling her eyes.

"I don't kill people. I can't. Not when I can see them at least. The thought of it makes me sick. I can make myself invisible to the sight but that castle is still going to be swarming with guards. If one of them stepped in my path, I wouldn't know what to do…" said Megami, feeling very pathetic.

"But you downed many units in the previous battles. Just because you can't see them that makes it different?" Chiharu challenged.

"For my pathetic mental security it does. So long as I can distract myself from the fact of what I'm doing, I can do it. But in my fight with the Rounds, when I had talked to them, when I had heard their voices, I only took shots that I knew wouldn't be lethal," said Megami, looking down.

"Why are you fighting then, if this is so impossible for you?" Chiharu scowled.

"Do you believe in fate, Chiharu?" asked the mercenary, tilting her head.

"Yes," said Chiharu readily. Megami smiled.

"I'd rather not believe in it myself. My life has been nothing but hell since I was born. Thinking I was destined for it all makes me want to punch God or whoever else in the face," said Megami in a morose voice. "Six years ago, after I saw the cruelty of hell up close, I tried to break out. Things didn't really get much better for me until I met you. You see, being around you makes me almost want to believe in fate, despite what it had for me."

"Then do what you please," said Chiharu. "Just don't become a burden on us or I really will hate you."

"Got it," Megami replied with a smile and a short hum as the two continued to walk.

---

Katsumi Kozuki wore a grin on her face as she sat on a couch in a room aboard the battleship _Hitokage, _her twin sister lying in her lap as they watched TV on one of the big monitors. Shinichiro Tamaki, the man who had been put in charge of watching the two of them sat in a chair nearby.

"I'm bored," said Katsue, looking up at her sister then over at the man. She sighed. "Hey, Mr. Tamaki, can I ask you a question?"

"Whatever you want, kid," started Tamaki, looking quite bored himself.

"Who do you think is prettier, me or Katsumi?" the girl asked with a smirk.

"You're identical. You look the same," the man said, shaking his head at the question.

"Yes, but we carry ourselves differently. Surely her sporty energy and my quiet playfulness aren't the same in your eyes, especially considering we wear our hair differently," said Katsue, stretching her legs and sitting up. "Personally I think Katsumi is much cuter than me, but then again, I may be biased."

"I'm not going to answer that question. You two are just kids, and I'm married," said Tamaki, as Katsue blushed softly.

"We're fifteen. We're more or less fully developed, and much better than most kids our age, I might add," Katsue said with a short laugh, sticking her prominent chest out slightly.

"Sister!" Katsumi started. She was now getting partly embarrassed.

"You honestly don't think either of us is sexy, Mr. Tamaki?" asked Katsue tilting her head cutely.

"You know there is no fair answer I can give to that, kid," the man started.

"Our mother is an adult woman. Do you think she is sexy?" asked the playful girl with a laugh.

"Well… Kallen is…" the man started. "Well yeah. As a man, it'd be hard to deny it."

"But we look just like she did at our age," Katsue giggled.

"I'm not going to say you are sexy, Katsumi," the man said with a rigorous nod.

"So, I am more beautiful in your eyes!" Katsue giggled.

"I didn't say that!" the man stammered.

"But I'm Katsue and yet you called me Katsumi, and Katsumi's name refers to beauty," Katsue said perceptively.

"I just got confused, that's it! Got it!" the man said putting his head in his hands.

"Ha, you're funny, Mr. Tamaki," said Katsumi, laughing cutely.

"So, Mr. Tamaki, what would you do if I kissed my sister passionately right now?" asked Katsue on an apparent whim. Katsumi's face became entirely red.

"Where the hell did that come from?!" the pitiable man asked, shaking his head.

"Answer the question," Katsue said with a nod.

"Your mother would kill you if you did something like that," the man said, in shock.

"I don't think so. Anyway I didn't ask about what my mother would do," spoke Katsue. She laughed. "Would it excite you?"

"No!" the man shook his head.

"Really?" Katsue laughed. "Let's find out."

With that, Katsue put her arms around Katsumi. Katsumi's face was red as she pondered why her sister was doing this. Katsue was watching the man's face out of the corner of her eye as her lips drew closer to Katsumi's. Katsumi looked over at the man as well. Sure enough, he was watching. Their lips met.

And just as readily they split. Katsue looked over at the man, who seemed to have a slightly disjointed, disappointed look on his face. A kind of similar expression was on Katsumi's as well.

"That wasn't passionate," the man said.

"Heh, you actually wanted to see me use tongue on her and everything," Katsue laughed. "You pervert!"

"I'm not--! You just said you were... and I thought you would…" the man started, shaking his head.

"Please, Mr. Tamaki. I'm not an exhibitionist. If I was going to get intimate with Katsumi it wouldn't be with someone watching," Katsue said, shaking her head.

"Has your mother heard you talk like this?" Tamaki was dumbfounded.

"Of course. You think I talk somehow different around her," started Katsue with a giggle.

It was then that a hard knock came on the door. A man entered. Katsumi recognized him as the former President of Japan, Kaname Ohgi.

"Yes, Kaname?" Tamaki spoke, standing up.

"Tohdoh told me to fetch you. Something's happening that needs to be discussed," the man said, he had a serious look on his face.

"Okay kids, looks like I gotta leave you here for a while, stay out of trouble," said Tamaki to the twins.

"Okay!" Katsumi called as she nodded. The two men left quickly. Katsumi then looked at her sister. With a smile she said, "Let's go follow them and eavesdrop!"

"Cool. Let's," Katsue shrugged as she stood. Katsumi stood as well. They went for the door and exited the room. They followed behind the two at a very safe distance, weaving through the corridors. Eventually they saw the two men enter a room, closing the door behind them. The twins moved ahead and stopped at the door. _Hitokage_ did not have particularly thick doors and the metal walls led to an echo. They could make out most of the conversation at the door.

"As you are refugees here, it pains me to bring you this news, but I must," a man spoke in a heavy voice. This was obviously the big general, Tohdoh.

"Please, spare no cruelty for us, Kyoshiro," said the very familiar, feminine voice of the president, Kaguya Sumeragi

"Very well, Ms. Sumeragi. Reports we've received from the Federation indicate that the Four Champions of the EU are on path to this location as we speak. It's exceedingly likely that this ship will be under heavy fire shortly," the General spoke in a low tone. Katsumi's eyes widened.

"The Four Champions?! That's serious shit, man! Without Kozuki here, do we have what it takes to fight them?" started Tamaki in his loud voice.

"We do only have two custom units, right? Against the four of them and whatever troops they may have brought that won't be enough, will it," a female refugee who's voice was unfamiliar to Katsumi spoke.

"Calm down. We wouldn't have let those six depart if they had our only weapons. Rakshata Chawla sent a brand new unit here a few days before they left," said Tohdoh in a strong voice.

"It's still three to four," said Ohgi in a low voice.

"But we do have two fully equipped battleships, and perhaps the _Huoyun _as well if the Federation will deploy it," started Princess Sumeragi in a confident voice.

"That's true," a man in the room said.

"So, who is the pilot of the new unit going to be?" asked some woman.

"We're still assessing our soldiers to find the one best equipped to be the pilot," said Tohdoh.

"That's crap, man! We don't have time for that if they could be here any moment!" started Tamaki bluntly.

"What do you have in mind, Shinichiro?" asked Ohgi.

"Let me pilot the thing! I can do it! I still remember how!" the loud fool shouted. Katsue gave a quiet laugh.

"It's a fairly simple unit to control, but, Mr. Tamaki, we can't just hand the key to one of our custom knightmares to a simple civilian," Tohdoh spoke in a completely level voice.

"That's bull, man! We fought together in that war! We were buddies! Have you forgotten all that?!" Tamaki said with enthusiasm.

It was at that exact moment that the _Hitokage _began to shake horribly and the war sirens started to blaze.

"Damn! Not now!" the general shouted.

"Give me the key, man! I can do this!" Tamaki spoke with energy.

"Do not make me regret this!" Tohdoh said harshly. "The unit is in the third hangar. No code has been set for the key yet."

"Katsumi, I think I have an idea," Katsue told her sister.

"I think I do too, sister," said Katsumi with a laugh.

The two began to run immediately down the corridor, past the soldiers spilling out of the various rooms. They kept running until they reached the third hangar. They waited there behind a gigantic, red and white knightmare frame. They didn't wait all that long. Shinichiro Tamaki was running toward the machine. Katsue slipped a large wrench she had picked up into Katsumi's hand. As the excited, out of place civilian moved to the side of the machine, Katsumi lifted the wrench.

Tamaki was very shortly on the floor, completely unconscious. Katsumi giggled as her sister picked up the knightmare key from the man's hand.

"Let's have a little fun, sister," Katsue said as she looked up at the machine.

"Let's," said Katsumi nodding with enthusiasm.

---

Ava wore a frown as she sat upon her throne. The sight of her uncle's blood pouring from his lifeless form made it hard for her to tolerate being in this room. It was silly really. She had no problem sending people to die and kill in war yet killing someone with her own hands left her a horrible mess. It was hard to stay composed and face the coming battle when she was like this, especially when her uncle's words still haunted her.

"Ava," a slight voice came. Ava looked up to see Astrid walking toward her slowly.

"Astrid? Weren't you to deploy?" asked Ava, looking at the girl.

"I wanted to visit you again before I left," the girl said as she approached.

"Seeing you does help ease my heart, Astrid. I wish you nothing but luck in the days to come," said Ava with a smile.

"Thank you, Ava," said Astrid. "But I can tell you are troubled still. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"You're a soldier, Astrid, so it's likely a foolish thing in your eyes, but the sight of a man's blood on my hands makes my heart scream in a sad way," said Ava, looking down.

"It's not foolish, Ava. It shows you're a compassionate person, that your heart is good. You don't enjoy killing. I think that's a beautiful thing," said Astrid in a soft voice.

"But yet I've been killing this whole time. I've made you kill for me. When I think of that, I sometimes wonder if any of this is worth anything," said Ava, shaking under her doubt.

"I don't like hearing you talk like that, Ava," said Astrid. "Part of your beauty is your strength. I don't want to watch you waver in your beliefs."

"I don't understand it Astrid. Is it just because of that day six years ago? Is that the only reason that someone as wonderful as you could love someone like me?" Ava asked in a harsh voice, bringing up things she probably shouldn't have. Astrid had begun to wear herself with a little more confidence since the battles had started, so Ava supposed it might be safe.

"I just realized my feelings that day. You were beautiful in my eyes before that," said Ava very softly. "That day was the day I decided on my fate. That was the day I decided I would fight to make your dreams come true."

"That doesn't make sense. Are you saying you became a knight because of that day?" asked Ava.

"I became a knight because of you, Ava," said Astrid looking down.

"How does that work? Had things happened any different, I wouldn't have had any need of knights," said Ava, confused by the words.

"I never wanted to be like my father. I never wanted to be a Knight of the Rounds. In fact, when I was appointed, though everyone cheered for me, I felt sad inside, because it meant the dream I had held in my heart wouldn't ever come true," said Astrid. Ava stood and stepped down so she was level with Astrid. For some reason she didn't feel comfortable being above the other at this moment.

"Why didn't you want it?" asked Ava.

"It was pretty stupid," said Astrid harshly, looking away.

"Please tell me," started Ava, shaking her head.

"Well… traditionally every princess of the Britannian Royal family is to select a single, personal knight," Astrid said shaking a little from shyness. "Six years ago I decided, that… since you were a princess, I wanted to be your knight."

Ava felt like crying at the beautiful sentiment. She started, "Astrid that's--" but she failed to articulate her thoughts.

"I know it's ridiculous. I was just a kid. I didn't understand that no princess had ever chosen a female knight, that doing so was likely not even acceptable. I just thought that..." Astrid started, still shaking with insecurity. Ava grabbed her quivering hand. The girl looked up.

"I love you, Astrid," Ava could hear herself say. Tears began to stream immediately from widened pale blue eyes.

"A-Ava…" Astrid choked out.

"I was just being selfish. That day when my Geass forced your confession, when I finally understood your feelings, I should have said those words then and there. I was just afraid of letting you get closer to me. I didn't want you to end up broken," said Ava in a low voice.

"A-Ava," Astrid still seemed shocked almost past comprehension. Ava decided to let her actions explain things to the girl. Her lips moved forward. They joined to Astrid's. The two kissed very softly for a moment. Astrid's lips felt perfectly right.

"I will do my best to stay strong for you, Astrid. I will remain the princess worthy of your knightly protection," said Ava as the kiss broke. The girl's eyes were still crying.

"A-Ava…" Astrid started again. She then shook her head and collected herself. She spoke, "I will protect you then. Always. I will put everything I have into making your dreams reality."

"Thank you, Astrid," said Ava with a smile.

"I better leave," said Astrid. "My unit needs to be in place as soon as possible."

"Fight well, Astrid. Be careful," said Ava as her beloved moved away.

"Don't worry, I will. I have to be now!" said Astrid with an eager smile as she started to walk away.

Suddenly, Ava's mind was completely at peace. She didn't care about Schneizel el Britannia or even Naida Fiametta and Signa Norrell. Her mind stayed squarely with the person she loved.

A/N: Geh, I was hoping the delay wouldn't be this bad. I'm sorry. Just so you know, school started back up for me last week, and though my schedule is very light, I underestimated how tired I'd be the first week back. I was supposed to get two chapters done last week, and well, the chapter for the other story I was working on was a week late already, so it had to come first. This chapter, for some reason came out painfully slow too. Unfortunately, as I didn't want you guys having to wait any longer then you already did, I did not write any Extra Stages this time. I promise three and no less next update.

As for this chapter itself, we have some interesting things. A few of the scenes were almost pure setup but there were some important developments. Ava killed Schneizel. I doubt many saw this coming, I freed him only to kill him off a few chapters later. The purpose of the whole Schneizel thing in the end was just to completely shake up Ava's condition. I never had him written in as a major player. Other than that, Kallen's rather playful twins took a page from Megami and stole a brand new knightmare. Oh, and Ava confessed to and kissed Astrid. That was cute. Romantic development. I doubt many expected it.

I have a poll up asking about Extra Stages and who you want me to write about there. There's also a topic on it in the forum. I'm very open to input. Thanks for reading.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

New Pendragon, the City of Hope.


	19. Turn 18: Breaking Point

A/N: Turn 18. THis chapter is serious long. Roughly one who chapter plus half of another chapter. All battles too Realize that this does not necessarily go in chronological order, as the scenes in the Federation take place days before the scenes in Britannia. They aren't linked at all really, so it shouldn't matter too much, I just thought I'd mention it. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Katsue: "CrazyNinaPenguin owns us, me, my sister and the other original characters. He doesn't own any of the elements of Code Geass, including mom."

Astrid Weinberg sat with anticipation in her eyes at a table with Claudio Darlton, Damian Marsh and Rowena Winfield in a government building in New Pendragon. They were waiting. They were waiting to fight. Astrid would fight. She would fight well. She had to. She had to show Ava the depth of her love now that she knew it was returned.

"It's been two days since we first arrived here, I wonder when the enemy will show up?" Astrid articulated her anxiety.

"Tch, hate to tell you this, kid, but we won't be seeing action. Your beloved little Empress is being overly cautious. These terrorists are too stupid to do anything but send their entire force to die in the capital," Rowena said with a snort, shaking her head.

"You can't take anything for granted, Winfield. Zero started out as a simple terrorist," said Claudio in a tired voice. Rowena laughed.

"Zero was a Britannian Prince with a genius intellect and a supernatural power, Lord Darlton. Unless you use a different definition of the term, I fail to see how that is a simple terrorist," the woman said rather caustically.

"I believe the point Claudio was trying to make is that, like Zero, our new enemy may be something more than what their guise as simple terrorists, leads us to believe," said Lord Marsh with a firm nod. Rowena gave another short laugh.

"Whoever they think they are, if per chance we do get a fight, I'm not about to show any mercy. Now that I finally have a custom unit of my own, I'm damn ready to show how superior I am," the haughty woman boasted.

"I'm hopeful _Lionel _fares better this time myself," said Claudio looking down.

"I wonder if it will be her again…" Astrid said under her breath as her mind went to Chiharu Ohgi and fights past. If this was her opponent yet again, she would have to win. There was no other option.

A silence fell as the four knights seemed to find themselves lost on different thoughts. It then suddenly broke. The door slammed open. A man came rushing in. He looked panicked.

"We've received word that a small army of unidentified knightmare frames is headed this way!" he started.

Rowena stood up with a smirk. "Heh, so I was wrong. Guess it times to show the poor fools what my _Kay_ can do."

"Let's not waste any time. The citizens must be considered," said Marsh. "We must get in place to intercept them before the enemy can put any lives in danger."

"Right!" Claudio and Astrid both said.

"I'll send a radio transmission to the soldiers stationed in the city. You three hurry to your knightmares," said Astrid with a nod.

"Understood," said Claudio. "Let's go."

Astrid wore an infirm expression as she stood and exited the room to find the radio. There was always a little anxiety, a little fear in going out to battle. Knowing that she had Ava's love waiting for her back home, only made the uncertainty of it all worse. Still she hung her head up high. She would fight. She would win. That she was certain.

---

Niles Moore stared out at the city of Vortigern, panic starting to set in among the people on the streets below as they looked up and caught sight of his massive _Agravain _and the other knightmare frames populating the sky. Callista Blackwell, Ulric Cross and a tortured girl, Regina Granville, joined him as the defense of the city. Losing the capital would be a fatal for the Empress. She knew this. Seeing as she did, Niles had to wonder why she would put the defense of her city, and thus her life into the hands of three convicts and an unstable child. Pondering momentarily on it all, Niles supposed it just might have been brilliance.

Callista, as articulate and noble as she was, was a sadist and a psychopath. She enjoyed killing. Ulric Cross was a maniac. He enjoyed fighting. Niles himself was probably somewhere in between. In all honesty, he enjoyed both. Regina Granville was a unpredictable factor, true, but all she had was negative energy. All she lived for was to find vengeance in the carnage of war. Perhaps then her blade would be the sharpest of them all.

It had been thirty minutes now since they had received word of an enemy force on the move and had mobilized their knightmares. _Agravain, Bedivere, Morganna, Dagonet _and roughly fifty _Vincent Wards_ were now sitting in the sky, waiting to engage in war. Below, the city police was struggling to keep the people in order, urging them to be calm. Niles prayed there would be few civilian casualties that day; though the four of them might be perfect for keeping the city, they all had a good chance of getting carried away.

Then Niles spotted them. The enemy was on the horizon. It was a smaller force than theirs, only roughly 35 units. As they approached, Niles could determine that around thirty of these appeared to be _Vincents. _At the front of the charge were two machines that looked like _Vincents, _but had energy wings; the much talked about _Vincent Aethers._ Cross moved in recklessly, and engaged these both at once.

Behind the _Vincent Aethers _were two fast moving machines. These flew straight at Niles. He recognized them as _Jinketsu_ and _Tianlong. _He gave a smirk. Even together those two wouldn't be able to penetrate _Agravain's_ armor. He readied his twin hadron blasters, prepared to shoot either unit down.

To his surprise, _Jinketsu _pressed toward him and engaged directly. He fired a blast at the unit as it made for a stab. He then looked over. _Tianlong _had flown straight past him. He laughed. The girl had no interest in settling the score with him for her earlier defeat at his hands. She was out of Niles' hands now. He figured that bold warrior Waldstein would appreciate a fight of her own. He turned his attention back to the girl now beating away at his shields with her spear.

"You can't win this fight, Chiharu Ohgi, even with your Geass," Niles said out to his opponent, as he deployed his slash harkens; the girl flew back to avoid getting caught in them.

"Now how in the hell do you know about that, knight of Britannia?" the girl spoke in a strong voice.

"The Empress briefed us all on the information she extracted from General Tohdoh's daughter," Niles said in a cold voice.

"Yasuko…" Ohgi spoke with concern clear in her voice. Going back to strength, "well, simply knowing about my Geass won't be enough to stop it, NIles Moore."

"Very well, show me, girl," Niles beckoned as he held his twin cannons at the _Jinketsu._

Chiharu Ohgi gave a bold battle cry as she charged forward with her spear held high.

---

Katsue Kozuki wore a soft smirk as she sat at the control seat of the brand new custom knightmare frame, _Hiodoshi, _her twin sister Katsumi sitting in her lap, her hands on the controls. The _Hitokage's_ sirens were still blaring as they waited for the hangar doors to open. Soon they were doing just that.

"Hangar's are now opening. All units you are clear to deploy," the voice of Mrs. Tohdoh, was heard over the machine's radio.

Katsue felt an uneasy anxiety overtake her as the machine moved out into the blue sky ahead. She had always been more than a little curious as to what this would be like flying a knightmare into battle just as her mother had. She hoped the two of them weren't being too reckless with this. It wouldn't be fun if either of them died.

Still, Katsue was sure she more or less knew what to do. She had read most of her mother's old knightmare manuals to pass the time when she was bored. She knew _Guren_ was unique, but she was sure the basic idea was more or less the same. Katsue maneuvered the machine out into the air. Flying it was easy enough. In fact, the controls were surprisingly intuitive for her.

"Oh wow, sister! We're actually flying!" called Katsumi as the two of them did an inappropriate loop in the sky while the _Akatsuki _filing out of the battles ship pushed directly forward toward the enemy.

"That we are, Katsumi." Katsue laughed. "I'm counting on you to take care of the weapons. You think you got that?"

"No problem! I'm an ace at knightmare combat games!" Katsumi called with enthusiasm as her hands remained on two of the triggers, clearly eager to press them.

_Hiodoshi _was a unique machine. It was a very large, mostly red heavily armored knightmare frame with two massive claws for hands and blood red energy wings. It looked rather cool in Katsue's opinion. The color and claws made her think of her mother's unit, even if this one was built in a supremely different fashion, being clearly more about shear force than slickness and speed. That said, it did move faster than Katsue had figured it would.

"Well, sis, let's go make mom proud," Katsue said with a smile as she flew toward the sounds of battle.

"Yes! Let's." Katsumi nodded.

The two pressed forward with anticipation. Just as Katsumi's hand was to touch the trigger, an audio message came in over _Hiodoshi's_ systems. Katsue looked to her right and noticed that _Zangetsu Tensai _was beside her.

"Tamaki, General Zhou is all ready engaging champion Moreva. I suggest you head for Valentin in the red enemy custom unit. _Hiodoshi _will be best suited for that one. I'll handle the other two," General Tohdoh spoke in a deep voice.

"Roger," Katsue called back in a chirp.

"W-who is this?!" the man started, obviously taken aback by the other's very female voice.

"Kozuki," said Katsue, trying to sound as much like her mother as possible.

"Quit the games! I know for a fact that General Kozuki is on the other side of the world at the moment!" Tohdoh, exclaimed harshly.

Katsue flipped a switch on the control panel, activating the video on the transmission. She smiled. "It's Katsue Kozuki."

"And Katsumi!" called her sister into the video. The image of the famed general was one of intense anger.

"What have you done?! This is no place for Children! Don't you realize your recklessness is putting hundreds of lives at stake?!" the man reprimanded them in a heavy shout. Katsumi seemed intimidated, but Katsue forced herself to stay strong.

"Umm, do you honestly think that idiot Tamaki, would have been worth of much of anything?" she asked, with a smirk.

"Return to the _Hitokage_ at once!" Tohdoh ordered, clearly unamused.

"Nope! We're in the middle of a battle. Think about all the time that would be lost by us returning could. Face it, you've got not choice but to have a little faith in us," said Katsue.

"I said to return!" Tohdoh reiterated.

"Now you said the red one, right?" Katsue laughed. She cut off communications. She then flew off into the fray.

---

Chaowei had a grin on his face as he flew his _Dongfeng _over New Pendragon. He fired two shots at exactly the right spots on a _Vincent Ward _and watched as it exploded. He was smooth. He was going to win this time. No one could out match his gun. It was just as this thought crossed his mind, that _Dongfeng _shook powerfully as a strong blast hit his shields and near depleted them.

He looked around. At first he didn't see his assailant. It was only after several seconds of search, that his exceptional eyes picked up something far in the distance. Chaowei gave an excited laugh as he flew forward with his guns held ready, straight toward the far off attacker. He nodded as his eyes came to a focus on a gray, knightly looking knightmare with a very large sniper rifle and spiked shoulders. Chaowei pointed his two guns at the machine and opened fire.

The gray knightmare pointed it's rifle up and fired it off again. _Dongfeng _weaved to the side and kept up it's barrage, as it closed the gap. Chaowei was confident this would be a winning fight if he kept his opponent close. He continued to bridge the gap.

"That unit is called _Dongfeng _if I'm not mistaken," the enemy pilot spoke, confidence in his voice. "Let's see how it's many guns stand up to _Lionel's _one."

Chaowei smirked. _Lionel _was the name of the unit operated by the Knight of Five, Claudio Darlton. This would be a fun fight. "Fine by me, Knight of Five," Chaowei replied, as he held his guns out and fired at rapid from a close range.

All at once, _Lionel's _six shoulder spikes shot forward as slash harkens, intent on filling _Dongfeng _with holes. Chaowei pulled up rapidly to avoid the large spike. A blast flew up from behind him, hitting and further depleting his shield. He frowned. His opponent was good.

"Lieutenant Colonel, allow me to assist," said a voice. Chaowei turned his head and caught sight of one of the three _Vincent Aethers_ that had been assigned to his team. He soon placed the voice as being that of an Absolution agent named Bryce with whom he had had a conversation with several days ago when he was first briefed on his mission.

"Those harkens look lethal, don't get ahead of yourself," cautioned Chaowei to the other.

"I got it. I'll do my best to keep him busy while you blast away," Bryce said firmly.

"Sounds like a plan," Chaowei said with a quick laugh, as he pushed back and began to fire at the _Lionel. _

The _Vincent Aether _flew toward the enemy and began to assault it with its Master Vibration Swords. _Lionel _shot out its slash harkens again. Bryce beat two out of the way with his swords, and flew downward to avoid the others. He then pressed back up and began to assault the machine with his swords once more while Chaowei continued his assault from above. _Lionel's _shields were quickly being pushed to their limits.

_Lionel_ fired it's slash harkens again, this time more erratically. Bryce deflected the first two, as before and avoided the next two, but the last two came form widely varying angles, and his reaction time wasn't great enough. His shield took the first hit. The second pierced and removed his machine's right arm at the shoulder.

"Damn!" the Absolution agent shouted.

"Hang in there, man, we can do this!" Chaowei called as he flew forward a bit and split his machine's arms allowing all four of his guns to be used. He began a manic barrage of blasts.

"You're both good, but _Lionel _will not be so easily defeated!" Darlton shouted. His machine pulled out a custom hand gun with its left hand. He fired several blasts at Bryce, forcing him further back. He then held out his rifle and fired out a short, powerful burst. Bryce's _Vincent Aether_, was moving erratically after that, clearly heavily damaged. The _Lionel_ held its gun up again, this time at the _Dongfeng._

"You think you can hit me?! I'm too quick for you, old man!" Chaowei shouted.

He flew sharply to the right as the rifle fired. To his ultimate surprise, when he stopped, he saw that the blast was still coming at him, as if it had redirected itself. Had the knight's rifle homed in on him? Chaowei cursed, he wasn't sure his shields could take another blast from that powerful rifle.

Chaowei tried again to get away. When he turned around, he saw that he no longer had to. He watched as the _Vincent Aether _flew upward into the fire and exploded in a fiery burst.

"Bryce!" Chaowei called. He turned his attention to the Knight of Five. "You bastard!"

Fire began to rain down on the _Lionel _once more as Chaowei closed the gap once more. His hands moved faster than even he thought they could as they hit each of the four triggers. The slash harkens fired out. He shot four of them out of the way. The other two impaled his machine. One of them could be seen puncturing the cockpit, just inches from his leg.

Still he fired his guns at a mad blaze. One gun shot off _Lionel's_ head; another two shot the rifle from his hand. He then directed them all the cockpit. After a few seconds of fire, this cockpit flew back and out, the knight having realized he would be dead in seconds were he to stay. Chaowei cursed. He began to fire at the fleeing cockpit, but his rage saw him miss the small target, even with all four guns. Soon he could not see the other.

Chaowei wore a resolute frown. He had won that day, but he didn't feel like celebrating his victory.

---

Ulric Cross was excited. He had his two swords held out as he combated two enemy units at once. They were both _Vincent Aethers, _the new machines that were pretty much just _Vincent Wards _with energy wings and flashier weapons. Still, two at once was a bit trouble. The pilots both seemed skilled. Even so, Ulric was damn sure he would kick their ass.

One _Vincent Aether _was attacking him with blast after blast with its VARIS rifle, the other was wildly assaulting him with its swords. It was a good combination, but Ulric, had yet to test his shields that day, that's how much faster he was then them. Ulric's slash harkens were fired off all at once. The two pilots managed to avoid or deflect all nine at once. He smiled, they really were good.

"You two are a good fight. It's too bad your machines don't got what it takes to take out _Dagonet," _Ulric laughed.

"Heh, even so we'll beat you! We got teamwork on our side!" called the pilot of the sword wielding _Vincent Aether. _Ulric was taken aback. His enemy's voice revealed her to be a rather young girl. "Isn't that right, Cynthia?"

"It is, Miya," the other pilot spoke in a gentle, young female voice. Ulric shook his head. Here he was fighting two chicks who, judging by their voices, were both probably hot. This, more than anything, would make the fight even more difficult.

"Heh, your teamwork don't mean shit. I once took on five men with knives at once in a fight and beat them all bare-handed," Ulric boasted of one of his old exploits. He made a clash at the sword wielder, addressed as Miya. She ducked under it.

"You sir, are a ravenous beast," said the gentle voiced gunner, Cynthia, she was called. "It doesn't take much for such a beast to become a monster."

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, but I don't care!" Ulric called.

He slipped out of Miya's range and flew toward Cynthia, engaging her close. She pulled out a sword and met his first slash. As he was about to make his second, his hand was deterred, a slash harken having wrapped around it. Miya had him. Cynthia pulled back. She fired a blast from her rifle. Ulric tried to jerk away. Miya grabbed his other arm with a slash harken. The blast hit dead on. _Dagonet's _took on damage, the blast more than depleting his weak shields.

Ulric cursed. He kicked his machine into high seed, breaking free. He turned around and slashed across Miya's knightmare. It pierced her shields and found a shallow cut across her machine's chest. He wasn't about to lose to these girls. He wanted to hurry up and beat them down and find a new opponent. He fired his slash harkens off again. This time, they made contact, four of them piercing through Miya's knightmare.

He then sliced the machine in half horizontally below the cockpit. He could have done it vertically, and cleaved the cockpit itself but Ulric didn't like the idea of killing hot chicks. The girl ejected her cockpit just as her friend fired another blast at Ulric, this one causing severe damage to his right shoulder, removing its functionality.

"You bitch, you're going down next!" Ulric called, as he flew toward the girl. He only had one arm now, so that made it tougher. His slashes were readily deflected. The girl managed to even avoid his slash harkens fairly readily. Ulric was frustrated.

"I can tell you are not yet a monster, you are not quite like him, but surely you have seen them. Surely you know what sort of cretins infest your Empress' Britannia!" Cynthia called as she fired a blast from her rifle. She was determined. Ulric could give her that.

"Look, I don't give a fuck about whatever your babbling about. Empress promised me all the fights I want, that's why I'll serve her! I don't give two shits about your monsters," Ulric spat as he closed the gap and slashed the VARIS rifle from Cynthia's machine's hand. She pulled out her second sword quickly.

"Tell me, the Knight of Eleven, do you know him, sir?" the girl asked.

"What the fuck do you think?! I'm the Knight of Twelve. I know everyone in the knights, including that old bastard," shouted Ulric back.

"Well, after you defeat me, tell him that I, Cynthia, will be the one who kills him," the girl spoke in a very soft voice.

"That guys a tough old bastard. You have a long way to go before you can match him, girl," said Ulric.

"I know. Even so, I still pledge to slay that monster, even if it costs me my life," said the girl.

"Whatever you say," Ulric sighed. He then went into full speed. _Dagonet _was behind the other machine. He cut of the girl's wing pack. He had to show mercy to this one; not only was she likely hot, but she wanted to kill someone Ulric didn't particularly like. He watched as the girl ejected from her machine before it began its rapid descent.

He then smiled. He supposed he'd go right away and deliver his message to the Knight of Eleven; that, and fuck up whoever was unlucky enough to be his current opponent.

---

Cesia wore a staunch frown as her _Chernobog _roared through the sky, it's long thin blade pointed clearly at Zhou Xianglin and her _Shenlong. _Cesia was in a poor mood. She hated this fight, she hated this war, but for Belisario she would put up with it. He had shown her nothing but kindness since their first meeting. She was thankful for him taking interest in her, a mere instructor in the Black Knights and making her one of his Champions. It was for him that she reared her cursed sword.

_Chernobog, _the "Black God", lived up to its name. It was an imposing machine, pitch black, save for a few deep purple highlights and deep purple energy wings. In it's left hand it held a pitch black master vibration sword over half as long as the machine was tall, but fairly thin. Its right hand was a massive, five pronged claw.

"You've certainly gotten good, Cesia," said Zhou, her _Shenlong _pounding away massive blasts from its twin Baryon cannons. Cesia darted out of the way and dived in with her sword.

"Heh, and you've stayed sharp, General. It's hard to believe just fifteen years ago I was training under you. Now you're my enemy," said Cesia in a dark voice as _Shenlong, _thrust backward to avoid her sword.

Zhou continued pressing back when Cesia went into a follow up swipe with her claw. Unlike the claw of the famed _Guren, Chernobog's _claw was used for simple slicing and tearing rather than grabbing and destroying; its five prongs were razor sharp master vibration swords. The claw swipe ended up hitting the _Shenlong's _shields before being pushed back.

"What about the soldiers who just last year trained under you? What will you do when they are your enemies?" said Zhou coldly, firing off two more heavy blasts. Cesia weaved in and out between them as she fought to re-close the gap, but _Shenlong _continued pressing back.

"I won't show any mercy. I serve the President and his EU. Not you, and not they can change that fact," said Cesia as she thrust her sword at the other.

Zhou launched her slash harkens to bring a halt to the sword. "Why should the EU be a puppet of Britannia? Think about why you point this sword at me!" she shouted as she tried to pull the sword from the other's hand.

"I don't care! Your words will not deter me!" shouted Cesia, cleaving both the other's slash harken cables with her claw.

"Then you will die here," said Zhou simply as she pressed back and fired a single massive blast at fairly close range.

Cesia had to dart out of the way quickly to avoid it. When a second blast followed, Cesia didn't have enough time to react. The massive blast hit the lower half of her knightmare's body, breaking through her shields and destroying both _Chernobog's_ legs. Cesia frowned. She needed to end this now.

"Die, General!" Cesia shouted as she fired off the five MVS prongs of her claw as slash harkens, They flew rapidly toward the other. Zhou tried to evade, but they were faster than she was and Cesia's harken boosters made it even harder. Soon all five of the blades had pierced the _Shenlong _at various locations. Cesia just had to fly in and deliver one final cut now and the fight would be won.

"Do it, Cesia, if you can!" Zhou challenged. Cesia flew in, sword held high. She went in for a downward cut.

It was shallow. Cesia's mind wandered momentarily at the last second, turning to her regret, turning to her memories, turning to her doubt. At this exact moment, _Shenlong _jerked back just enough to avoid all but the very tip of the sword.

"You don't even know why you're fighting anymore, Cesia! That's why you lost today," said Zhou. She fired a single blast upward at _Chernobog's _head_, _incinerating it. For some reason she stopped there. No finishing blast came. Cesia realized then that her old training instructor had too much mercy in her heart to kill her. She pulled her ejection switch and flew to safety, her mind lost to uncertainty.

---

Hiromi Tohdoh was scowling bitterly as she flew _Hokurei _over New Pendragon, her rifle held out boldly. She was eager to fight. She wasn't sure if Yasuko was alive or dead anymore, but she would never be able to find out unless she beat Britannia and its knights into submission. That is exactly what she intended to do.

"You seem like an opponent maybe worth something," a cold voice spoke from behind as Hiromi blasted through a Britannian _Vincent Ward. _She turned around.

Floating there was a machine Hiromi had never seen before. It was a gold machine, with black effects and wings. It had no hands, but rather large cannon built into its left arm and large blade built into its right. It had an overall sleek appearance and a fair amount of armor.

"And who might you be?" asked Hiromi, as she pointed her rifle at the unknown unit.

"I am the Knight of Six, Rowena Winfield. This knightmare frame is called _Kay,_ the most cutting edge model Britannia has," said the woman.

"Well then allow me and my _Hokurei _be the test of it," said Hiromi with a smile.

"_Hokurei, _eh? So you'd be the sister of Waldstein's little pet," Winfield spoke caustically. "How amusing."

"So, Yasuko is alive then. That's good news," said Hiromi quietly, feeling relief.

"Heh, she's more than alive. The Empress and the Knight of Four are pampering that little child as if she were a princess. It's disgusting," said Winfield with scorn.

Hiromi didn't know what to think of this. More than anything she supposed, it was good to hear her dear sister was well cared for, even if it was by her enemies, she supposed.

"Well, we'll just have to take her off of your hands and bring an end to the disgust then," said Hiromi, with a laugh.

"Hate to break it to you, girl, but you're never going to see your precious little sister again. I'm going to kill you," said the Knight of Six with confidence.

"Bring it!" Hiromi challenged.

The _Kay _flew straight for her, it's gun arm firing a surprisingly large blast out as she closed the gap to try and get in sword range. Hiromi held up her massive shield to absorb the blast. It did so with ease. She then fired a blast from her radiant wave surger rifle. _Kay _revealed incredible speed as it dodged above the blast and dived into a slash with blade arm. Again, the shield took the force of the attack handily.

"Hmmph, that shield of yours is pretty strong, but it slows you down. _Kay _will tear it to shreds soon enough," claimed Winfield as she began to slash wildly at the shield, beating away its energy.

"We'll see about that," said Hiromi, firing her right slash harken to create an opening.

She didn't get much of one, but it was enough to create enough distance to fire a wide area scatter shot. This shot depleted _Kay's_ shields considerably. Winfield moved back and shot off another heavy blast from her gun arm. Again Hiromi let her shields take it. She countered with her own blast, a long range one. Winfield made a quick dodge up, but was not quick enough to avoid the massive blast entirely. Her shields were depleted entirely by a glancing hit though no damage was done.

"Heh, die all ready!" Winfield shouted as she swept in again and beat away at the shield some more.

Hiromi shook her head. This woman was skilled but she was letting herself become stupid. She was carried away. She was easy game. Hiromi smirked as she tossed her shield aside suddenly between strikes. She pulled out her fork knife quickly and stabbed it straight into _Kay's _core. Winfield was able to eject before her machine exploded.

"Yasuko. We'll be together again soon enough," Hiromi said, with a nod and a smile. She flew off to find the next fight.

---

Regina's eyes were void of emotion as she stared at the _Vincent _exploding into flames before her. Many had come before it. Each one brought a certain bright surge of emotion to her mind. Everyone was dying all around her. She was killing them. Each and every one of them was just like Devlin, they had someone like her, someone who loved them. But why should that concern her? Why did anyone deserve the happiness that had been ripped away from her.

"Stop right there! You've killed enough!" a voice called out to the Knight. She watched as a deep green machine soared toward her.

Regina didn't say anything. She just fired a blast from her powerful hand gun. The enemy, wielding a halberd and a rifle, darted to the side of the blast. It then fired a blast at _Bedivere. _Regina rolled to the side and fired two more pulses from her hand gun. She then closed in while the other concentrated on evasion. Her sword swept upward toward the machine's cockpit intent to kill. The green knightmare made its own swipe at her with its halberd. She swept under it. Her slash, and the three that followed it were deflected by the machine's shields.

"You want nothing more than to kill me, don't you?" the man in the Green knightmare spoke in a slightly shaky voice as he tried to push back to get in place to use his halberd.

"I want to kill. You are in front of me thus you shall die," said Regina icily making several more slashes with her sword, giving the other not a moment to fall back.

"That voice… Regina Granville?" the enemy started, as he fired four slash harkens to try to deter Regina. It put a small gap in between the two.

"That is my name," said Regina coldly firing four quick blasts at the machine in quick succession.

"What's happened Regina?! Where did all this violence come from?!" the enemy called as he avoided all but one of the blasts, which scored a glancing hit.

"It is what the world deserves. Destruction," said Regina solemnly as she continued to fire away at her opponent.

"I heard about Devlin, Regina. I know this must be hard, but do you honestly think this is what he'd want you to do for him?" asked the enemy. Regina's eyes widened.

"I don't who you think you are, but what you have said is inexcusable. Do not pretend like you know anything! You are just another lifeless corpse ready to burn up in a blaze of fire," started Regina, firing even more madly than before.

"Regina, please! I'm not supposed to say it, but this is Alastair. Me and Devlin were friends when I was still Knight of Ten," the enemy spoke. Regina just continued to stare ahead, the fire of hell in her eyes.

"It doesn't matter who you are. You will still die," said Regina, smiling. She dived forward into a mad slash with her sword.

"Please, this isn't like you Regina! Listen to reason!" the enemy called frantically. Regina could feel the fear in his voice. It left her strangely satisfied.

"There is no reason. All there is is death," the Knight of Eight spoke. Her sword finally cut straight into the enemy unit's chest, cutting deep.

"Regina stop! This is madness!" said the enemy. Regina could see him sitting inside the cockpit from the hole her sword had made, wearing a green mask. As he was grabbing for his ejection switch, Regina held the gun up to the opening.

"Burn," she said and pulled the trigger. The cockpit erupted in flames as it was escaping the knightmare. The whole machine then exploded in a burst of fire.

Regina turned around without emotion. She spied a _Vincent _close by. She engaged it, ready to kill again.

---

Katsumi wore an energetic smile as her sister flew the _Hiodoshi_ toward the bright red EU machine. She was pumped for this. She had always wanted to fly a real knightmare like her mother. Doing it now with Katsue was like a dream come true. Her hands were itching to pull the various weapons triggers.

"Heh, so that would be a new model, wouldn't it?" spoke an elegant male voice. "My _Roland_ is not so easily bested, I'm afraid."

_Roland _was an elegant unit. Like _Hiodoshi_ itself, it was red and white in color, but it couldn't have been any more different in shape. It was quite small and lightly armored. Its armaments were a very simple sword and shield. Its plates were mostly curves and a white cross appeared across its chest.

"_Roland_, hmm? So you'd be Champion Edouard Valentin then?" spoke Katsue, likelyy recalling the name from something she had read.

"You're knowledgeable enough girl. Might I have your name?" the man asked in a dark voice.

Katsue laughed. "Kozuki," she said simply.

"Tsk, tsk, I do believe that's a lie, girl. Why would the famed Kozuki pilot something other than her _Guren_, even if it is just as red and clawed?" Valentin half sighed as he spoke.

"It's no lie. This really is Kozuki. Katsue Kozuki that is," said Katsue with another laugh.

"And Katsumi Kozuki! I'm here too!" Katsumi called.

"Two of you in there? And you say your name is Kozuki? I've heard nothing about the woman's children…" the man said in a deliberate voice.

"Well, let us prove to you then, that mom's talent is just as strong in us as it is in her," said Katsumi while wearing a smile.

"Honeslty, the two of you sound like nothing more than over eager children," the man spoke. _Roland _flew forward ready to slash at the other. "This is a battlefield! Know your place!"

"Let's do this, Katsumi!" Katsue shouted. She flew _Hiodoshi _'s hand moved to test the controls. She pressed some trigger buttons on one of the two main combat levers. Thin, powerful energy beams radiated from _Hiodishi's _right claw. She jerked the other lever around and the left arm began to move with it. Katsumi smiled. This machine really was intuitive. She aimed the claw beams at the _Roland._

Valentin weaved through the beams as Katsumi quickly figured out how to move them. His sword moved toward them quickly. Katsumi raised the left claw in time to block the slash. She fired off more of the intense beams from her right claw while she pushed the other back. Valentin dodged by moving under the machine. He went into an upward thrust. Though the shields took the hit, Katsumi could feel the _Hiodoshi _take the force of the hit.

"You two really are amateurs. Do you honestly think that just because you have your mother's name, you're entitled to fight against the likes of me?" asked Valentin with a scornful laugh.

"We haven't lost yet!" called Katsumi as she made a full swipe at the man with her right claw. He pushed it back with his hand held shield and went in for another cut. This one just penetrated the shield and left a scratch in the _Hiodoshi's_ armor. Katsumi made a sideways swipe at the _Roland _with her left claw to bat it a way. She then shot more of the high powered beams, this time from both claws. One of them actually got the enemy, severely depleting his shields.

"Heh, you are getting better, but you fight like you've never done this before. Do you honestly think you can defeat one of the best there is?" the champion challenged as he fell back, avoiding the multiple claw blasts.

"Hmm, as I see it, your machine doesn't have much power compared to us. You won't be able to last that much longer, as good as you are," said Katsue with thought, as she flew the knightmare to the right a little so Katsumi could aim another series of claw blasts.

"No power, heh? You seem to be seriously underestimating _Roland," _said Valentin. "Tsk, tsk, that just won't do. Allow me to put an end to this nonsense. Allow me to show you the true power of Durendal!"

With that, the _Roland's _sword suddenly split into three pieces. A bright energy built in between the pieces. Then suddenly a massive column of sustained energy shot out, taller than the _Hiodoshi _was. Katsumi's eyes went wide as the gargantuan energy sword began moving rapidly downward.

"K-Katsue!" Katsumi started, scared desperately for her life. A scorching heat filled the machine as it shook. When it was through, somehow they were both alive.

"Katsumi! Try something new, we have to end this before we die!" shouted Katsue, obviously panicked as well, though she had managed a split-second doge that resulted in _Hiodoshi _just losing a leg and some body armor, rather than it being cut in half.

"Right!" Katsue shouted as she flipped a whole bunch of switches. A swarm of missiles shot off from the _Hiodoshi's _shoulder pads, straight for the _Roland. _

"That's not enough!" Valentin shouted as he slashed at the missiles with his energy sword, which was gradually becoming shorter each time he moved it. The sky in front of the _Roland _filled with smoke as the missiles exploded. Katsumi went back to using the claw beams, firing them into the smoke. Apparently they all missed, as soon the _Roland _was flying toward them once more, its sword held out, ready to impale _Hiodoshi's _cockpit.

"Katsumi, do something!" Katsue shouted. Katsumi began to fumble with the controls, hoping desperately she'd uncover something. She pulled the claw levers into a position she hadn't thought of previously. She then hit all the switches and prayed something would happen.

"Time for you to die, children!" shouted Valentin, his sword just feet away from them.

Then something happened. Katsumi's playing with the controls had activated something. She had forced the two claws together a dim orb of light built up slowly beneath the palms. This orb then suddenly exploded outwards, resulting in a giant energy wave all around the _Hiodoshi. _Valentin, at sight of this, fell back. He started to run for his life. When it became apparent that he wouldn't escape, he ejected. The _Roland _soon exploded.

"Did we actually just win, sister?" Katsumi started, her eyes wide.

"You won, Katsumi. You were brilliant," said Katsue, suddenly embracing Katsue tightly from behind.

"Gee, sis, I wouldn't have been able to do anything without you," Katsumi said humbly, blushing.

"We're damaged, but I think we're getting the hang of this. Let's go assist the General," said Katsue with a nod.

"You sure? That was pretty scary," said Katsumi hesitantly.

"He's taking two of them at once. That has to be even scarier," said Katsue.

"Yeah. You're right," said Katsumi. Katsue nodded and flew them off in the direction of the next fight.

---

Damian Marsh had a serious expression on his face as he stared the dark brown axe-wielding knightmare down. Its axe blade was twice as wide as _Lamorak's _and rest in both its hands. It had very heavy armor and spiked shoulders.

"So, Damian, it's our turn to fight, is it?" started a familiar voice. Remembering what had happened at the prison, it wasn't hard to place it.

"Indeed it is, Larkin. I will not back down so readily," Damian said, ready for the fight inside his _Constantine_.

"Hmm, my rank in the Knights may have been lower than yours, Damian, but my resolve for this cause is stronger. _Bors' _axe will not be stopped by your lance today," said Larkin Elision in a deep, gruff voice

"Then prove it! Show me everything you've got!" Damian challenged, before going into a mad charge with his lance.

Larkin hefted his axe above his machine's head at an angle. As _Constantine _drew near the _Bors_ the axe came down in a crushing diagonal slash. The incredible force from the clash sent both the knightmares back with recoil. Damian was surprised. It was rare he encountered an opponent with an attack strong enough to effectively counter the incredible momentum of his quick charges.

He decided to change strategies, firing off the six slash harken spikes on his shield. Larkin placed the axe in front of him, obscuring the path of three of them. The other three could not penetrate his shields. Larkin countered by launching out his own slash harkens; two of them, both giant and shaped as spiked at his shoulders. Damian, beat one away with his lance. The other he deflected with his shield. He then forced himself back and pointed his lance down at the _Bors._

The lance cannon fired readily, sending out a massive blast. Damian didn't waste anytime, he went into another high speed charge, just behind the blast. _Bors _apparently lacked the speed to evade so instead if lifted it's axe once more and proceeded to cut the blast in half, severely reducing its overall power. Larkin didn't have the time to react to Damian's charge though. The lance found his shields and pierced through them and into his armor.

"You really are worthy of your rank, Damian. A true warrior through and through," Larkin said, as he pushed himself back and raised his axe.

"You don't lack skill yourself, Larkin," said the Knight of Two, moving out of the way of a heavy axe strike. "But even so, you cannot win this fight!" he declared as he then fired a blast from his lance cannon.

_Bors _couldn't evade it or counter it and took considerable damage; much of the heavy shoulder and upper arm plating was removed by the blast. Damian quickly went into another dash, trying to take advantage of the enemy's weakened state. As he was about to hit, he was driven just off course by heavy grenade fire.

"Maybe I can't win alone, Damian, but we won't have to find that out," said Larkin, rearing his axe again and making a wide swipe at the other. Damian avoided and caught sight of his new assailants, two of the new production model, _Vincent Aether. "_You two, do not let up on him for an instant!" Larkin commanded.

"Yes sir!" both pilots responded.

One switched to a rifle and the other to two master vibration swords. The sword wielder began to pummel _Constantine_ with rapid strikes while the gunfighter unleashed his own barrage. It was impossible to get away. Damian shot off his shield slash harkens, impaling the sword fighter and destroying it. He then set his sights on the other _Vincent Aether. _He charged it as it fired. It stopped and tried to get away. It didn't succeed. _Constantine's _lance pierced it easily.

"Looks like you put too much faith in those boys, Larkin. They were readily dispatched," said Damian.

"Yes, old friend, but their sacrifice was not a waste. Thanks to them, you're done," said the other.

"What are you--?" started Damian as he turned around to face the bulky, slow-moving enemy that he was sure would not be able to reach him from the distance he was at. When he turned around, he noticed that _Bors' _axe had transformed, the blade pulling back to reveal what looked like a very large rocket launcher. A high speed projectile shot out from it.

_Constantine_ hadn't the time to react. Damian knew at once that the shot would destroy. it. His hand went to his ejection switch. He was barely in time. The ejecting cockpit was bent and distorted by the powerful explosion as it flew away. Damian could feel the heat seeping in, scalding his flesh, but he knew that would not take his life. He wondered why he cared so much for that life. He had no place in this war, he had no place in this world. He pondered this all the way until his cockpit came crashing to the ground below.

---

Hu Xuemei wore a dedicated expression as her _Tianlong _flew briskly toward the imperial castle. She had a mission to accomplish. She would accomplish it. There was nothing else for her. As she approached the castle, she could see a machine flying toward her. It was immediately recognized as the machine that she had just fought in the Battle for Japan, the _Galahad Renascence_.

Leaving things as a draw with Hildegarde Waldstein, certainly aggravated Xuemei, but she remained dedicated to the mission. She readied one of the two special tools that the Red Mask of Absolution had given her and pointed it at the other.

"So, dragon, I take it you're ready to be slain this time," the woman challenged seemingly pleased to see Xuemei.

"I don't have time for you!" Xuemei called before firing off the rocket like weapon that had been attached to _Tianlong'_s left wrist. It shot out and hit the other's shields. The rocket exploded to form a cloud of particles that surrounded _Galahad Renascence_. These were Gefjun particles. This was a Gefjun Particle Rocket. It would freeze a knightmare, no matter how much of an advanced powerhouse it was, for almost a minute without having to even make direct contact.

Xuemei zoomed past the immobilized _Galahad Renascence _and continued toward the castle. Just feet from it, she fired the special armament that had been strapped to _Tianlong's _right arm. This one was more conventional. It was a high powered explosive charge. It shot out, blowing a hole in the castle wall, just to the right of the left castle tower, where the prisoners were apparently being kept. That done, Xuemei flew to the other side of the tower and landed _Tianlong_ behind it, out of view. She opened her hatch and went out on foot, going into a quick sprint.

She caught sight of a recovered _Galahad Renascence _flying toward her as she drew her sword to cut down two royal guards with her impeccable sword craft as they spilled out of the hole she had blown into the castle wall. She then proceeded inside and headed for the tower. Xuemei rapidly climbed the tower, which was a wide tower of only about four floors, each floor split into two rooms. Each floor, she checked either of the rooms but didn't find what she sought.

She could feel her lead on the Knight of Four waning. She held onto the hope that the woman knew not her purpose and would rush to her Empress like a fool. When she reached the top floor, this hope was completely crushed. After slaying two more guards with her sword, just as she was reaching the door on the left side of the corridor. A voice came from right behind her.

"Stop right there!" it said. It was Hildegarde Waldstein. Xuemei turned to see the fire in her eyes. She looked every bit the warrior Xuemei had imagined her being in their prior fight.

"You figured out my purpose, did you?" Xuemei laughed. "If I were you, I would have instead rushed to my Empress' side. The guards here are weak. She could have been dead by now were I an assassin."

"You're good with the blade, are you," Waldstein spoke with a smirk. She pulled a large broadsword from her belt. "As am I."

"If that's how you want to do this, I see no problem with killing you this time, knight," spoke Xuemei before making a sudden stab with her sword, Waldstein sidestepped it quickly and went into a powerful lateral slash with her blade. Xuemei jumped back in time and moved into a low diagonal slash at the knight's feet. She lowered her sword and caught Xuemei's with it and threw it back.

The knight then raised her sword with both hands and went into a powerful vertical slash. Xuemei sidestepped and went into an immediate high thrust. Waldstein ducked back and raised her sword all in one swift motion. Xuemei did an acrobatic backflip to evade, putting a distance between her and her opponent.

"I give you credit knight, your sword skill is beyond what I'd expect to see from a Britannian," said Xuemei, amused.

"And you're every bit the Federation master I was anticipating," Waldstein said with a short laugh, clenching her sword tightly.

"Tell me, knight, what is it you fight for?" asked Xuemei, staring at the other, trying to size her up.

"I fight to appease the spirit of my father," said the knight in strong voice.

"You define yourself by a ghost? How laughable. You have no true meaning behind your blade then," said Xuemei.

"There's someone I want to keep from harm's way then. That's why I raise my sword," said Waldstein, looking more focused.

"You lack true purpose knight. I exist for this blade. This blade is the blade of my Empress. This blade shall cut you down," Xuemei roared before charging forward with renewed vigor.

Waldstein stepped back quickly to avoid Xuemei's quick lateral slash. She then made a swipe at Xuemei's legs. Xuemei did her own rapid back step and went into a quick stab. Waldstein raised her sword to block it. Xuemei, pulled off at the last second and redirected the stab as a glancing shot at the other's left shoulder. It pierced the skin fairly deep. Waldstein gave a deep grunt and then went for a stab of her own with her sword. Xuemei pulled off of her quickly.

She didn't let up however. She made a stab at Waldstein's head. As Waldstein ducked, Xuemei went into a slashing spin. Waldstein tried to ready herself to block it but was unable to stop the final spin of the other, her sword cutting across her leg. Again Waldstein went for a brunt strike, forcing the other back, and again, Xuemei let her speed overwhelm, as she made two slashes that were deflected but then one shallowly at the other's stomach that was not. Xuemei was pushed back once more by a heft of the large sword.

"What gives you this strength…?" Waldstein started, out of breath.

"Heh, this blade is not mine, but that of the Tianzi. It is not something that can be stopped by that toy you wield," Xuemei spoke proudly. "You've lost. If you wish to keep your life, feel free to cower in that corner and beg."

"So that's it…" the knight suddenly spoke in an odd voice after a few seconds of panting with her eyes strangely wide.

"What is what?" started Xuemei, eyes narrowed.

"I know your secrets, girl. I know why the Empress is so precious to you," said Waldstein.

"What are you babbling about? I have no secrets!" Xuemei challenged.

Waldstein stood up strong. In an oddly serious voice, no hints of deceit in her eyes, she started, "I know your past! I know your lineage!"

Xuemei's eyes widened, a slight quiver went down her spine, "How could you possibly know that! I am an orphan child! I don't even know who my parents are!"

This was true. Xuemei wondered. She wondered every day who she was, but she had never known. Now face to face with a woman who claimed she did and had a face that made you want to believe her, Xuemei was nothing but unsettled.

"Very well then. I know things that would call the integrity of your precious, pure Empress into question. I know things that betray everything the Tianzi stands for!" Waldstein announced boldly.

Xuemei could piece the accusation together easily enough. She didn't have it in her heart to believe it though. The Empress was the Empress and she was the Empress' sword. That was their only link. That was the only bond they had. Nothing more than that was possible.

"Lies! How could you possibly have knowledge of something like that! Desperation has made you a liar, Knight!" Xuemei shouted as she rushed forward intent to deliver another blow.

"Perhaps so, but your inability to see your own truth has made you careless, soldier," said Waldstein.

She darted to the side of Xuemei's slash and went into a powerful backslash. It landed at Xuemei's back, cutting shallowly, but not damaging the spine. Xuemei staggered from pain, but collected herself to make another slash. It wasn't quick enough. Waldstein's sword made a fairly deep slash at her side. This one bled profusely and sent Xuemei to her knees.

"Kill me quickly, knight," said Xuemei, her head held low.

It was at that moment, that the wooden door to the room on the right of the corridor came crashing down. A very young, small, brown-haired girl had somehow knocked over the sturdy locked door with just the full force of her own body. This girl collected herself quickly. She broke into a run at Waldstein, then pulled off an amazing leap and high speed jump kick, at the knight's neck. Waldstein raised her sword to block it. Xuemei immediately grabbed her own blade and used it to quickly pierce the woman's stomach, causing her to fall to her knees on the floor. She then got to her feet.

"You're the assassin, Amelia Gottwald?" started Xuemei.

"Yes. Now let's move," said Amelia, going to the other and lifting her over her shoulder.

"Wait, there's another prisoner in this tower. She should be in the other room," spoke Xuemei in a weak voice.

"Fair enough," spoke Amelia. She picked up Waldstein's broadsword from the floor. She rushed at the other door and went into a full body slash with the heavy sword, easily breaking through the wood. A scream soon sounded.

"You. You're being rescued. Come with us," spoke Amelia in a cold voice as she entered the room.

"Ahh.. um… uh.. o-okay…" an uneasy, terrified voice spoke inside the room. Amelia returned readily with the girl, Yasuko.

"Now then, this woman is injured. Help me in getting her out of here," spoke Amelia, motioning toward Xuemei. That wasn't where Yasuko's eyes went, however.

"That's--!" Yasuko's eyes filled with panic as they spied the grievously injured body of the Knight of Four. "Miss Hildegarde!" she called as she rushed to the woman's side felt her hand and head and began to cry.

"What is this? Why is she--?" started Amelia, shocked.

"Come, that is our enemy. We must leave now, Sergeant Tohdoh," said Xuemei in a weary voice, struggling to keep herself balanced and standing.

"No! I won't! After every thing she's done for me, if I just left Miss Hildegarde up here all alone to die, I would never forgive myself!" Yasuko shrieked as she struggled to stop the bleeding of the knight's wounds.

"What are you talking about?! You are a soldier of Japan! That is your enemy! This is insanity! Betrayal!" Xuemei shouted, seething mad.

"Please tell Hiromi I'm sorry, Xuemei. Thank you for coming to rescue me, but I've made up my mind," said Yasuko in a soft voice.

"But, that's--!" started Xuemei, angrily.

"You're losing blood," spoke Amelia, suddenly a lot softer in speech than she had been. "I haven't the strength to take that girl out of here when she wishes not to go, when I already have to aid you in your condition."

"So be it," said Xuemei reluctantly. With disgust in her voice she then said, "Traitors all meet the same fate, Yasuko Tohdoh."

After that, the young but capable Amelia would escort her to safety.

---

Kyoshiro Tohdoh wore a doubtful expression as _Zangetsu Tensai _was pounded into submission by two powerful foes at once. The skill he had acquired with age, and substantial cover fire by both the _Hikyuu _and the _Hitokage _had let him survive long enough, but he and both ships were now fairly battered, by the two custom units they were facing, the _Golem_ and the _Bellona_ and a small swarm of _Panzer-Kugelblitz, _the comparatively high spec mass production unit used by the EU.

_Golem _and _Bellona _were very different units. The former, the knightmare of Elischa Mayer, was mid-sized, heavily armored and wielded a very heavy hammer in one hand and a very high powered flamethrower in the other. It was yellow in color. The _Bellona, _belonging to Valeria Giullare, was also mid-sized, but light armored. It had a heavy missile launcher at its right arm, and a rapid fire cannon at its left. It was a deep orange in color.

"You live up to your reputation, General Tohdoh," spoke EU Champion, Elischa Mayer, from the seat of his _Golem _as Tohdoh maneuvered around a heavy blow from his hammer.

"As do the two of you, Champion," said Tohdoh. _Zangetsu Tensai _had all ready taken heavy damage. It was sparking all over. It really wouldn't be long now. Tohdoh didn't see much hope for rescue either. Zhou may come, but would that be enough at this point. He felt pangs of guilt as he thought it, but he knew the other machine, _Hiodoshi _was gone now. He could hardly imagine the grief it would bring that woman when she found out.

"It's time to end this..." said Champion Valeria Giullare as she pointed her missile launcher at the _Zangetsu Tensai _and fired two missiles off. Tohdoh did some acrobatic flying to try and lose the homing missiles, but by the time that was done, the _Golem _was right in front of him, its hammer coming down. Tohdoh lifted his Seidoutou in front of him to try and parry the attack. The force sent him flying downward.

"Need some help, Mr. Tohdoh?" a voice came. Tohdoh recognized the voice, but he didn't believe it. When he turned his head to see a very much not destroyed _Hiodoshi_. It was missing a leg and some other parts, sure, but it looked very much functional.

"You two survived?!" Tohdoh exclaimed. "You defeated Valentin?"

"Sure did?! Looks like we're gifted!" called a cheerful Katsumi Kozuki.

"Never mind. Please, offer what support you can!" commanded Tohdoh, thinking at that moment, that, just perhaps, they had a shot of winning.

"Got it, sir!" Katsumi called loudly, drowning out what ever her sister Katsue mumbled. _Hiodoshi_ then flew at the _Bellona_.

Tohdoh rushed _Golem_ with his Seidoutou, offering slash after slash as Mayer tried to put distance between them with his flamethrower. The heat conducted to him was intense, but Tohdoh was able to endure it. Meanwhile, the _Bellona_ was firing blast after blast at the _Hiodoshi_, but the twins showed some definite skill. Their shields were obviously gone, but they had gotten good at evasion. Their movement and attacks were actually surprisingly well-synched and giving Giullare a fight.

But Tohdoh had to keep his attention on the _Golem_. He kept up his assault, making it difficult for the slow attacking machine to get away. Mayer stayed with his flamethrower. Tohdoh could tell it was putting a strain on both his body and _Zangetsu Tenasai'_s machinery. He backed off and switched to machine gun fire. Then a gigantic cannon blast fired toward his opponent suddenly.

"Looks like you're still having fun here, General," another familiar voice suddenly spoke from nearby. Tohdoh turned to see a terribly damaged but also still functional _Shenlong_.

"Heh, so you too were victorious," Tohdoh said with a nod.

"Who's in _Hiodoshi_?" asked Zhou.

"Someone with incredible potential," said Tohdoh, as he watched Hiodoshi fight Bellona on equal terms for a moment more.

"I see… Well, let's finish this!" said Zhou, as she flew to assist the twins.

"So, this would mean Edouard and Cesia were both defeated then?" spoke Mayer in a low voice.

"That it would, Champion," said Tohdoh, readying his Seidoutou.

"Valeria! We're retreating! We can't win this battle any longer. It's pointless to even try," Mayer shouted to his comrade.

"Understood…" the girl said quietly.

The two began to fly away, along with the still operational _Panzer-Kugelblitz_. No one gave chase. All three of their units were heavily damaged. There really was no point in giving pursuit when it wasn't certain they actually had the upper hand.

"We won… amazing…" an out of breath Katsue Kozuki spoke.

"Yes. That doesn't change the fact that you two face severe punishment for what you've done today," said Tohdoh harshly.

"Just who is the pilot of the _Hiodoshi_?" asked Zhou again, wanting a direct answer.

"Kozuki," said Katsue with a laugh.

"That's impossible. Kozuki is in Britannia at the moment," said Zhou, clearly confused.

"Katsue Kozuki, that is," the girl said confidently.

"And Katsumi Kozuki too!" her sister chimed in brightly.

"H-her children…?" Zhou said with very clear surprise and disbelief.

"They stole the unit from the man I had left it with," said Tohdoh.

"Again, General, do you honestly think Shinichiro Tamaki would have performed better than us?" asked Katsue, humored.

"You left the Hiodoshi with Tamaki, General?!" started Zhou, even more shocked.

"He seemed confident. He wanted it," said the General.

"I almost think these kids made the right choice," said Zhou in a sigh.

Katsumi giggled. Tohdoh shook his head. The three units then returned to the _Hitokage_.

---

Anya Alstreim had a dedicated look on her face under the pink mask she wore. She had stayed at the back lines of the fight for the most part thus far, acting as a commander. The assault on Vortigern was going poorly. Contact with Green had been lost. Cynthia Moore and Miya Ashford had been bested. She had had no contact from the mercenary girl since the whole thing had begun, and Chiharu Ohgi was struggling in the fight with the Knight of Eleven. The only bright spot of news was that Hu Xuemei had successfully secured one of the prisoners.

Anya decided it was time to cut her losses and leave. The battle here was unsalvageable. Getting everyone still alive out should then become the priority. It was as Anya was considering this that a knightmare made a swift approach.

"Heh, what are you doing all the way back here? You must be the commander," spoke an amused voice.

Anya stared at the unit. She recognized it as the _Morganna_, the Knight of Ten, Callista Blackwell, the woman known as the Blood Queen. This was a skilled opponent if ever there was one.

"That I am, Blood Queen," said Anya in a strong voice.

"Your unit. It's interesting. It looks unmistakably close to the Mordred from twenty years ago…" spoke Blackwell in a deliberate voice.

"This is _Mordred Camlann_," said Anya in a strong voice. Indeed the _Camlann_ did look very close to its predecessor. Energy wings had been implemented and the color scheme had been changed to being mostly pink with black and purple highlights.

"Is it now. So you are the pilot of the _Mordred_ then, Anya Alstreim. That unit wouldn't have been built for you else wise," said Blackwell with a laugh.

"I am the Pink mask of Absolution and no one more. Now let us fight, if that is your wish," spoke Anya in a ready voice.

"Fine then. I thought you'd never ask. Show me your strength!" Blackwell cackled madly.

_Morganna_ opened by firing off one of her scythe harkens. Anya fired off her missiles at it before it was anywhere near close. A very thin beam then shot out of the missile smoke. Anya had confidence in her armor, so she bared for the blast. This was a mistake. The power of the beam was well beyond anything Anya had suspected. Due to a last minute movement, Anya luckily only lost one of her hip missile launchers to it.

Not wasting any time, Anya shot two of her four hadron cannons at once, straight at the _Morganna_. Blackwell flew up above the heavy blasts and fired off her thin hand beams again. Anya did her best to evade but _Mordred Camlann'_s slow movements made it difficult. With some power, Anya managed to get away with just losing some leg armor. As a counter, she set off all separate cannons this time.

The incredible size of the four blasts made if hard for the _Morganna_ to break away. It flew up again, losing the bottom half of either of its legs to the blast. This time Blackwell flew into a dive, straight for the _Mordred Camlann_. She held out her scythe blades, as she approached rapidly. Anya deployed some missiles as a deterrent. Blackwell stopped and shot her hand beams at the missiles, causing them to explode in path.

This gave Anya the window to launch her ultimate attack, fusing her hadron cannons together to form the incredibly powerful Stark Hadron Cannon. She fired it readily. _Morganna_ scrambled to avoid it, in the end losing one arm and most of the rest of the lower body.

"You are quite talented. As to be expected of the former Knight of Six." Blackwell spoke in a tired voice. "If this continues, I will surely die with the next blast."

"You're not getting away," said Anya firing off even more missiles as she prepared for a second shot from her massive cannon.

Something got between the missiles and the _Morganna_. It was a knightmare, a custom knightmare. It was nearly pristine, hardly damaged. It was _Bedivere_. It was Regina Granville, Knight of Eight, a girl hardly considered extraordinary among the Rounds. It began to fire madly at the _Mordred Camlann_ with its powerful hand gun.

"Reinforcements? How unfortunate," spoke Anya. She was ready for another shot. She would try and get both machines with her Stark Hadron Cannon and end this.

She began to fire. The _Bedivere_ went into a spiral dive straight toward the gun. It then shot up at the last minute and went into a quick dive down with its sword, straight into _Mordred Camlann'_s head, destroying its sensors. Blinded, Anya, could not direct her shot. She just prayed it would hit the target. When a Master Vibration Sword pierced into the top of her cockpit, narrowly missing her own head, she decided it hadn't. She pulled her switch to escape.

---

Megami gave a sigh as she stayed toward the back like usual, firing a shot here or there from her radiant wave blaster to best a rogue _Vincent Ward_ that tried to approach her. The only thing that kept her from using her Geass and avoiding the fight altogether was the knowledge that doing so would likely anger Chiharu.

Then it happened. She lost track of things, and something very heavy was flung at _Onryou's_ back. Her wing pack was instantly sliced in half and she began to lose altitude rapidly. Luckily, she had been flying pretty low so she wouldn't be spotted; she figured if she were able to keep it upright, she could ground the machine and use her landspinners.

As she was falling, the heavy thing was ripped from her back. She tried to turn her machine, and caught sight of the assailant. It was the knightmare called _Lamorak_, the machine belonging to the Knight of Three. The heavy thing was its big-ass battle axe. Megami sighed loudly. Why in the hell did she have to get the third toughest opponent of all?

She activated her landspinners as she hit the floor and began to run from her still flying opponent. This was stupid. She used her Geass. That made it a little easier. She found a hiding place, pointed her gun up, and shot a blast right at _Lamorak's_ wing pack. Soon it joined her on the Vortigern city streets, which had rapidly become deserted (save for a few crazies who liked going out and watching things explode) since the battle broke out.

"I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it myself. You really can become invisible," said the Knight of Three, whatever the hell her name was.

"Ha! I'd stop being all impressed with me and start thinking how in the hell you're going to survive without your eyes!" called Megami as she moved to the side of the _Lamorak_, carefully aimed a nonfatal shot at the right leg and prepared to fire.

She fired. The bitch moved back at the last second. She then sped in Megami's direction and began to wave her axe around madly at the air, each time getting closer to where Megami was against a building wall. Megami moved the _Onryou_ at the right time and allowed the woman to plow through the wall, causing screams from the people inside. She then aimed her gun again.

And just as she was about to fire, she got hit. A giant sword had come at her just inches from _Onryou's_ head, slicing into her shoulder. The pilot must have had damn good hearing to detect the radiant wave shooter as it prepared to fire. Damn was Megami being unperceptive today. She looked up.

She spied a low-flying unit she had never seen before. It was red, purple and gold in color and wielded a very long broadsword in either hand. Megami pointed her gun at it in hopes of knocking it from the sky as well. She fired. She hit again. For being so out of it, she was having some real luck when it came to destroying wing packs.

"Heh, she's a good shot, isn't she, mother?" spoke the pilot of the second machine downed.

"Quite so, Margaret," said the Knight of Three.

"Whoa, so you two are mother and daughter?" asked Megami, smiling.

"That we are," said the Knight of Three.

"Aww, that's so cute…" Megami swooned. Really this made the battle harder for her though. She had to be careful. She really couldn't accidentally kill either of them.

"Of all the--" the daughter spoke, somewhat offended. "I can't wait to test my _Ywain_ against this woman."

"Don't become hasty, Margaret. You know what we have to do," spoke the mother.

"I know, I know, Mother. I say we hurry up and do it," said the girl called Margaret.

"Right! Let's!" the mother called. Her _Lamorak_ came barreling toward _Onryou_ quickly.

Megami cursed the fact that ladspinners were louder than energy wings. It was much easier for them to hone in on her sound and find where she was hiding. She began to run from the _Lamorak_ once more. The _Ywain_ soon joined the chase. Megami pointed the gun straight behind her and fired off a blast at the _Ywain_. Apparently it did little good, for she could still sense the machine approaching.

She cursed when she turned into a shopping center parking lot and saw either of her exits being blocked off by the two enemies. It really sucked not being able to fly. She aimed her gun again at the _Ywain_ and fired. It crossed its swords before it and blocked the attack effortlessly.

Both enemy machines rushed toward where they saw the blast come from. With the shopping center behind her, they had her surrounded. She had to do something quick. She aimed the weapon in her left hand, the Indian woman had called it the Gefjun jammer launcher. She pointed it straight at the _Lamorak_ and fired it four times in quick succession. Four small discs flew out and latched onto the unsuspecting _Lamorak_, bringing it to a dead halt.

Megami then heard a sound. She turned around. To her surprise, she did not see _Ywain_ anywhere. It was completely gone, nowhere in sight. This didn't make any sense. Why would the girl leave her mother undefended like that? It kind of really pissed Megami off. She turned back to the still stalled _Lamorak_, and readied her gun once more.

That stopped when suddenly she was hit by something from two different angles. Then it rattled a little more and the systems buzzed. Then everything turned off. Ah well, it had been fun, but Megami wasn't about to sit there and die. She undid the spirit synch system. She kicked the exit hatch, which had been partially damaged in the fight, open violently and made a jump for the ground below, prepared to bolt. She picked herself off the floor readily.

And just as readily she was forced back to it. She was tackled by something she couldn't see. Then she could see it. It was a pretty red-haired girl with a strong expression. Megami looked past her and saw the _Ywain_ where nothing had been before, hatch open, two thick-cabled slash harkens shooting out from it and into the _Onryou_.

"You are now a prisoner of the Holy Empire of Britannia! Do not try to resist or you shall be executed!" the girl, Margaret, Megami knew, spoke in a cold, hostile voice.

"How are you like me?! Two people shouldn't have the same Geass!" Megami shouted, unsettled.

"That's not for you to know," said Margaret darkly before pulling out some handcuffs. With surprising strength for a teen girl she proceeded to make use of them, restraining Megami. "Now come with me."

Megami sighed as the other forced her up. This was turning out to be a rather bad day. She had much preferred the last time a cute girl had tackled her to the ground to this one.

---

Chiharu Ohgi wore a stern expression as she kept hacking away at the _Agravain_ with her spear. No matter how much armor she chipped away, the gigantic, imposing knightmare frame showed no indication of going down anytime soon.

"You certainly are a capable pilot, girl. Close range speed types are what my _Agravain_ is best matched for, yet you've all ready survived this long," said Niles Moore, the Knight of Eleven.

"I don't intend to lose this fight!" Chiharu shouted back

Thanks to well-placed, short bursts of Geass, Chiharu had managed to avoid any serious damage in the fight, be it from the _Agravain's_ hadron cannons, missile launchers or fifteen slash harkens. Still, the man was right. _Jinketsu_ was rather like a wasp assaulting a beast, only a minor threat. More of an annoyance than anything. Still, if she stung hard enough, Chiharu was confident she could get through to this beast.

Chiharu worked at beating back slash harken after slash harken with her spear at close range. That done she activated her Geass and went in for a hard pierce at Agravain's chest. A hole was punched but little damage was done. Geass still active, Chiharu quickly got away and deactivated it. Moore shot his missiles off next. Chiharu went into a slow acrobatic loop around and under them, then activated her geass yet again, punched a hole in the enemy's leg then pulled up and out. The pattern repeated itself for a while.

"You may be able to pierce my armor, girl, but it will take much more than a few holes destroy my _Agravain_!" Moore challenged.

"We'll see about that!" Chiharu roared.

She fired off her three slash harkens all at once. Moore met them all with his own, and then fired off the 12 Chiharu had no match for. Chiharu dove forward and beat them back with her spear again. She then went into Geass mode yet again. In a single motion she pulled out her custom hand gun, approached _Agravain_, located one of the holes she had pieced into the machine's lower body and fired three full shots into it at point blank. She did this with two other of the holes before pulling up. Explosions rocked throughout the _Agravain_, leaving it damaged and sparking at several locations.

"Clever girl. You certainly do know how to put that speed of yours to good use," said Moore in a deep voice, before firing two hadron blasts at Chiharu. Chiharu quickly darted out of the way and moved toward the machine again. She repeated her earlier strategy and fired several more shots into _Agravain's_ insides before pulling away. The enemy's complete lack of speed made it easy.

"Ha, you're done! That big old monster of yours isn't worth anything anymore!" called the silver-haired girl cockily as more explosions shook through her opponent's machine, now barely staying afloat.

"Geass really is an extraordinary power," said Moore in a low voice, realization that he had lost in his voice. Chiharu moved in for the kill.

She was then suddenly rushed from the side. She moved her spear quickly to block what appeared to be a large curved edge. As she became more aware of what was happening, she came to recognize her new opponent. It was the _Dagonet_, the Knight of Twelve's machine.

"You of all people come to my rescue?!" started Moore, seemingly displeased.

"I'm just interested in your fight old man, I don't give a shit about your sorry old life," said Ulric Cross in a loud, boisterous voice as he quite expertly predicted one of Chiharu's Geass-powered thrusts and counter played it with a ripping slash that took off _Jinketsu's_ gun arm.

"Fair enough," spoke Moore.

"But apparently some chick I just fought named Cynthia is interested in it. I let her live too, so she'll be coming for ya," Cross maintained the conversation while fighting like a maniac. Chiharu wasn't sure she had the energy or the stamina for this fight, even if her opponent's machine all ready did have some damage incurred.

"C-Cynthia?! You can't be serious! That girl is no soldier…" Moore said in a surprised tone.

"She fought pretty good, I'd say. No fucking way she's a match for me, but what do you expect?" Cross gave a laugh.

"I just can't believe--" Moore began.

A private signal then cut in on the _Jinketsu's_ systems. It was Orange, the Commander. "Major Ohgi. Pink was defeated and we just lost contact with the mercenary. Vortigern has become a lost cause. Please try and get out of there if you are able!"

Chiharu cursed loudly. Not again. What the hell was the point of her Geass, if it never let her win? How could she fulfill her promise like this? How could she avenge Kiyoko? How could she rescue Yasuko? How could she do anything?

But she had to run. Dying would certainly make those things even harder for her. Contact with Megami had been lost? She didn't even want to think about what that meant. She didn't want to think about anything. She just wanted things to somehow turn around.

"Hey! Where are you going! I'm not done with you! I still need my revenge for that time you got my wings!" Cross shouted after her as Chiharu began to run, activating her Geass so as she was faster than the _Dagonet_.

As Chiharu flew off she had a look of scorn on her face. Why was every thing so screwed up now? None of it was right. Chiharu swore then and there that she would be the one to end the life of Ava li Britannia.

--

Astrid Weinberg had a look of unease on her face as she flew through the enemy lines, unsure if she should be looking for a fight or a way out. Lord Darlton, Lord Marsh, and Lady Winfield were not responding to any contact. Was she alone out here now? It was frightening. Still she had to stay strong. For Ava, she had to fight and win.

As she flew forward, she saw something she wished she hadn't. One of the Britannian _Vincent Ward'_s was being held upright by the head. It then exploded into flames. This wasn't the frightening part. The frightening part was the simple fact of what machine it was that had caused this. This machine then turned. It saw Astrid. Astrid panicked. She couldn't run now. She wasn't ready for this fight, but she couldn't run.

"The _Viviane_. The very machine from which Ava li Britannia made her descent onto that stage. Oh how I'll love putting an end to it," Kallen Kozuki, the pilot of the _Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. Eight Elements_, the most famous pilot alive, the woman who had killed Devlin Granville, spoke in a cold voice to Astrid as she made a rapid approach. Astrid readied her MVS bow.

"For my Empress, I will fight you," said Astrid tentatively. She fired two arrows quickly at the _Guren_.

"That will never be enough!" roared Kozuki as she fired a wide area burst as the arrows were approaching, both were instantly incinerated.

Astrid had a feeling in her gut that the other was right, but she knew better than to approach and try anything with her short dagger. She moved around and fired three arrows, this time from different angles. Again a simple pulse of the infamous radiant wave surger and they were all gone.

"How pathetic! Are you really such a coward?!" demanded Kozuki before diving in at full speed. Astrid had every urge to turn and run. Ava's kisses awaited her at home. She could not die here. Not now.

She flew forward against what every part of her mind was telling her to do. She activated the bright white light of her Energy wings, hoping to blind the other and then went in for a slash with her dagger. To Astrid's horror when the light cleared, _Guren_ had her sword arm in it's grasp. Astrid pulled back as radiant wave energy began to rip that arm to shreds.

She breathed heavily as she fired two more arrows from her bow, now her only weapon aside from her two remaining non-boosted slash harkens. They were explosive arrows this time. The upgrade didn't change anything. They didn't get any closer to the _Guren_. Astrid went to her Gefjun bolts after that. Again it proved futile.

"How utterly ridiculous! Britannian scum, your end has arrived!" Kozuki roared as she closed the gap once more.

Before Astrid could even begin to run away, the Guren grabbed her remaining arm. It was subsequently ripped to shreds like the other. Astrid's hands went for the ejection switch. She had to live. This nightmare would be gone when she was in her Ava's arms. The switch didn't work. Astrid watched as the walls of her cockpit bent to the shape of the claw that was grasping it, ready to set it ablaze.

"Please! Please don't kill me! I beg you! I don't want to die, not now!" Astrid screamed in a panic.

"You disgusting Britannian pig! You deserve nothing but the hell that awaits you!" Kozuki shouted back.

Astrid braced for death. To her surprise, it didn't come right away. Instead of the incredible heat of the radiant wave surger scorching her alive as it did Devlin, she instead was greeted by movement. More specifically she deduced that she was moving very swiftly backwards and down. _Guren_ had thrown her. She braced for impact as the _Viviane_ crashed down to the Earth far below. Loud noises sounded as Astrid cockpit went into a rapid roll before coming to a stop with a rather loud crash. She shook and began to vomit a little from the shock. Then she got what she had been waiting for.

The scorching heat was consuming her. It was less intense than she had imagined. She could feel parts of her skin burning, fragments of metal shooting out and cutting her but it still didn't feel like she was going to die. She hoped she wasn't. Ava still needed her. Without her, Ava would be lost. Astrid thought this, as all went black.

---

Ava li Britannia sat in anticipation in the throne room. It was hard for her just sitting there. It was troubling. She knew the fights had started. She had laid out the battle plans. She had even been put under high guard when the castle had apparently been broken into. Despite all that, sitting here now was just unbearable.

"Empress, I've arrived with news. The battles are dying down," spoke a voice. It was a man of no importance, a simple soldier with hardly a rank in the army. Ava found it unsettling that such a man would be her messenger.

"Out with it then. We've obviously made good at keeping the capital, else I wouldn't be here any more. What has happened with New Pendragon?" started Ava in an uneasy voice.

"The city of New Pendragon has fallen to the enemy," the man spoke in a strong voice.

"And what of the Knights of the Round stationed there?" asked Ava, feeling partly sick but remaining strong in appearance.

"The Knight of Five and the Knight of Six were recovered without incident. The Knight of Two was recovered but with serious injuries. The Knight of Nine was not recovered," the soldier gave a strict soldierly recount.

Ava's heart sunk. She felt like vomiting. She began to shake. "N-not recovered? What does… what does that mean?!" she started, becoming gradually more frantic.

"Reports indicate _Viviane_ was destroyed in battle by _Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. Eight Elements_," the man said, as staunchly as before.

"Enough of that!" Ava screamed. "What happened to Astrid?!"

"The Knight of Nine's machine was destroyed, all indication is that she was killed in action," the soldier said almost callously.

Tears formed in Ava's eyes as her body tensed and shook several times. Her mind felt numb. This was impossible. She didn't want to believe it. She couldn't believe it.

"Tell me that's a lie! Please, tell me you're mistaken!" Ava cried, continuing to tremble.

"I could not lie to you if I wanted to, my Empress," said the soldier.

"Leave me to myself…" Ava said, in a just audible quiver as she collapsed to her knees.

"Yes your highness!" the soldier called back stoically and left.

"Astrid…" Ava wept, tears leaving her eyes uncontrollably. She fell to the floor in front of the throne. She just lie there after that, shaking and crying from grief, feeling so incredibly hollow.

---

Emily Kane wore a serious expression as she walked the quiet streets of New Pendragon. As an Absolution supporter living within the city, she had volunteered to help survey the damages incurred in the recent battle after it was won.

It was an unfortunate thing, but civilian casualties did exist. Debris, loose shots from above, had all took their toll on the city. Emily was optimistic it was worth it. Britannia needed to open it's eyes to the cruelty that woman had brought about in taking the throne.

"Emily. Some wreckage impacted this building over here. Help me look through it," another volunteer, James Erland, called to her.

"Right, coming!" replied the girl, giving a stern nod. She ran toward James' voice.

Emily stopped to find herself staring at a still softly smoldering mass of gold and white metal, smashed hard into the concrete, a couple parked cars, crushed beneath it. She approached it, and James who was standing over it.

"This really is morbid work, tallying the dead," said Emily with a sigh.

"We have to do our part, Emily. Absolution needs support of common Britannians like you and me if it's going to win the war," said James with a nod.

"Yeah," Emily said in a somber voice. "Anyway, what is this? I've never seen a unit like this one…"

"I'm pretty sure everyone saw this one on their TV screens a few months ago," said James in a low voice.

"You're kidding? We got that one?!" Emily started excitedly.

"Looks like it," said James. "Anyway help me get into this and see what's inside."

"Right," said Emily. They walked up to the wreckage.

"So where do we start?" asked James.

"Let's remove the enemy corpse first. It's easier dealing with garbage than tragedy," said Emily caustically.

"Agreed," said James, holding a crowbar. "You know for such a vicious fall, this machines in pretty good shape. We may not want to tear it up so much. A model like this could provide good material for our scientists."

"Sounds like a plan," said Emily. "Now hurry up and open it."

"Got it," called James as he found the knightmare's hatch. "This thing sure did land conveniently for us." He inserted the crowbar into the opening, which was showing at the front and used it to tear an even larger opening.

"Good job, now let me, see what's inside," said Emily. She weaved herself around up and onto the broken wreckage. It was still quite hot and nasty inside. Hard to bear really. But Emily grit her teeth and pressed on, crawling in. She couldn't really see much but she found the pilot lying inside. She took the girl's hand by the arm. The corpse was a lot more whole then most of the ones she had seen. A lot warmer too, though Emily figured that was just the burns. She began to pull it out, dragging it while moving backwards.

"Got ya, Emily," said James putting his hands at Emily's waist, helping her out. Finding some acceptable footing, Emily pulled the enemy out and lifted her up. She noticed something strange then. Hurriedly she lifted the girl, smaller than her, off the wrecked machine and to the concrete below.

"That's the enemy?!" exclaimed James. "Whoa, she was actually kind of cute. A shame."

"She's alive," said Emily in a very deliberate voice. It was true. Emily didn't know how it was true looking at the wreckage, but it was. The girl was breathing. The girl's heart was beating. Her left arm was clearly fractured, there was a huge bloodied gash down her torso, the right side of her body was burnt to varying degrees of severity, and she was bruised all over, but she was somehow miraculously alive.

"You're joking!" started James.

"No, you can come see for yourself," said Emily, waving the man toward her.

"Heh, sure thing," he said. He bent down over the body, felt its pulse and heart rate.

"Well, I'll be damned. She is alive," said James, his eyes wide.

"Amazing, huh?" Emily started, head titled.

"Should we fix this error?" James said with a laugh.

"Think about who she is. As young as she is, she's a big shot. She's worth more as a prisoner than a corpse at this point," said the girl.

"Good point. Guess we should call someone to pick her up then?" James said with a nod.

"Yeah, probably."

"I'll get to it then," said James. "You tend to her and make sure we don't lose her now."

"Sure thing," said Emily. James pulled out his cell phone and walked away. Emily stayed with the girl. She wore a soft smile. Even if it was her enemy, it was good to see a survivor amidst the death.

"A...va…" the girl muttered softly, proving she was not unconscious but in some sort of feverish state.

Emily took of her coat and draped it over the girl, hoping to grant her at least a little comfort.

A/N: It's finally done. Sorry for the delay. Unlike last time, it wasn't because anything came up, or I scheduled anything poorly, but rather because this chapter was so ridiculously fucking long that it just took forever. I don't know what told me that thirteen full fights would fit in one chapter easily. Now let me apologize for that. I realize some of these fights weren't as good as some others. It probably dragged in parts. I thought about cutting some, but every fight either introduced a new unit or had some other interesting development within it (aside from Chaowei vs. Claudio, but it felt wrong just to cut that one; especially since I thought it turned out better than some of the other fights).

About the ending. I thought about torturing you and cutting off after either Astrid's intense pwnage via Kallen or after Ava's breakdown, but I didn't want anyone to hate me and give up on the story thinking Astrid was actually dead. Had to show she was alive, just Ava thinks she dead. Where will things go from there for the two lovers? What will happen to Megami, now a Britannian prisoner? What will happen when Hiromi hears Yasuko decided to stay a Britannian prisoner? What did Hildegarde see in regard to Xuemei? How will the Kozuki twins be punished? What will their mother do when she finds out they fought? What will Gino do when he returns to Vortigern? What will Absolution do from here? So many questions raised. And let me say none of them will be answered next week. Still, it should be a fun little chapter.

And allow me to extend a sincere apology, for not making good on my promise of last chapter. I said I'd do three extra chapters. I was only able to get two done before deciding I had written all that I was going to write for now. Still, you did get two. I hope you like them.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Hiodoshi

Chernobog

Kay

Roland

Bors

Golem

Bellona

Panzer-Kugelblitz

Mordred Camlann

Ywain

Emily Kane

James Erland


	20. Turn 19: Six Years Ago

A/N: Okay, thank you everyone for reading. I don't know what to think of the fact that "Invisible Panty Thief Megami, part one" got nearly the exact same number of reviews as Turn 18, but I'm still grateful to you all. This chapter should be easier to keep track of then Turn 18, I believe. Anyway, I hope this answers some questions.

DIsclaimer: Megami: "The author guy doesn't own the anime show thing this is based on. He does own the characters that he created though… obviously."

Astrid was in severe pain. It inflamed her whole body as she lay in an unknown bed, barely aware of what was happening around her. She could hear the buzzes and clicks of machines around her, and could sometimes also hear human voices. Her neck was in a brace, so all she could see was the ceiling on the rare occasions she had the energy to open her eyes.

She had vague memories of her encounter with the _Guren. _She wasn't dead; she could deduce that much. She didn't know how she had survived but she had. She tried not to think of the horror she had felt at that time. She tried not to, but the agony she was in brought it back to her.

Ava. That's where her thoughts traveled most of the time. She longed for the woman she so loved, the woman who loved her. She couldn't understand it. If she was alive, why hadn't Ava visited her? The sensible answers to this scared Ava. She didn't want to think about it. She just wanted to see Ava's face once more, hear her words of love.

She didn't know how many days had passed, what had happened in the world. Not knowing scared her. So much of everything was in darkness. All she could do was lie there and intermittently sleep when she was given enough medication. In those eternities of deep sleep, Astrid found herself having a recurring dream of the day that changed everything.

---

Astrid wore a smile on her face as she ran up to Ava's house. Her father was away on a trip to the Chinese Federation and had taken her mother along. Astrid had begged them to be dropped off there for the duration of the trip so she could still attend school. She went up and rang the bell with a peppy look on her face. An old servant guy appeared at the door. He looked even more serious than was usual.

"Ah, Lady Weinberg, Princess Ava will be pleased to see you," said the servant with a nod. "Come in."

"Thanks," Astrid replied with a smile as she entered the house.

"The young Princess is downstairs in the basement. I could call her up if you wish," the servant spoke

"Nah, I'll just go and see her myself," said Astrid with a shrug.

"Very well, Lady Weinberg."

Astrid moved quickly down the stairs to the musty old basement. She didn't really like the place, but Ava sure did and that made it tolerable. She found the end and emerged into the old room. Ava sat at a desk, perusing something that was not a book, but rather a folded piece of paper.

"Uh, hi, Ava," said Astrid with a smile.

Ava looked up then. She seemed surprised. "Astrid?! What are you doing here?"

"I told you last week that I'd be staying with you this week. Don't you remember?" Astrid started, tilting her head.

"Ahh. I'm sorry. It must have slipped my mind," said Ava. Astrid looked at her closer. Her expression was one of deep concern.

"So, uh, whatcha reading, Ava?" Astrid asked, hoping she wasn't a bother.

"Nothing of importance, Astrid," said Ava in a very quiet voice. Ava rarely lied. When she did it was obvious. This was one of those such occasions.

"Ava, you can tell me. I'm your best friend. If I can help then I want to," said Astrid in a very steady voice. Her eyes met with Ava's.

"My mother has disappeared again. She's been gone for over two weeks now," said Ava in a sad voice.

"She's been gone longer than that before, right? I'm sure this is the same as that," said Astrid as reassuringly as possible.

"This is a letter my mother received the day before she suddenly left," said Ava, holding up the paper she had been staring at. Astrid looked at it. She read.

"_Dear seeker of the King's Power, _

_The item you seek is in my hands. That which you seek to destroy is in my eyes. I would like very much to meet with you. One week from the day you receive this, you will find me in the chapel in the place you once did battle with the Warrior King. This will be your only chance to move forward. Bring anything you wish but don't involve anyone else or you will regret it. I am eager for our meeting._

_Sincerely yours,_

_One who has conquered solitude."_

"I found that hidden between some books down here last night," said Ava as Astrid looked up.

"Why would your mom hide it like that? You'd think she'd take it with her," Astrid started, unsure what to think, completely confounded by the cryptic message.

"That's why this scares me, Astrid, like no time before this has," said Ava. "Mother obviously wanted me to find this note. She wanted us to know where she went. She couldn't tell father; she had to go alone."

"But that doesn't make sense. The letter doesn't make any sense. You can't determine where she went from just that," said Astrid, shaking her head.

"Actually, where she went is the only part of the note I can decipher, Astrid. The rest is nonsense to me," said Ava, looking down.

"What do you--? Where then?" started Astrid, her head tilted.

"Astrid, you know of the man who was recently elected as president of the Universal Commission in the EU, Belisario Nemesio?" started Ava.

"Uh, no," Astrid said simply, shaking her head. International politics wasn't something most girls under 12 concerned themselves with.

"He's a centralist who speaks of making the EU a less fragmented, more unitary body, all the while collecting more power under his own thumb. He was a hero of the war that ended fourteen years ago. His political opponents have disdainfully dubbed him 'the warrior king.'" explained Ava with a nod.

"Oh… I see… that's cool…" Astrid started, not sure she understood. Sometimes being around Ava made her feel kind of stupid.

"Nemesio is most remembered as a soldier for him matching my uncle Schneizel move for move in a key battle of the war for the EU, but he did meet my mother on the battlefield just once at a small border town in the mountains of eastern Spain called Santa Callida," the princess explained steadily.

"Well, if your mom is in the EU, there really isn't much you can do about it, Ava," said Astrid in a soft voice.

"Father was very concerned when I showed him the note. A team is departing there tonight. I intend to go with them," said Ava looking down.

"Ava, don't be stupid. You can't do that! You'll get caught," argued Astrid, concerned for her friend.

"I still have to try, Astrid. I don't trust the Black Knights to find Mother. If father was going himself then I could let things be, but his doctor's wouldn't clear him for such a trip," said Ava in a heavy voice. "This whole thing makes me uneasy, Astrid. I have to go."

"Then I'll go with you!" Astrid said suddenly with a rigid nod.

"Don't be ridiculous, Astrid. This is dangerous," said Ava, shaking her head.

"That's why I wanna go, Ava. I'd be too scared to let you go alone. Besides, it'll be easier for you with some company," said Astrid smiling.

Ava looked at her for a moment. A slight smirk entered the corner of her lips. "It'll be harder to hide the both us, but I suppose I can't stop you… and I'd be happy to have you."

"Thanks, Ava," Astrid said brightly. She nodded and then went up and hugged her snugly from behind. Ava blushed softly.

Astrid was surprised how well things went. Ava could be really smart some times. It was almost scary, but mostly just really cool. Slipping out of the house was easy enough. Ava just told her personal servant that Astrid and her wanted to go out to a movie; after arriving at the theater, Ava led the two of them to the airstrip being used by the Black Knights via public transportation routes, which Ava seemed to have marked on a map. Though having the foresight to dress in inconspicuous clothing made it easier, it was kind of scary being all alone with just Ava in the city, but Astrid persisted and eventually they reached their destination.

When they arrived at the airstrip, Ava put her next strategy into motion. This part was even scarier. The two of them hid behind things while no one was looking and moved toward the large jet that was being prepared for flight, eventually climbing into an open hangar where some knightmares were ready to be loaded. The two found a hiding place behind some boxes in a cramped corner of the plane. There were more than a few times when the two were almost caught by a Black Knight, but Ava always stayed calm and knew how to move to avoid detection. The flight seemed to take forever, but finally Astrid could hear the plane land.

Escaping the jet was almost harder than getting onboard. It took a lot of patience, more than Astrid had, but Ava was able to contain herself and eventually they emerged outside in the quaint EU town. It was about this time that the reality of what the two of them had done set in with Astrid. Here they were, young girls on their own in a town on the other side of the world, with no one to look out for them. Sure Ava had lots of money on her for some reason, but that didn't give much relief. Everyone was probably worried sick about the two of them back home.

Still, Ava had had that look on her face that made Astrid positive she wouldn't be dissuaded. Astrid had put herself in jeopardy in order to be there for Ava. She couldn't run away now. There was nowhere to run away to anyway. She just knew in her heart that something terrible was about to happen, but they had already made their choice. They would press forward.

"I've already researched this town's layout, Astrid. I know where we must go from here," said Ava.

"To the chapel right?" started Astrid, head tilted.

"That's where the Black Knights will go," said Ava. "But I have another idea."

"Yeah?" started Astrid, gulping slightly.

"Santa Callida was all but decimated in the war. Some of the ruins remain at the outskirts of town. I believe we'll find the true chapel there," said Ava, looking down.

"Um, okay…" said Astrid, unsure of anything

It was a long walk, and Astrid was getting tired. It seemed to take forever, and she felt like she could collapse at any second. Ava stayed strong and pressed forward and that made Astrid want to do the same. In a little over an hour they had reached the outskirts of the town. They found the ruins nestled in some high hills. A devastated building with a high chapel tower lying on its side nearby was prominent.

"This is scary, Ava…" Astrid started as they moved down the hills toward it. "Your mom probably won't be here anymore. We're probably wasting our time." She couldn't believe how frightened she was, but something about this was so unsettling.

"Can we honestly, turn back now, Astrid?" said Ava as they grew closer.

"I guess not…" said Astrid, trembling visibly as they grew even closer to the toppled church tower with its now sideways cross.

They went in the crumbling building and looked around. It was empty. This was deduced quickly. It hadn't been as long as it should have. Ava pointed out what were fairly fresh blood stains, and places where dust had been kicked up. A struggle had taken place here in only a matter of days.

"See, she's not here, Ava… let's go home, please," said Astrid, feeling faint.

"We need to find some sort of clue, Astrid. Mom wanted someone to come here looking for her. It's likely she left something for us here, else that would be pointless," said Ava.

"But I don't see anything," said the blonde with a quiver.

"Let's check outside," said Ava. They moved back out. Ava moved toward the toppled tower. Astrid was too scared to approach it. She stood still as her friend approached the tower's cross.

Then, suddenly, while Ava was examining the cross. Something horribly frightening happened. A hand grasped Astrid by the shoulder. She was going to scream when another hand moved in front of her mouth.

"Do not cry, little lost child. Allow me to show you the comfort of God's light," a deep, dark voice spoke from behind Astrid. Her eyes went wide, but her screams continued to be muffled. She struggled and tried to get away. The man behind her then punched her forcefully in the stomach. It left her in intolerable pain, she fell to her knees feeling sick.

"A..va…" she muttered helplessly. Finally her friend turned around.

"Astrid!" Ava screamed. "You! Who are you?!"

"You shouldn't have come here, child. One of your Holy royal line is no different than any other in this blind-spot of God," the strange man spoke. Soon, a thin sword was pointing at Astrid's neck.

"Let Astrid go, you bastard!" Ava shouted as she began to ran forward. She stopped halfway through, a terrified expression appearing on her face. "W-where did all you come from! Please, get out of my way! Astrid needs me!" Ava shouted to something that wasn't there. "No! Don't… don't point those at me…! Who do you… who do you think you…?!" she started as she backed off seemingly in fear.

"Daughter of Cornelia li Britannia, come to the field of dead if you care about what happens to this child," the man said as he grabbed Astrid by the waist and hefted her over her shoulder.

"Astrid! No!" Ava screamed, but did not pursue as if something was blocking her way.

---

Megami yawned as she lay atop her small, rackety uncomfortable bed inside her holding cell within the Britannian military base. Being a prisoner kind of sucked. She still didn't understand it. How could someone else have used her ability? Every other Geass user she had met had had a drastically different ability. It shouldn't have been like that.

She sighed. She missed Chiharu. After a six year life as a solitary phantom thief, a warm and fun girl like her had been a gift. Now she was being barred from that gift. That kind of pissed her off. She supposed it was bound to happen. Nothing ever lasted for Megami. Her life was one of episodic existences. It was best she didn't become attached to anyone. She lived for herself because that was easiest.

As she lie there, her thoughts drifted to a place they hadn't in a while. She thought on the day she had made her decision, the day she had chosen solitude, the day she had thrown away one of her lives, the day she strayed from the dark path she had been walking. Even though it had been six years since then, the memories were vivid in her head.

---

Ashlynn Alvara wore an uneasy smirk as she stood atop a hill overlooking a graveyard. Her life was becoming difficult of late. She still remembered the blood. She still remembered the death, the slaughter, all of it. It never left her. That's why if had been so easy for her to listen to that woman's words initially, but every time she was given a new mission she remembered just a little of her humanity. That humanity was driving her toward a wall now. She either had to change her course or plow on through to the other side.

"Hey, Ash, you seem down. What's up?" a voice spoke, Ashlynn looked over. She smiled as she looked at a short haired woman in a Black Knights' uniform, who looked completely foreign to her. She knew this woman though, the smile on her face was immediately familiar.

"Don't you ever question whether if what we're doing is right, Naida?" Ashlynn started. " Our Master's done a lot for us, I know, but what she and the Sage are scheming… I'm not sure I can just ignore it…"

"I understand what you're getting at, Ash, but we belong with her. What we can do makes us different from the normal people. We have to remember that we fit better in her world than the one that exists now," Naida Fiametta spoke, closing her eyes.

"There's too much blood and death in that woman's world for me," said Ashlynn morosely.

"It's hard to understand someone like you, Ash. Sometimes it seems like you don't care about anything, sometimes it seems like you care too much about everything," said Naida. "That strange dichotomy is one of the things I respect most about you."

"Heh, thanks I suppose. You're my favorite here, Naida. You know that? The only one I can really talk to," said Ashlynn, nodding.

"I'm just as crazy as the others, my solitude has just manifested differently. I can articulate myself, I'm not delusional, I can still feel, I'm not a temperamental sadist or a schemer who keeps to herself, but I'm really not any more than the rest of us," Naida spoke.

"I'm the same as well then. The only difference is that my solitude manifested in its most pure, straightforward form," spoke Ashlynn, depressed.

"We've all been through a lot, Ash. I don't pretend to know your history, I don't want to know. I'm sure you have more than enough of a reason for who you are, but don't forget that we've all seen Hell," said Naida.

"Hell, huh? I wonder if that's what this is. I tend to rather think of life as a nightmare," said Ashlynn. "I don't see any indication of me ever waking up."

"God, you say some depressing things sometimes," said Naida in a sigh.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could keep my cheery demeanor all the time, but the world kind of just sucks too much for that," said Ashlynn shaking her head.

"There he is, finally," said Naida. Ashlynn turned around. The man they had been waiting for was approaching them. He was a tall man, roughly six foot, garbed in the black robes of a priest, a very large, shimmering silver cross hanging from his neck. He had black, slicked-black hair and small rectangular glasses. Under one arm he held a Bible under the other her held a limp, unconscious young girl.

"Just who is she, Lazarus?!" Ashlynn shouted, not comfortable with the sight of the unknown child.

"A gift from God," said Lazarus Cain, a monster dressed like a priest.

"What the hell does that mean?! Where did she come from?! She's not the right girl," Ashlynn continued, angered.

"Ash, please chill," said Naida. "Now, Laz, try and explain. You were supposed to lure that girl here. Yet here you are with a completely different child."

"This child's capture will guide the other here," said Lazarus, setting the blonde child down.

"Are we overestimating this girl? If she's stupid enough to bring a little ordinary girl friend with her, does she honestly deserve our Master's attention?" Naida sighed.

"Do not question the will of God!" Lazarus started, drawing out his peculiar sword, a long, silver saber with a handle fashioned out of an ornate crucifix.

"That woman is not God!" Ashlynn screamed.

"You know of her power. Even if she is not the Lord Himself, she is clearly an avatar for His will," said Lazarus with a scowl on his face.

"Geass is Geass no matter what it can do. Hers isn't any more Godly than yours," Ashlynn fumed.

"I maintain that you are wrong. If hers is the Power of a King, then it is the Power of the King of Heaven," said the priest looking down. "Following her will shall be the only path to Salvation."

"So, what are you going to do what the girl, Laz?" asked Naida (who had a tendency to shorten all names to pet forms, with the exception of a certain girl who wouldn't respond to her when she did).

"She is a sinner. She deserves judgement for her sins. She shall bear witness to the light of the Apocalypse," said Lazarus coldly.

"Isn't that a little much for someone so young?!" challenged Ashlynn.

"God does not forgive sin. I am here to deliver His Judgment," said Lazarus.

"I'm a sinner, judge me instead!" the somber girl demanded.

"Very well," said Lazarus, raising his head, prepared to activate his Geass.

"Whoa! Stop it, Laz! We can't just fight each other. This mission is important. Think about your God's will or whatever for a moment. If you fuck around with Ash's mind, it will go against her orders and stuff," said Naida, shaking her head frantically.

Lazarus backed down silently. In fact, all three were silent. Everything was silent until a faint voice spoke. "A… va…" Ashlynn looked down at the pale blonde child as she opened her eyes. She didn't want to be seen by the girl. She didn't want her to look upon her with judging eyes. Ashlynn looked down as she activated her Geass and vanished from sight.

"What's--?! Where am I?!" the girl started, frightened, as she sat up suddenly.

"So, what's your name kid?" asked Naida with a smile, bending toward the girl. She smiled as she stared at the Black Knights' uniform the other was wearing.

"I'm Astrid Weinberg, my Daddy is the Knight of One. Me and my best friend Ava travelled here together and now we've been separated. Could you please find Ava and take us home?" the girl said in a just a few breaths, obviously desperate and scared.

"I'm sorry child, but you will find no salvation from us," said Lazarus. Astrid looked at him, shivering at the sound of his voice. Her eyes widened as his eyes met hers. Then she began to scream.

"Ahh! No, stop, no, please…. what is this, what's all this… make it stop!" shouted Astrid, going into a mad panic as Lazarus' illusionary Geass showed her whatever deranged gothic torture scene the monster had in his mind. Then the priest crossed the line. he pulled out his sword and jabbed it into the child's side ruthlessly, causing her to cry out in severe pain.

"What are you planning to do to her?!" screamed Ashlynn.

"I'l destroy her mind and defile her sinful human form. Then, I'll send her to God when the other child arrives. That will be enough to awaken the child of our enemy to the cruelty of this world of sin," said the priest as he stabbed the child again.

"No!" Ashlynn started, but Naida got in front of him.

"He's right Ash. This will let us get to that girl without having to leave any scars. This is the best way to enact our Master's wishes," the woman started, shaking her head.

"But, Naida! We can't just--!" Ashlynn demanded. Meanwhile Lazarus had cut open the child's dress, revealing her petite body. The girl continued to scream in absolute horror as the man bent down cut shallowly across her flesh with his sword,

Ashlynn was sickened by the display. She couldn't take this anymore. It wasn't just the monster Lazarus Cain either. Signa Norrell was a monster. Lucrecia Harrison was a monster. Philip Malden Xander was a monster. The man called the Sage was a monster. Naida Fiametta was likable enough, but still had an unstable darkness in her heart. That woman, the one who had saved Ashlynn's life, the one who had named her Ashlynn Alvara, was something worse than a monster; she was a demon.

"Hey Laz, that kid's coming," said Naida in a somewhat cheery voice. Ashlynn looked; sure enough, there was a girl with long black hair and pale white skin running up the hill swiftly.

"That's unfortunate. I've barely started," said Lazarus, standing.

"Astrid!" the black haired child screeched as she continued up the hill, almost tripping. She was so young. Ashlynn felt sick.

"Welcome, girl. I'm glad that you could join us," spoke Naida with a smirk, as she moved toward the edge of the hill.

"Y-you're a--!" the girl started as she stared upon Naida. "Why would a Black Knight--?!"

"You're just in time, child of the Britannian Holy line. This girl will die before your eyes," said Lazarus, pointing his sword at Astrid's bleeding body.

"Astrid!" the child shrieked as she finally caught sigh of her friend, bloodied and screaming. "Who are you?! What have you done to Astrid?!"

Ashlynn just stared ahead, watching and waiting to do her part.

---

Ava lay on her bed in her room, tears streaming down her face still. It had been a day now. She still couldn't comprehend the news. It tortured her. Every time she thought on it, her heart began to bang in her chest and she felt faint. She wasn't eating. She wasn't speaking with anyone. She didn't care about Absolution, Britannia or anything else for that matter. She was lost. She wanted help. She wanted Astrid. She wanted to see the light of her beloved again.

She found herself trying to force her thoughts away from the bitter truth. She tried to think about anything else. She tried to think about anything else. Her thoughts always went back to Astrid. She thought about the day they first met, certain special days since then, and of course the day six years ago that changed every thing forever. This made her even more depressed. There was even more emptiness in her life than she felt that day.

---

"Astrid!" Ava cried as she found the top of the hill running toward the harsh, grating shrieks of pain. Her eyes fell on her dearest friend, collapsed on the floor, screaming. "Who are you?! What have you done to Astrid?!"

She looked from face to face. There was a black haired priest and a Black Knight woman with brown hair. She cursed it. The Priest was particularly frightening. He was the one who grabbed Astrid. Earlier he had looked at Ava and suddenly four men on horseback, dressed like crusaders of old had raced to obscure her path. Then, minutes after he left, they disappeared. She still didn't understand it.

She couldn't piece any of this together. Why would Astrid be targeted? Why would she be targeted? What did the Black Knights have to do with this? Were these people related to whoever sent Ava's mother that note? She growled. She couldn't figure it out. As well read as she was, she was still just a young girl. So much of everything was lost on her.

"Who are you, I said!? Are you the one's who have my mother?!" Ava started over Astrid's perpetual screaming.

"Perceptive girl, indeed, we are your mothers enemies," said the Black Knight. "We got word of your mother's struggles a couple years back. They seemed harmless enough at first, but eventually she started encroaching upon us so we decided to work at getting rid of her."

"Where is Mother?! What have you done with her?!" shouted Ava at full volume.

"Nothing yet. She should be arriving here tonight to save you," said the woman again.

"What are you talking about?! You called her out weeks ago?!" Ava demanded.

"Naïve girl, didn't you ever consider this was a trap?" the Black Knight shook her head. "A stealthy colleague of mine placed that note in your house days ago. What we gave to your mother was entirely different."

"No… that's--! What are you going to do with Mother?!" Ava shouted, shaking her head.

"We'll kill her obviously. She is our enemy. She seeks to destroy us, so we'll destroy her, and thanks to your ignorance, that will now be possible," said the Black Knight woman. "She's been on a roundabout hunt for a certain object she pines for these past two weeks. Today, she received notice of your capture."

"How did you know I'd come?! I could have stayed home," said Ava, feeling scared.

"Tch, tch, little girl. We've been watching the family of the First Princess for a while now. We know what sort of girl you are. We know how little faith you have in the establishment and the Black Knights," the woman said, shaking her head. "We knew you'd come stupidly trying to save your mommy."

"Well, it looks like my lack of faith wasn't so stupid," said Ava as she stared with contempt at the insufferable Black Knight. "Just what does Zero want with Mother?!"

The villain laughed and smirked. "I can't tell you that girl." She shook her head and then looked at the priest. "Father Cain, why don't you put an end to that screaming all ready?"

"A fine idea, Captain," said the priest. He held his cross shaped saber downward at the girl. Ava's eyes went wide.

"No! What did Astrid do?! I'm the one you wanted! Astrid has nothing to do with this?!" Ava screamed.

"Foolish child. You bringing this little girl with you is the one thing we did not foresee. She is a random variable, and random variables are best quickly removed," the woman spoke with a soft laugh.

"No! Please, let Astrid go!" Ava fought, running toward her friend, hoping to shield her.

"Blessed be the name of the Lord," the pries said with an evil expression as he lifted his sword up higher over the still screaming girl.

"No! Don't!" Ava shrieked as she ran toward him. The Black Knight took a step toward her and made a grab for her arm. Ava bit at the woman's hand, causing her to pull it back, and pressed onward. It was too late, the sword was all ready on its way down. It' pierced Astrid's right hand completely before pulling out. Ava tried to tackle the man before he could do the same to the left hand, but she was beat aside effortlessly by him. She picked herself up quickly and ran toward him again as the sword began its downward motion.

To her surprise, the saber suddenly flew out of his hands inexplicably. He gave a shocked gasp as she went to retrieve it. Ava bent down in front of Astrid and cradled her bleeding form, still terrified by whatever her wide eyes were seeing.

"Ava…" Astrid spoke, seeing Ava as she embraced her. This brought the slightest look of relief to her face. A few tears left her eyes. Ava started to cry as well.

"God shall not let this sin go unpunished," the priest bellowed angrily, pointing his sword forward, but not at Ava. "But no matter. You shall not interfere with the will of our Lord again."

He stepped menacingly toward the two girls, sword held firmly. His expression gradually contorted into a cruel smile. He kicked Ava, who had been shielding Astrid off violently. It hurt horribly. There was blood in Ava's cough. The sword then came rushing down toward Astrid's heart this time. It stopped half way as if it had hit something that wasn't there. Ava crawled back toward Astrid, confused but more desperate and scared. The Black Knight stomped on her back violently after that and everything went black.

---

Naida Fiametta gave a sigh as she walked the streets of New Pendragon, trying to gather information on Absolution and its supporters. It was what she was a natural at, but surveillance work was boring. She supposed boring wasn't bad. It was better than some of the nightmares she had had to set in motion in her past.

As she walked she spied a girl with a soft smirk on her face that harkened back to an old friend. She remembered when she had confronted that friend. She remembered the day that that friend parted ways with her. She remembered that day six years ago.

---

Naida felt a slight sickness in her stomach as she pulled her foot off the body of the now unconscious child.

"Master will see you dead for this choice, Ash," she said. She stared into the empty air in front of her, hoping her glare was received.

"Then I'll die. There's no reason to kill that girl," said Ashlynn. from close by, in a voice that suggested pain.

"The might of God shall strike you down!" Lazarus roared as he began to flail his sword around madly in the air.

"We'll never find her like that, Laz. She might have ran anyway," said the Naida shaking her head, knowing how futile the idea of finding Ashlynn Alvara was. She then turned and saw someone walking toward them steadily, a sword in her hand. "Besides, we have something real to worry about now."

The priest turned around and looked down to the foot of the hill, where the woman was. "Let God's grace be with us," he said.

"You were quicker than expected! I guess that last message really got your attention," Naida called out to her.

"You have a lot of nerve bringing my family into this," the woman said with a frown. She was easily recognizable with her long purple hair.

"You're a cautious woman, Cornelia li Britannia. This girl was the easiest way to get to you," said Naida, her eyes narrowing as the princess climbed the hill.

"You actually got her…" Cornelia seemed furious as she reached the top and spied her daughter's unconscious form. She looked at the other girl, partly under her, not unconscious but rather crying and panting in horror. "But why did you have to involve that child as well?"

"Your daughter involved her. It wasn't our choice," said Naida giving a steady nod.

"Who are you people? Just what do you want of me?" asked Cornelia, glaring as her eyes went back to Naida.

"You have pointed your sword at us, woman. Isn't that reason enough to silence you?" Naida started.

"That cursed power is in you all then?" the woman scowled, tightening the grip on her sword. "If that's how it so be it. I don't fear you."

"Sinners should fear the hand of God!" Lazarus shouted as he ran toward the Princess his sword held out.

Cornelia moved quickly and her sword met his. Lazarus pulled back and made a thrust. Cornelia stepped aside and slashed laterally. Lazarus moved to catch the blade. Then his eyes met hers. Cornelia winced but threw off the priest's sword quickly and made a swift cut at his arm.

"Illusions? heh. Whatever horror you show me, I will not be deterred," Cornelia said in a low voice. "I will save my daughter, regardless of what form of Hell you pick for the setting!"

"You insist on defying God? Your sins shall see you to Hell!" Lazarus shouted. He ran forward, not deterred by his cut arm. Cornelia beat his sword back effortlessly, completely unfazed by the same Geass that had made the blonde child scream endlessly for so long.

"Your swordplay lacks refinement, priest!" Cornelia said. "When you take away the cheap tricks, you're nothing more than an amateur."

"I have the light of God on my side!" Lazarus argued making one more thrust.

Cornelia dodged and delivered a vicious slash across Lazarus' chest causing him to fall to his knees on the ground, his sword flipping up and landing nearby. "I'd find a new God then. Yours failed to protect you today."

"Heh, I'll just have to kill you then," Naida spoke as she pulled out her pistol. She used her Geass, taking a form that the other wouldn't be able to move against. She thought quickly and then recalled the details of a certain man from a picture she had seen once. The Black Knight woman was replaced in the eyes of everyone by Gilbert G.P. Guilford.

"Come now, I'm not so ignorant!" Cornelia shook her head as she looked at Naida. "Even if you take the form of my husband, that does not make me any less cognizant of the truth. Your trick is equally useless!"

Cornelia was soon coming towards her. Naida panicked. She had a complete lack of combat skills and wasn't even a very good shot. She shot at Cornelia. It missed. She shot again and again. The woman darted to the side and never got hit. Before Naida knew it, there was a nasty cut across her shoulder.

"Ashlynn! Please help! If you're still here, do something?! Master will forgive you! Just please do something! Do something for me, your friend!" Naida screamed, fearful for her death.

A moment passed before the reply came quietly. "I'll save you, Naida. I will, but that's it. This is it for me. I don't seek forgiveness. I'm tired of this life."

"Who is--?" Cornelia started, confused and surprised. She was then shot in the back of the leg and collapsed in pain.

"I won't forget this, Ash," said Naida, nodding.

"I'll be trying to forget this night the rest of my life," said Ashlynn. This would be the last words Naida would hear her speak.

"Let's go, Laz. We can't fight in our condition, and a simple leg wound won't deter someone like her for long," said Naida in a desperate voice.

"But I can't defy the will of--" started the priest as he struggled to stand.

"Enough of that! You can't serve God if you're dead!" Naida shouted. She then turned to Cornelia, who looked about ready to stand on her injured leg and start the fight anew. "Come to the Third Elevator two days from now if you truly wish to destroy us, Cornelia li Britannia."

With that, Naida and Lazarus began to move away quickly down the hill and across the graveyard to where their transportation awaited them.

---

Ava felt cold as she opened her eyes. The sight they opened to warmed her. It was her mother. She was smiling lovingly, a beautiful warmth in her deep purple eyes.

"Mother…" Ava spoke, smiling. Her mother hugged her tightly.

"I'm so glad, Ava. It does me so good to have you safe," Mother spoke in such a warm voice.

"Astrid--!" Ava shot up as she remembered what had happened.

"She's right here, dear," said Mother, waving to the side. Astrid was lying there, sleeping.

"H-how… How is she?" asked Ava, concerned.

"She's been stabilized. She suffered severe trauma and lost a lot of blood, but the Black Knight medics have her in a healthy condition now," said Mother, looking at the blonde child and then back at her daughter.

"But it was the Black Knights who did this to her?! How can we trust them now?!" Ava started, angered.

"Ava, listen to me. There are people in this world who can create the most extraordinary of lies. We can't believe everything we see to be exactly what it appears to be," said the woman, placing a hand at her child's cheek.

"What happened to the bad guys?" asked Ava, tilting her head.

"I scared them away," said Mother with a smile. It was then that Ava noticed a bandage wrapped tightly around her mother's leg.

"Mother, what happened?" she started, alarmed.

"You needn't pay that any mind, Ava. It's not a bad wound. It hit to the side of the bone," said Mother, looking down. "It will heal swiftly."

"I really was stupid. You and Astrid… all because of me…" Ava began to cry.

"You came all the way over here to save me, Ava. That sentiment is something I will never forget and something I will always appreciate," said Mother, smiling.

"I fell right into their trap… and because of that…" Ava said, knowing her mother was just trying to comfort her.

"Ava. We can never know all of the truth. There was no way you could have known what would happen. The fact remains that you did something very brave today for my sake and everyone made it out okay," Mother said in a soft voice. Ava met eyes with her this time.

"Are you coming home now, Mother?" Ava asked, quivering slightly.

"I'm afraid there is something I still must do. The Black Knights will take you back to your father," said Mother, a dark look in her eyes.

"You will come back, won't you?" Ava asked, looking piercingly into her Mother's eyes.

"I will Ava, I promise," Mother said in a soft voice as she stroked her daughter's cheek and stood.

"I love you, Mother," Ava said, as her mother turned toward the exit of the tiny room onboard the military jet they were using.

"I love you as well, Ava," Mother said in a gentle voice as she stepped out.

A few moments passed in an uneasy sadness before something happened. Astrid began to stir. Ava looked at her with anticipation as her eyes opened.

"Astrid!" Ava started as has rushed to her friend's side. Astrid smiled just a little as her eyes found Ava.

"A… va…" she muttered quietly, her eyes looking strangely empty.

"It's over Astrid, everything can go back to normal now," said Ava, smiling at her friend.

"Ava…" said Astrid again, shaking strangely as she stared up unblinkingly.

"Astrid, please… don't do this… go back to being yourself!" Ava demanded, scared. She began to cry. Astrid raised her hand to her cheek and caught some of the tears.

"Ava… don't cry…" Astrid spoke wispily, looking very frail.

Ava couldn't stop crying and she couldn't forgive herself. Why couldn't she know all the truth? Why couldn't she get rid of all the lies, even the difficult ones? Why did this have to happen? Why did she let this happen? The stupidity of child was no excuse. Because of her, Astrid was…

---

Ava continued to cry as she broke from her vivid memories. It took a whole month for Astrid to be rehabilitated. She never was exactly the same as before, even after that, even if she did behave as a more normal girl. She was changed so completely. She became attached to Ava almost unhealthily after that. It took many talented doctors a great deal of time to find a more level girl inside of her.

When she was evened out, she was a shy but willful girl. Things had perhaps become a lot more black and white for her. She still clung to Ava, but it was something more resembling a normal friendship. Around the same time she also started training to be a knightmare pilot. She had a strange gift for it considering Astrid had once been a girl with less than stellar hand-eye coordination. Ava quickly came to love the new Astrid and accept her, going so far as to forget about what they went through that day and see her as a natural evolution of the old.

But Ava never did forget that day entirely. She couldn't. That day, was the last day Ava had ever seen her mother's face, heard her words. _"I will Ava, I promise," _still rang as the most painful lie Ava had ever been told. She didn't want it to be a lie; maybe that's why she refused to believe her mother was truly gone. Maybe this was just the foolishness of a child living in denial. Whatever it was, she felt more hopeless and hollow than even she did that day six years ago.

---

The woman sat on the large white bed, wearing a soft smirk as she brushed the long white hair of the woman sitting in front of her.

"So, my Holy Liege, news has arrived that they failed. How will this set us back?" asked the tall black haired man in the corner of the room. The woman glanced at him while she pulled down the robe of the woman in front of her, examining every inch of her pale white frame for cuts and scrapes. This woman couldn't feel the cuts and had a weak immune system; she was thus quite prone to infection.

"Nothing in the plan hinged on that man's champions succeeding, Lazarus. Smiting the remnants from existence could have saved us some time, but it is not such a significant issue. Those fools are already done. They'll be forced to fuse with Absolution before long and it'll be more or less the same thing anyway," the woman spoke in a smooth, dark voice.

"I understand," said Lazarus with a nod.

"Things are still moving quickly toward the world the Sage saw that day. We just need to put the pieces together and we will have it," said the woman, her hands running up and down the frame of the unclothed body of the unfeeling girl in front of her. She smirked.

"God's will shall come to fruition, I'm certain," said Lazarus, looking at the floor.

"Did you hear the other news, Lazarus?" asked the woman in a sharp voice.

"What news is that, my Liege?" Lazarus started.

"Japan's demon of the battlefield completed a job you could not," the woman spoke, as she turned the one in front of her around and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "The child dear Ashlynn spared from your God met her end in the battle for New Pendragon."

"What will that mean for the other child?" the priest asked.

"Darkness. That's all that can come of it. That the child had survived your judgment and been allowed to grow closer to her might have been beneficial to the plan in the end," said the woman, reclothing the other woman.

"I suppose what happened back then was God's grace," said Lazarus nodding.

"Ashlynn is the only pawn we need returned to us before we make our next big move," said the woman.

"Are you sure she will return?" asked the man.

"You doubt what the Sage has seen, Lazarus?" The woman laugh.

"Of course not, my liege," said Lazarus shaking her head.

The woman sighed. "The child should be lonely now. Go to her and allow her some company," she said.

"As you wish," Lazarus said before departing.

The woman's full attention came to the woman in front of her.

"Signa…" she moaned. "It's been six years now since we silenced that woman. Now everything hinges on her daughter. Isn't that a delicious irony?"

"I'm sorry, Master. I do not understand," Signa Norrell spoke blankly. The woman smiled, as her thoughts drifted six years back in time.

---

The woman was sitting at the top step of the thought elevator, wearing a smile as she waited. She had arrived just momentarily to the small underground cavern that held the thought elevator, an all but useless artifact now that the Sword of Akasha was inoperable. It was approaching midnight on the day of her scheduled meeting. She didn't expect the other to be very late. She hummed a happy tune softly to herself as she waited for the last few minutes to pass.

One minute before the date on her watch was going to turn to the next day, she could hear the sounds of movement echoing of the hall. She smiled. She wasn't going to have to wait after all. She wasn't surprised, the one she was meeting with was a woman most adamant. She had a great pride, which was surely wounded by what she had done to get her attention. She would come down the corridor of that cave with a lust for blood in her eyes.

"I've been waiting for you, Cornelia li Britannia," the woman spoke as the echoed sound grew closer. The sound of steps grew quicker. Soon the other emerged into the woman's view.

"And what should I be calling you?" asked the First Princess, her eyes coming to narrow.

"Deifilia Amarantha," the woman said with a laugh as she stood.

"Well, Deifilia Amarantha, you went too far when you involved Ava and her friend. For that I will never show any mercy," Cornelia said, pulling out her sword. Deifilia laughed again.

"Heh, straight to business, I suppose. No questions?" she spoke while smirking.

"Do you really have the sword?" Cornelia asked, glaring hard.

"If I did, I would have all ready moved against you," said Deifilia. "I'm no closer to that than you are."

"Just what are you after?" asked Cornelia. "For what did you accept the Power of the King into your body?"

"To change the face of this world entirely. I will succeed too," Deifilia said with a slight smirk.

"Not if I stop you!" shouted Cornelia and then she was charging forward.

"Signa! Philip! Stop this woman," said Deifilia, waving a hand through the air quietly.

From the corners of the room two people came rushing. The first was white haired pale girl wearing all black and carrying a large knife. The second was a brunette man with thick glasses and heavy sideburns, dressed in plain clothes but holding a strangely shaped stick. They stopped right in the woman's path.

"So, you brought your minions?" Cornelia spoke.

"But of course. Did you honestly expect I'd leave myself vulnerable to you, Princess?" Deifilia said smugly. "The fact is, you were always going to die today. It's beyond your control."

"These are Geass users then? What can they do?" Cornelia asked.

"It's better if I demonstrate," the woman said coldly. She clapped.

"Mehehe!'" the man, Philip cackled as he pointed his stick at Cornelia and activated his Geass. Signa then swooped in, activated her Geass, and let her knife find Cornelia's shoulder for roughly fifteen seconds before pulling it out.

The strong princess screamed at full volume as she fell to her knees. She began to pant uncontrollably as she looked down on the floor. Her face white from horror and pain.

"These two are quite the lethal combination, don't you think?" Deifilia giggled. The woman continued to pant uncontrollably with wide eyes.

"Do I kill her, Master?" asked Signa, knife ready.

"No, I have a better idea," said Deifilia with a laugh. "Lucrecia! It's your turn now, my dear."

"Y-yes master," a somewhat shy, childish voice spoke. A third figure emerged just from the shadows.

"This is your end, Cornelia li Britannia. This is the end of anyone who makes Geass her enemy," Deifilia spoke in a crisp voice. "Geass is the key to the new world."

"I…" Cornelia struggled to speak. "I won't betray Ava. I must return to her…" she finally managed, her hand going to her sword again.

"I'm sorry, Princess but it's too late for that," said Deifilia with a smile. "But you needn't worry. I will take quite good care of your precious Ava."

"I won't allow it!" shouted Cornelia as she somehow compelled herself into a sprint. Then the girl standing in the shadows took a step forward and met eyes with the princess. Princess Cornelia's eyes became distant and she fell down on the spot.

"Poor Princess Cornelia, if only you hadn't gotten so zealous in your search for the King's Power, the search for that sword, the search for us. It would have spared your precious family so much grief," said Deifilia shaking her head as she stepped toward the woman. She bent down and examined her closely.

"Good bye, my enemy," was the last thing she said before both her eyes revealed the insignia of the King.

A/N: End Turn 19. Not as long as some chapters, but there's really nowhere else to go with it. I know a lot of you were dissatisfied with the ending of the last chapter. A lot of it was because I didn't want to have to resolve anything here. I wanted to have everyone involved open to give their side of the story. Anyway, hopefully this answered some questions. I think it turned out interesting enough.

The big thing with this chapter was introducing some more of the villains. Deifilia Amarantha, the mysterious Master/Goddess character mentioned several times before was foremost; hoped you liked her (or hated her, as she is supposed to be kind of evil). Lazarus Cain was another new one; his character was designed for this story by my friend daiki-kasho. As was the character of Lucrecia Harrison, but she was really not explored at all here (not even to the point where I'm ready to add a profile) so it's hardly worth mentioning.

When I was writing some of the early part of the chapter, I kept asking myself if it was practical given the characters' given ages. I'm not entirely sure it is, but it still had to happen. Ava was a really smart eleven year old and the Black Knights aren't cautious enough (I suppose at this sort of peaceful time they would be kind of lax). I guess that is all that can be said.

Anyway, I added two more extras. Thanks for reading.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Santa Callida

Ashlynn Alvara

Lazarus Cain

Philip Malden Xander

Deifilia Amarantha


	21. Turn 20: The Bonds of Fate

A/N: Turn 20? Really, I've written twenty of these already, huh? I feel accomplished. The 200 plus reviews only add to that. Thank you to everyone reading.

Disclaimer: Jackie: "CrazyNinjaPenguin owns the original characters but not the characters and elements of Code Geass. I trust you understand."

Ava li Britannia was broken. She could hardly bring herself to move from her bed. She hadn't looked at the throne since the day she learned the horrible truth; the truth that would haunt her. It just felt so empty. All the ambitions she once had, they were gone now and replaced with a sorrow and loneliness so crippling that Ava couldn't stand it.

Most people stayed out of her way. It had been two days now and she was given her space. She knew she had a country to run, she knew that even though she felt so defeated, that didn't mean Britannia was. She just couldn't force her body to move. Everything felt so pointless without Astrid. It still felt pointless when the knock came at her door that day. She didn't respond to it, but it opened anyway. Ava stared blankly at the one who appeared there.

"I'm sorry to intrude, Empress, but there are some matters which must be sorted out," Richter Novak spoke in a dry voice.

"Of course there are, Richter… Please tell me," Ava said darkly, hardly straightening herself up.

"Absolution has taken root in New Pendragon. Their message is spreading among the people and their forces are building exponentially. A full intensity war is likely at this point," Richter said, with a slight tentative quality to his voice.

"I see…" Ava said, shaking as she felt ever more hollow.

"Final decisions on the renewed Code-R project need to be set. That Geass user Margaret and her mother captured still needs to be interrogated," said Richter, his voice heavy.

"I know…" Ava spoke in a broken whisper.

"The Knight of One is waiting to speak with you," Richter than said, looking even more affected by the tension in the room.

"I'll speak with him," Ava said, her heart feeling even more broken and tormented.

"And everything else?" asked the advisors.

"Do you think I could leave it in your hands for now, Richter? I don't feel well," Ava spoke, feeling ashamed of herself.

"You're giving me the authority to make executive decisions in your stead, Empress?" asked the young man, raising an eyebrow.

"Just for now… just until I'm able to cope with… with…" Ava started. She began to cry softly.

"I understand. I'm sorry, Empress," Richter said, closing his eyes. "I can hardly imagine your pain."

"Love is the cruelest thing in this entire world, Richter. I'd avoid it at all cost were I you," Ava muttered very softly.

"You needn't worry over that, Empress. I've never truly loved anything my entire life," Richter said with a frown.

"Heh, is that so?' Ava started, looking at the man. "You're confident you will never find love then?"

"I wasn't going to bring this up, but I am to be married in just a matter of months," Richter said suddenly. Ava's eyes widened momentarily.

"Since when?" she started, staring at him.

"I proposed to her just last week," said Richter, nodding.

"And who is she?" asked Ava, eyes narrowing.

"Your cousin. Jackie," Richter said, smirking.

"You're joking, certainly. You'd have to have steel in your blood to tolerate the presence of that miserable woman longer than a minute," Ava said curtly, shaking her head.

"I see your point, Empress. That girl is royalty though. She is quite smitten with me. A man who does not snap up the opportunities that are laid in front of him will never get anywhere in this world," Richter spoke, an intensity entering his eyes.

"Britannia would be better off under your steely, unwavering hands rather than these trembling things. You've just proven that to me, Richter. One who can wade through that woman's hell by choice and keep face, is certainly stronger than me," said Ava, looking down at her hands.

"I'll do my best, Empress," Richter said with a staunch frown.

"Thank you," Ava rasped.

"Should the Knight of One be told to wait?" he asked.

"No. Send him in," said Ava. "Let me speak with that man."

"As you wish, my Empress," Richter said with a nod. "I'll send him in."

With that Richter Novak left. Ava's mind felt completely numb as she waited for what seemed like the longest time but couldn't have been more than a few minutes. Intolerable guilt and self-loathing filled every inch of her being. Tears trickled down her face again as her body began to shake. Then the knock on her door finally came.

"Please come in," Ava said in a cracked voice, hardly able to speak. The door opened slowly.

Gino Weinberg entered the room even more slowly. The usually good natured expression Ava was used to had been completely leveled. Ava was scared. She was intimidated. More than anything though, she was sorry. She couldn't stop crying in front of the man.

"Please kill me. You have every reason to…" Ava choked out, never looking up.

"I'm not the vengeful type, Empress. I'm sorry but I can't fulfill that wish," Gino spoke in a cold voice.

"I'm sorry," Ava said in a hard gasp, tearing up once more. "I don't know what to say… I don't know what to do...I just… I just…" Ava knew she must have appeared as a broken wreck, but that's what she was; she couldn't hide it.

"I ask you for a temporary suspension from active duty," Gino said, his voice tense.

"Temporary suspension?! That's all?!" Ava finally looked at the man, anger in her voice and eyes. "Leave! Get out of here! Join them. Become my enemy. Use your strength to crush me and my fucking mad dreams. For her… for her… I deserve to…"

"You really are such a child," Gino sighed. He stared at the other in contempt. "Astrid fought for those dreams until the end, yet you, the one who had them in the first place betrays them so easily."

"But I-I…" Ava started, feeling horribly pathetic.

"The world spins without her. You can't forget that simple fact," the man spoke, closing his eyes.

"Why… why does it have to be you who tells me that… ?" Ava said very quietly.

"I won't hate you, Empress. I won't find the nearest colored mask to pull over my face just yet. I've watched you grow up for a long time now, I'd like to think I know the person you are," said the Knight of One.

"You're making a mistake," said Ava, her voice holding a slight quiver.

"If Kallen Kozuki really killed my daughter, why should I join her side for it?" Gino asked in a jagged voice.

"You… you doubt it?" Ava started, surprised.

"I didn't say that. In this sort of situation we have nothing we can do but try and accept the things we are told," said Gino, his voice becoming more quiet and emotional. "No matter how difficult that is."

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to just accept it…" Ava said, shivering.

"I wouldn't expect you to. Not yet anyway. Not with how you loved her," Gino said. Ava raised her head in surprise.

"I suppose there's no denying that. I only wish I had realized it myself sooner," the young Empress broke into tears once more. "I wish I had been more open with her… I wish I had… I wish I hadn't been so foolish that day…"

"Throwing everything away now doesn't make up for the things you have done wrong," said Gino in a somewhat harsh voice. "I'll leave finding atonement to you, Empress."

"Of course…" Ava said. "You can have your temporary suspension then, Knight of One."

"Thank you," was all the other said. He then left without another word, leaving Ava again to her grief and misery.

---

Richter Novak wore a smirk on his face as he walked down the castle corridor. The Empress' loss had turned out to be his luck. He had been just systematically handed full executive authority over the whole of Britannia. For as long as it took that girl to come to terms with the grief of losing the one she most likely had loved, Richter was the acting Emperor. He hardly knew where to start.

"Richter!" a call came to him. Richter turned around. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of an all too familiar face.

"Yes, what is it Margaret?" asked Richter, his voice becoming brusque.

"I.. Well, we haven't talked in a while…" Margaret Enneagram started, smirking uneasily. "I just thought that maybe we could…"

"If you'll excuse me, I'm really rather busy," Richter said, turning around and beginning to walk, keen on getting away from the annoying girl. "The Empress has placed a number of tasks in my hands."

"Oh… so you've seen her… how is she?" the girl asked in a low voice, walking along, ignoring the hint.

"Broken beyond repair," Richter said rather honestly, sighing.

"Oh… well…" Margaret choked. "Those two… they were in love, weren't they?"

"Most likely," Richter said, looking down.

"I still can't believe it. Astrid of all people…" Margaret shook her head. "I swear that if I meet _Guren _out there on the battlefield I won't show any mercy."

"Should war really be dictated by our personal grudges. Margaret," Richter grumbled in disdain.

"Perhaps not, but emotions can make us stronger. I doubt you've failed to hear the exploits of the Knight of Eight, Richter" said Margaret, nodding.

"Heh. There's a difference between emotion and acute psychosis," said Richter, his eyes narrowing again.

"Perhaps," Margaret said tilting her head. "Anyway, where are we headed?"

"I am on route to interrogate the woman you captured," Richter said in a heavy voice.

"It really would be better if she could do that… it's her specialty." The redhead sighed.

"You try talking to her then. See if you could find the response I failed to," Richter said pointedly.

"No, I believe you. It's just a shame," the girl said in a soft voice.

"Well, this will have to be where we part ways today, Margaret,," Richter said with latent cold, hoping to be rid of the girl.

"Cool. Perhaps we could meet up and talk sometime soon?" Margaret started, tilting her head.

"I'm sorry. The next few months I must devote to preparations," Richter said, smirking.

"Preparations? For what?" the girl asked innocently.

"My wedding to the Third Princess of Britannia," Richter said callously, closing his eyes.

"Wait! W-what was that?!" Margaret started, her voice becoming weak.

Richter didn't answer, he just walked ahead of the girl, imagining the look of shock and horror that she must have had upon her face.

---

Megami Subarashii yawned as she sat in her holding cell. God she was bored. Being a prisoner was boring. It was insufferable. She was used to being able to move around freely. She had been allowed to go anywhere without anyone seeing her. Now she was confined. They had even chained her by the wrist to the bed so as she couldn't slip out when her meals were delivered. They had her captive completely. That's why she was excited when the door opened.

"Dinner time?" she asked hopefully. The food sucked here, but eating it at lease gave her something to do.

"I'm afraid not. I'd like a word," said a cold, rigid man with light-brown hair and a frown on his face.

"Would you now? And who might you be?" Megami asked.

"You'd do well to realize that I am the one asking the questions here," the young man spoke, his glare icy.

"Fine, however you wanna do this. Personally I was hoping that cute Empress would do this bit herself," Megami laughed, smiling as she thought. It had been six years since she had seen Ava li Britannia. She was eager to finally meet the girl who had been at the very center of her decision back then.

"Your name?" asked the man.

"Megami Subarashii," she said with a toothy grin.

"I'm not a fool, woman. Even with just a rudimentary knowledge of the language I know that that is nothing more that crudely constructed alias," the interrogator said harshly, contempt in his eyes.

"Well, it's the only name I have for you at the moment. I've discarded my others," Megami shrugged.

"I'm not here to listen to your nonsense. Now tell me, and tell me clearly. What name were you born under?!" the young man demanded.

"No can do. Don't recall it. It was only used a year and a half before my parents got rid of me," Megami said, still cheery somehow.

"What other name of yours exists on record?" the man asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Probably none. Ever since my parents got rid of me I've been going from one nonexistence to the next. I have no country, I have no home, I hardly have anyone who knows me. I'm more or less a wandering phantom," Megami said, strangely amused by herself.

"How do I know you aren't just a creative liar, woman?" the man asked.

"Bring me before your Empress. I'll answer her questions. That should do," Megami said, shrugging.

"Where did you acquire the power, Geass?" asked the young man with a nod.

"It was given to me at a very young age. You needn't worry. Japan doesn't have a witch or anything. I'm just a freak... and I haven't a clue where Chiharu got hers, really," Megami continued to completely fail at being intimidated.

"You are to answer all questions directly! Now tell me, who gave you Geass?" the man asked in a stern voice.

"Eh, I don't know. There's a stretch of time in my past that's a little hazy in my memory," Megami shrugged.

"You will remember!" the man demanded.

"Or what? Sorry, but I don't see any threat from you," Megami laughed.

"I'm the one who decides the date of your execution," the young man said very seriously.

"I don't quite believe you. Reports indicate that the Empress hasn't issued an execution order since she's taken power," Megami said giving yet another laugh.

"You pick interesting things to pay attention to, woman. But you should be aware that things are about to change here in Britannia," the other said in a harsh voice.

"Whatever you say. Death doesn't scare me anyway. My life lacks any definable purpose as it is," Megami shrugged. "But if you have me killed, you'd be missing out."

"What are you babbling about now?" the man scoffed.

"You realize I'm a mercenary right? I don't have any more love of your enemy than I do you Britannians. I fact I have a deep seeded loathing for the Black Knights and those associated with them. Pay me and my Geass is yours to use," Megami said in an easy voice.

"You've answered none of my questions in a satisfactory manner. Do you honestly think I could trust you just like that?" the man shook his head.

"Suit yourself. But I'm not lying. I really am a free agent. Let your Empress gauge my loyalty herself, then you'll see," the woman said in a soft voice.

"You truly are an insufferable woman," the man said. He then turned around. Megami giggled as he left. He was obviously considering it. Megami was positive it would only be a few more days until she was informed she had a new employer. She was cool with that. She truly did want an opportunity to meet and work with Ava li Britannia. She just hoped that it didn't mean running into Chiharu on the battlefield. That's the only thing that would prove impossible.

---

Hildegarde gave a light moan as she stirred. The pain to her stomach was severe. That's the first thing she realized as her eyes opened. She recalled the fight; she recalled the startling things she had discovered during it. She didn't recall much after that. She supposed she wasn't dead. It was true luck to survive being half impaled on a sword.

"You're awake," an angelic voice chirped. Hildegarde looked around, becoming cognizant of her surroundings, which appeared to be a hospital room. Her eyes quickly found the source of the voice, the Japanese beauty Yasuko Tohdoh.

"Y-Yasuko… you're… what are you doing here?" Hildegarde asked in a heavy voice.

"They said it was okay for me to leave my room to visit you," Yasuko said with a smile, kneeling in front of Hildegarde's bed.

"Wasn't it part of that Chinese woman's mission to free you?" asked Hildegarde, staring at the other.

"I stayed behind. I wanted to save you," Yasuko said in a very quiet voice.

"Yasuko, that's treason," Hildegarde said rationally, though her heart suffered through pangs of intense emotion.

"I know what it is, okay. Still… I couldn't… not after how kind you were to me… I wanted to do my part to help you," Yasuko said in a serious tone.

"You saved my life then, Yasuko, at the cost of so much. I won't ever forget that," said Hildegarde smiling. "Thank you."

"I honesty never thought about doing anything any different…" Yasuko said looking down. "I wonder if that makes me a poor soldier."

"Even if it does, Yasuko, it also makes you a wonderful person," the knight said with a soft nod. "You show compassion to a person in need, even if she is your enemy."

"I could never think of you as an enemy, Miss Hildegarde. Besides, you did the same thing for me back in that prison," said Yasuko smirking softly.

"It's not the same and you know it," Hildegarde said with a mild expression. "I stuck my neck out to save your life when I didn't have to but I didn't willingly go against the ones I had sworn to serve in doing it."

"I guess you're right," said Yasuko looking down. "I can't help but wonder what everyone thinks of me now, even if this would always be my choice."

"Yasuko…" Hildegarde said in a soft, voice looking at the beautiful girl, finding herself filled with warmth.

"Miss Hildegarde, I'm so glad you're alright… I've never been so scared," Yasuko said looking sad. Hildegarde lifted her hand and placed it at the girl's cheek. She gave a very quiet gasp and blushed.

"It's all because of you, Yasuko. Those two would have surely killed me…" said Hildegarde, her eyes meeting Yasuko, a sure desire entering her.

"I'm a horrible person," said Yasuko, suddenly beginning to cry. "Hiromi, Chiharu, Mom and Dad and everyone… I love them so much… and yet I'm not sure that I even want to go back now."

"Yasuko… what are you--?" Hildegarde started. She cut herself off when the other suddenly threw her arms around her and began to embrace her.

"I think I love you, Miss Hildegarde," Yasuko said in tears. Hildegarde's heart leapt. It felt so beautiful. Her arms found their way around the girl.

"That doesn't make you horrible, Yasuko. You're nothing but beautiful in my eyes," Hildegarde whispered at the girl's ear.

"I'm scared. I don't want to fight anymore. I don't want to fight Hiromi and I certainly don't want to fight you. I want this war to be over. I want to…" Yasuko was now sobbing full force.

"I want the same things you do, Yasuko. But the two of us… we lack the power to bring an end to this. A war like this will only end when someone wins," said Hildegarde.

"So, you intend to keep fighting?" asked Yasuko.

"I must. Say what you will of her, but my opinion of my Empress is high. I won't betray her. Ever. Even for love," said Hildegarde, smiling at the girl.

"I'm not asking you to. Your pride, your strength, those are two of your most beautiful points, Miss Hildegarde. I will never blame you for anything your sword happens to cut," said Yasuko, her eyes serious.

"If you truly mean that your strength is no less than mine," Hildegarde said with a smile.

"I'm not strong. You're the one who survived wounds like these," Yasuko said, smiling as she pulled herself off of the other finally, giving her some space.

"What's your opinion of the woman who gave them to me, Hu Xuemei?" said Hildegarde her mind wandering back to the fight.

"She's a really strong soldier. Really committed. She's kind of like you, except so much colder," said Yasuko, smiling.

"Yasuko, can I share a secret with you?" started Hildegarde.

"If you want… I mean if you're comfortable with me knowing…" Yasuko said shyly, but showing definite curiosity.

"By my Empress' orders I have received the power of Geass," Hildegarde told the girl, closing her eyes.

"Whoa, really?! What can yours do?" asked Yasuko, her eyes wide.

"I can see memories from the pasts of others. I have very limited control of it, and I don't think I can use it on the same person more than once, but I have seen things…" started Hildegarde, only to trail off.

"You saw something strange about Xuemei then?" Yasuko asked.

"I did. Something unbelievable, something that would destroy the faith of her people," said Hildegarde, remembering her vision.

"Their faith? Why would Xuemei be at the heart of something like that?" asked Yasuko, raising her eyebrows.

"The Tianzi is a symbol of purity. What I saw in that girl's memories could be seen as defiling that purity," said Hildegarde, looking down.

"Oh my god, her hair! You're not saying that she's... that Xuemei is her daughter, are you?" Yasuko started, her eyes going wide.

"That's what my vision seems to indicate," said Hildegarde, her expression a stern one.

"But Xuemei's too old to be the Tianzi's daughter," said Yasuko after a moment's thought.

"Pregnancy is often possible a lot earlier than most women ever would chose to have children," said Hildegarde.

"So the Federation's holy symbol of purity had a child with a man when she was still just a child herself?" Yasuko said, clearly in disbelief.

"I believe so," Hildegarde said, closing her eyes.

"Wow, that's something," Yasuko said.

"I'm not sure what use it is knowing though. I'm not the type who likes to fight with such weapons; even if I was, who would believe me?" started Hildegarde.

"True enough," Yasuko giggled cutely. "So, you use your power on me yet?"

Hildegarde felt a tinge of shame as she recalled her first Geass vision. She blushed. "Perhaps," was all she said.

"Hmmph, exactly what sort of embarrassing things did you see?" Yasuko started with a cute glare.

"Yasuko?" Hildegarde started questioningly, a stray thought crossing her mind.

"Yeah?" asked the girl.

"When you said you loved me, did you mean that?" Hildegarde asked.

"W-what's this about all of a sudden?" Yasuko stuttered, blushing profusely. "Of course I did…"

"So between me and Chiharu Ohgi…" Hildegarde began to say, looking at the girl. She shook her head.

"I admired her for so long. I loved her. I still probably love her somewhere in my heart. But what I feel for you is very real and very intense. If I had to choose just one of you, right now, it would be you, Miss Hildegarde," Yasuko said very straight forwardly. Her tone held such a warm and gentle quality.

"I don't deserve sentiments so beautiful," said Hildegarde closing her eyes.

"Yeah you do," Yasuko replied playfully. Hildegarde laughed.

She smiled as she looked at Yasuko, knowing she returned the girls feelings in her heart. Love was a powerful thing. This thought led her mind back to the most recent vision. She could recall it all quite clearly.

She had been looking up the entire time but it was from a strange angle. The one she was seeing through was very small; she was being cradled in the arms of another. Logic had told Hildegarde she was seeing through the eyes of an infant. She was looking up at a young, teenage girl with pale skin and white hair; she was the one cradling her. This girl was talking to another Hildegarde could not initially see.

"She's really cute. I'm happy for you, Lihua," said a youthful feminine voice.

"Thank you," the woman holding the infant said in a somewhat somber way.

"Come on, that's no way for a new mother to act," the other voice insisted.

"I just... I just don't know what to do about this… Kaguya," the white-haired girl began to tear up, her voice cracking.

"You loved each other. When you found out he was dying, you made your choice to become as close as possible to him in his final moments. You can't blame yourself that this happened, Lihua," the other, Kaguya, spoke in a more serious tone, her hand entering Hildegarde's view to gently wide some tears from the young mother's eyes.

"I'm supposed to be an example. The Chinese Federation persisted because of the people's love for me… that I'd betray them like this… I just can't believe myself," said Lihua, still crying, the other still stroking her face.

"You've already given birth to this beautiful child, Lihua. You can't take that back now," Kaguya said. This stopped the tears.

"I can't have children. It defies my position. I won't be able to be in this girl's life," Lihua said, her voice heavy.

"You could still keep her close," said Kaguya smiling.

"What do you mean? How?" started Lihua.

"I have an idea," Kaguya said. She then moved forward, finally coming into Hildegarde's view, revealing herself to be a cute black-haired girl roughly the same age as Lihua. She whispered some words into Lihua's ears. The girl smiled.

"I-I… thank you Kaguya… if I did that… I could still watch his daughter grow up…" said Lihua, looking down at her child. She began to cry again.

"Lihua, what's wrong…?" Kaguya stated, placing hand at the other's shoulder.

"I just... I can't believe I won't ever see him again…" Lihua sobbed. Kaguya was soon embracing her and her child.

"I know I'm no replacement for the father of your child, but I'm here, Lihua, and I won't be going anywhere," said Kaguya.

"Kaguya…" Lihua said more pleasantly. "Thank you." She softly rubbed her face into the other's neck. "You don't know how much of a comfort you are to me. You don't know how much your words mean."

"I don't? You'll have to tell me someday then," Kaguya spoke playfully, still cradling the young mother in her embrace. Lihua looked up.

"I might," was all she said, before the vision stopped and Hildegarde had found herself facing Hu Xuemei again.

---

Hiromi Tohdoh wore a deep scowl on her face as she sat in an open room within the makeshift Absolution base that had been set up in New Pendragon. The Absolution message was spreading quickly. The resistance was taking hold. They were on the cusp of turning everything around. Hiromi wasn't happy about any of this, she couldn't be. Not when her thoughts were still on her beloved sister.

She sat waiting for some orders, killing her free time by doing nothing. She could have talked to Chiharu, but the fact that she was moping around about someone like that woman left Hiromi feeling a little distanced from her. She was uneasy and on edge. She wanted to jump at the next excuse to release some frustration. It was then that a girl she had first seen a couple days ago passed her by. It was the girl that was returned to them while Yasuko was not.

"Hey! You! Could we talk a moment?" started Hiromi, standing and approaching the girl, Amelia Gottwald.

"About what, Lieutenant Tohdoh?" the Absolution agent asked.

"I just want to hear it from someone else. Is what that Chinese woman said true?" Hiromi started in a cold voice.

"You mean about your sister?" asked Amelia, tilting her head.

"Of course I do!" Hiromi said, raising her voice. The other, who seemed to have a thick nerve, was not intimidated and instead glared slightly.

"She stated plainly that she did not wish to go with us," Amelia said, shaking her head.

"But why?! Why would Yasuko betray us?" Hiromi said, clenching her fist tightly.

"She wished to save the life of someone who had shown her kindness," said Amelia in a breezy voice.

"You mean the Knight of Four, Hildegarde Waldstein?" said Hiromi, scowling at the sound of the name, cursing this woman who had destroyed her precious sister's better judgement.

"Yes, I believe so," Amelia nodded.

"Damn! Why in the hell would Yasuko do something like this?!" said Hiromi before punching a nearby wall.

"I think I understand her situation. If it was a different knight, I might have made the same choice," said Amelia, smiling just slightly.

"It's ridiculous. Becoming attached to the enemy," said Hiromi growling. "But I know what I'll just have to do."

"What's that?" asked the assassin, tilting her head.

"I'll just have to kill the Knight of Four myself. Then Yasuko will have nothing keeping her there," Hiromi said, smirking in the corner of her lips. "That will open her eyes."

"She may come to hate you," said Amelia, looking down.

"Having her back at my side is worth any hate she may have for me," said Hiromi, narrowing her eyes and walking off, her mind set on what she must do.

---

Kyoshiro Tohdoh was perfectly expressionless as he faced his wife. He lifted the phone, ready to make a call he had been putting off a while. He found where he had written the number and dialed it slowly. He then held the piece to his ear.

"Hello?" started the voice on the other end.

"Kozuki, this is Tohdoh. How is the fight going?" Kyoshiro started, his expression dour.

"Ah, General...!" a tentative quality entered the voice of Kallen Kozuki. "We didn't win the battle for the capital, but Absolution has taken hold and is growing rapidly. We're poised to turn this thing around."

"That's good to hear," said Kyoshiro. "Anything else to report?"

"Uh, well yeah…" Kozuki said in a heavy voice. Kyoshiro felt a slight anxiety at the sound of her voice.

"Nothing happened to the girl, did it?" he asked hopefully.

"Hiromi's fine. It's your other daughter where the issue is," said Kozuki in a low tone.

"Yasuko?" started the man, prepared for the news.

"Well, we have confirmation that she is alive and well… I suppose that should be of some relief to you," said Kozuki, her voice still holding some sorrow.

"The enemy has her?" Kyoshiro asked, closing his eyes.

"Yes," said Kozuki. "But that's only part of the trouble."

"Please explain," said Kyoshiro, braced for anything.

"Yasuko willingly stayed with the enemy during a rescue attempt," the woman said in a very distressed voice. Kyoshiro's eyes went wide.

"Treason? Why would she…" Kyoshiro felt his heart fall. He couldn't explain it. Why would his child turn her back on Japan?

"It's not entirely clear. Reports indicate she stayed to save the life of a Britannian knight," said Kozuki, her voice low.

"That is troubling news indeed," spoke Tohdoh.

"If you don't mind me asking, how are things on your end?" asked Kozuki.

"I have my own foul news for you, I'm afraid," the aged General spoke, his voice heavy.

"What happened?" Kozuki asked, intensity to her words.

"Days ago, a large EU forced cornered and assaulted us. We pushed them back but suffered heavy losses and heavier damage to our ships and custom units," said Kyoshiro in a heavy voice.

"Are my girls safe?" asked Kozuki with lightning focus.

"Luckily, they are uninjured," said Kyoshiro. "The two of them did something to which I'm not sure how to react."

"What are you talking about? What did those girls get themselves into now?" Kozuki sighed.

"While the battle was flaring up, the two of them hijacked one of our custom units and took it out into the fray," said Kyoshiro, pulling the phone a safe distance from his hears.

"Those idiots! What the hell are they thinking?!" Kozuki shouted into the phone loud enough that it could be heard even at a distance. Nagisa could even hear it on the other side of the table.

Replacing the phone at his ear as the shouting stopped, Kyoshiro spoke, "I'm not sure what to do with the two of them now?"

"Tell Nagisa to give them both a hard slap across the side of the face. Also tell them that we will discuss this at length when I get back," Kozuki spoke, all the fury of hell in her voice.

"Understood," said Kyoshiro. "But there is still something about this ordeal I need your opinion on."

"Yeah, what could that possibly be?" asked Kozuki with a clear snort.

"Having never pilot a knightmare before, in their debut battle your daughters bested Edouard Valentin," Kyoshiro started.

"The EU champion?" Kozuki was, needless to say, surprised.

"The same. They were then instrumental in driving the rest of the force back," said Kyoshiro his voice low. "They showed a potential so extraordinary, that I'm at a bit of a loss. It's questionable we would have been victorious with a different pilot behind the controls."

"Heh! What do you expect?! They're my girls!" Kozuki was now much more enthusiastic.

"General Zhou has expressed a clear interest in tapping into that potential. With how thin our force has become the idea does not lack appeal for me," said the general in a deep voice.

"You're asking for my permission to turn my little girls into soldiers?" started Kozuki in a low growl.

"I suppose I am," said Kyoshiro.

"Those girls… it's difficult… I don't want them to fight… they're everything to me… but…" started Kozuki in a somber voice.

"If it's too hard for you, I won't pursue the subject any further," said Kyoshiro understandingly, remembering the day Hiromi had said she wanted to be a Black Knight like Nagisa and him.

"The choice should be theirs. If they really want to fight… it wouldn't be right to stop them…" Kozuki poke in a very quiet voice.

"Are you sure?" asked Kyoshiro.

"Yeah," replied Kozuki very simply.

---

Astrid Weinberg felt exhausted as she lay in her hospital bed. Her body was still in severe pain, but it was gradually becoming more bearable. It had been two weeks now. She had spoken with many doctors and nurses over the course of that time, but none of them would answer her questions. Her left arm was broken in four places. Severe burns lined her right arm and leg. Some ribs were cracked and there were cuts and bruises everywhere else. Luckily major spinal damage had been avoided. After the first week, Astrid was unstrapped and unbraced from the bed. Even so, she seldom had the energy to sit up. She just managed to when she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," she said in a weary voice, groggy from her pain medication. The door opened. Astrid held onto the hope that it would be Ava who emerged.

"Hey. The doctors finally cleared you for visitors. I was in the area, so I thought I'd be the first," said the girl who appeared there. She wasn't Ava. In fact, Astrid had never seen this girl before in her life.

"Who are you?" asked Astrid weakly.

"Heh, after so many fateful meetings, you don't even recognize me?" the girl, who had dark skin and silvery hair said, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, but I don't recognize you," Astrid said, trying her hardest to place the distinctive looking girl. She couldn't.

"I know what you mean. You hardly look like I pictured you either," the girl said. "Still, it's great to finally meet someone with such strength face to face."

Then it hit Astrid. She gasped as she looked at the other. "That voice! You're Chiharu Ohgi!"

"Yup. Got it," the girl said, scratching the back of her head.

"So that means…" Astrid's heart fell. She felt like crying.

"You are now a prisoner of your enemy," said Chiharu, sympathy in her voice.

"No. Why… ? Why did it have to turn out like this…?" Astrid spoke between gasps, tears falling from her eyes.

"Absolution doesn't treat it's prisoners so bad. Neither they or us is going to do anything horrible to you," said Chiharu, shaking her head.

"I know…" Astrid said. "But that doesn't change how painful it is for this to happen to me now…"

"You mean because you have to be separated from your beloved…" Chiharu spoke, her voice becoming lower.

"Yeah…" cried Astrid. "She had only just come to reciprocate my feelings… and now this had to happen…"

"She?!" Chiharu started, her eyes becoming wide.

Astrid blushed as she realized what she had let slip. There really was no reason to deny anything to this woman though. "Y-yeah…" she said shyly.

"That's cool. I'm not the type to judge anyone for something like that," said Chiharu smiling.

"I wonder how she must feel at a time like this, all alone, unsure if I'm alive or dead," said Astrid somberly.

"She probably thinks of you constantly, going out of her way to find ways to try and distract herself from concerning about your fate, but in the end always keeps coming back to it," said Chiharu in a very low voice, that held a deep, reflective honesty.

"Are you in love with someone, Chiharu?" asked Astrid, surprised she did.

Chiharu was silent for a few seconds. She then spoke, a cheery but perhaps forced smile appearing on her face. "Nope, I've never been in love."

"You seem to understand it pretty well for never having seen it," said Astrid with a very slight giggle that only made her ribs ache slightly.

"Yeah… well, I just read a lot…" the other said, clearly embarrassed.

"Oh, what do you like to read?" asked Astrid.

"Mostly comic books," Chiharu said, looking to the side. Astrid giggled again. This time it hurt a little more.

"Wow, really? I never would have guessed someone like you would be into that sort of thing," she said.

"I guess it is kind of childish liking stuff like comics and video games, but someone once made me see that it's important to keep stuff like that, the stuff that makes you happy, close, even when things become difficult," Chiharu said, giving a distant smile.

"I think it's cool," said Astrid, smiling. She then sighed. "But isn't this all somehow strange?"

"Is what strange?" asked Chiharu.

"We're supposed to be enemies. Last time we met we were trying to kill each other. Why are we chatting like old friends now?" asked Astrid, her voice becoming heavy.

"Because we're human, Astrid. There's more to who we are than the cause we fight for, there's more to life than this war," said Chiharu, smiling. "When we met on the battlefield I wanted to defeat you because I believe in my cause, but I never hated you. On the contrary I was interested in the strong girl I was fighting. I was glad to meet you today."

"Me too," Astrid replied, smiling. Chiharu Ohgi really was someone cool.

"But, you're probably getting tired," Chiharu laughed. "I'll come back some other time."

"Alright," said Astrid. She was indeed on the edge of sleep at that moment. The heavy narcotics she was being given didn't allow her to stay awake very long at a time. A yawn escaped her lips. Chiharu waved as she walked out.

Astrid smiled. She still longed for Ava. She was full of anxiety and worry about what would happen to her in enemy custody. She was worried about what Ava would do without her, what Ava would do for her. Despite it all, it was nice to meet new friends. Chiharu thought this as sleep came.

---

Jacquelyn mi Britannia wore a scowl on her lips as she stood at the side of a room within the Britannian Imperial Castle, Richter and the entirety of her immediate family present on the scene. Her mother, Arienette, was sitting at a desk, looking over a book of photos, trying to get Jackie to pick out wedding decorations. Jackie honestly didn't care about decorations (as long as they were pretty and top class, that is), she was just eager to wed the young man, Richter Novak. He was a thrilling conversationalist, with a keen mind that saw things perhaps more as they are than any man Jackie had ever met. He was her perfect groom.

"What do you think of this one, dear?" asked Arienette, pointing to a photo of a room decorated with lots of pink and lace.

"Ooh, that one's pretty," said Jackie's less than intelligent older sister, Adelaide mi Britannia, smiling stupidly as did her equally stupid knight and husband Everett Coleridge.

"It's completely garish, mother," said Jackie, rolling her eyes.

"Well what sort of thing do you have in mind, dear?" asked Jackie's father, Hector Cosgrove, the most competent person in the room aside from Richter.

"I don't truly care so long as it's not hideous like all the pictures in this book of mother's," said Jackie in a stubborn voice.

"If you say every picture in the book is hideous, how can you say you don't care?" asked Jackie's younger brother by a year, Aeolus mi Britannia, a fool who thought he was smarter than he truly was.

"I care enough, dear brother, to not allow cheap garbage hang at the walls of my wedding, even if it is not a key concern of mine. I'd skip this entire process if I could," said Jackie. "What point is this overblown celebration that will be forgotten only weeks later? It would be preferable if marriage were treated like any other contract."

"You remember your sister's wedding, dear. The wedding of a princess is an important event that draws national attention, you can't just cancel it," said Arienette, shaking her head.

"Especially at a time like this, when the commoners are divided. It will be good for the nation to see you two together, especially given your choice of groom," said Hector, obviously alluding to the fact that Richter was a commoner by birth.

"God, I never said I was canceling the damned thing. I just don't care for it, that's all," said Jackie.

"Then pick a decoration motif already, Jackie. Bring an end to this process that has you so aggravated," said Richter in a sharp voice. Jackie looked at him. She was tempted to snap back, but instead let her fiancé's words seep in. She stepped toward her mother's book. She flipped through it. After half a minute of flipping from page to page, she found a tolerable motif.

"Something like this would be fine. I want it more personal though. Let me speak with the designer," Jackie huffed, before shutting the book.

"Whatever you say, dear," said Arienette with a soft smile.

"Come now, Richter, we're leaving," said Jackie, her eyes narrowing as she left the room. Her fiancé followed behind.

"Honestly, Richter, why does being around my family have to be so insufferable?" Jackie huffed once they were in a corridor.

"They seemed well intentioned to me, even if they are simple people," said Richter, nodding quietly.

"I'll never understand them. It's like they can only see what's directly in front of them," said Jackie with a sigh. "I'll never understand my mother."

"She's simple. I doubt there's much to understand," said Richter.

"But she's too simple. What sort of princess lets a man fifteen years her elder impregnate her out of wedlock when she's just seventeen and then let's him impregnate her twice more in the span of four years? I fail to understand how anyone could be that _simple_," spoke the princess acidly.

"That is rather a questionable thing. But perhaps you should thank that simplicity for it leading your parents to not cancel their honeymoon at the time that the world was inflamed in war, Emperor Charles had gone missing and the demon emperor was poised to take the throne, else you wouldn't have had a chance to be born," said Richter.

"A fair point, Richter," the girl nodded. "Still my mother and sister baffle me. Why pick a man whose only selling points are how he flexes his muscles and hefts his sword when you could have a true intellectual?"

"Lord Cosgrove does not seem so simple. He had some fame as a commanding officer in the war before he would become your mother's knight," Richter said evenly.

"Even so, that whole system sickens me. Mother expected me to pick some man to defend and protect me, some knightly guardian to shield the princess from harm. I can hardly stomach garbage like that, even if, due to the fact that my mother forgets to use her brain and my sister doesn't have one in the first place, they found their men that way, I would much rather have a visionary like you. Someone on the cusp of real power," Jackie said in a heated voice.

"For the moment, I'm past that cusp," Richter smirked. Jackie's eyes widened as she recalled what her fiancé had told her roughly two weeks ago, that he was making the executive decisions in lieu of the Empress for the moment. She smiled. She had yet to abuse this.

"We can plan our wedding more or less alone, don't you think, Richter?" asked Jackie.

"Most likely. Finding the necessary tools will hardly be an issue with my resources," said the young man, nodding.

"Then I have a fantastic idea," Jackie laughed cruelly.

"That is?" asked Richter.

"You recall that old system that was in place for the Areas prior to the Demon Emperor's War? You know, the viceroy system where Areas of significance or turbulence were handed over to specific members of the royal family?" Jackie began, smiling.

"You plan to have me ship your family out across the globe so as you can be rid of them?" Richter gave a laugh and shook his head.

"It seems like a fair enough plan. A member of the royal family is a symbol. It would send a message to the filthy Numbers and allow us to better keep them in submission," Jackie gave a rigorous nod.

"Your father might be able to manage governing an area well enough. Your brother too. Neither your sister or her groom, could manage it," said Richter, forwardly.

"Send father and mother to Area 11, brother to Area 18 and sister and her idiot husband to some out of the way hell like Area 10 or 13," suggested Jackie after some thought.

"Sending your family into such tumultuous Areas could very well lead to their death," cautioned Richter.

"Heh, they'd hardly be missed," Jackie said coldly.

"Consider it done then," said Richter quietly.

"It sure is convenient having dominance over Britannia," Jackie smirked with satisfaction. "My insufferable cousin doesn't show any signs of snapping out of her psycho depression, does she?"

"She'll sit at the throne and listen to my words sometimes, but her responses are limited. She still leaves the decisions in my hands. Her spirit has been torn to shreds. She's nothing more than a puppet ruler now," said Richter.

"I can't believe that freak. I caught her and that dead girl fawning over each other in the royal flower garden almost seven years ago. To think their disgusting little love affair lasted this long," Jackie spoke curtly, scowling as she remembered pushing Astrid Weinberg into some thorns and then receiving Ava li Britannia's fists. The most infuriating part of it was that her damned dead aunt had let Ava go with no punishment.

"Your cousin is a capable and intelligent woman. I find it a shame she is reduced to this state," said Richter coldly.

"My cousin is a freak. She always has been. The sight of her makes me ill. Oh how I hope she never recovers from the loss of her disgusting little girlfriend and ends up killing herself. I would love to be spared the pain of looking at her any longer," Jackie said caustically, filled with hate.

"She's the depressive type for sure, but I doubt she's suicidal. She's too indecisive, weak-willed and afraid of death to go through with something as bold as killing herself," the young man spoke knowledgeably.

"Honestly, how did someone like her become the Empress?" Jackie asked with indignation.

"Up until the death of Astrid Weinberg, Ava li Britannia was a capable woman, it's as simple as that," spoke Richter, nodding his head. "It was strength and ambition that led her to the top. For that, she'll always have my respect."

"That you could respect that freak..." Jackie growled. She then sighed and spoke in an easier voice. "But no matter. She's hardly an object now. The armies of Britannia now move as you tell them to, Richter."

"This war is a complicated one, but it is not so difficult," Richter spoke in a content voice.

"Yeah?" Jackie started, her head tilted.

"It's hard to win, but so long as we keep the capital we can't lose," the other explained. "Absolution is acquiring territory under their belt at a rapid pace, but their supporters are fragmented and suppressing them is usually easy enough."

"So, did you ever reach a decision on that special project you're now conducting?" started Jackie, recalling what her fiancé had told her of Code-R.

"I spoke with Wilde this morning. I've directed some funds to neural interfaces and am currently coaxing out of the man a new sort of destructive weapon that Ava li Britannia would approach with definite hesitation in her right mind," said Richter.

"And the cybernetics?" asked Jackie.

"The Empress wanted to use the Knight of Twelve for that. I decided to approach the Knight of Eight as well. She's young, able, has a strong killing potential, and would be missed by no one if she was killed or forced off the edges of madness, just like the other," Richter said.

"Brilliant thinking, as always, Richter," Jackie said in a pleased voice. "Two super soldiers is certainly better than one."

"I try my best to keep Britannia running," Richter started proudly.

"And you do a damn good job at it too," nodded Jackie. "There's only been one thing thus far I'd have decided differently."

"You speak of that woman, the mercenary?" Richter questioned.

Jackie nodded. "Of course. I see not how someone like that is possibly worthy of trust."

"I don't trust her either. Even so, there's little she could do to harm us if she does indeed betray her contract. Ava li Britannia's death would be meaningless at this point, and might actually serve to bolster support for our side. That woman, with her ability, is thus worth her steep price whether she flies for us or not," explained Richter rigidly.

"Whatever you say," Jackie rolled her eyes. "I fail to see how this stupid Geass thing even matters."

---

Ava li Britannia sat in her room, staring upward, pondering all the same things she had the last two weeks. This was childish. Stupid. Beyond pathetic. Even realizing that, she couldn't help it. She was a pathetic, stupid child and without Astrid there she couldn't bring herself to hide it. She was becoming unresponsive and irresponsible. Richter Novak was hard fisted when it came to executive orders. Perhaps Britannia was better off with him at the reins for the moment, but Ava knew it was just a matter of time before something terrible happened just because she couldn't compose herself.

Ava's solitary thoughts were interrupted suddenly by some sounds. She looked toward her door. It was open ajar. Nothing was there. She looked back down, but the sound of very soft footsteps drew her attention back up. Ava gasped as she looked all around, thinking that perhaps she was finally losing it.

"Who's there?" she started strongly. No response came.

Convinced it was all nothing, Ava sighed and sat up. She was just about to stand when suddenly something very strange happened. She was suddenly embraced from behind. It was as if by nothing at first, but then suddenly all at once a woman just appeared there. Ava was, needless to say, alarmed.

"Who are--? What are you doing…?" she's started frantically, her eyes wide.

"Oh, I'm just a mercenary serving the Holy Britannian Empire," the strange woman spoke.

"Mercenary? The Geass mercenary?!" Ava exclaimed, finally putting the pieces together. "Richter hired you?"

"That he did," the woman, who was quite attractive, with long turquoise hair said. "You can call me Megami Subarashii."

"That sounds like a Japanese name, yet you don't look to be from anywhere near Japan," said Ava, staring at the peculiar stranger.

"I'm not. I've used numerous names throughout the years. That's just the one I'm using now," said Megami, smiling.

"Why are you here, Miss Subarashii?" asked Ava curiously.

"Megami, please," the woman corrected in a cool voice. "And I just wanted to finally meet you."

"Why is that?" asked Ava.

"Do you believe in fate, Empress?" asked the mercenary in an easy voice.

"Not at all," said Ava sternly. "There is no predetermination, no higher power controlling anything. Everything in this world happens solely because we make it happen."

"I thought like that once. Someone changed that view in me. Now seeing you, it's only further changed. Fate has its way in linking those with the King's Power," said Megami, her voice heavy.

"If fate exist it is far too cruel for my taste. Men are cruel as well, but they are a more tangible enemy," said Ava, looking down.

"I once knew an old man who could look into someone's eyes and catch a glimpse of their fate. Back then I didn't believe, so I thought he was a liar," said Megami smiling.

"I still would call him a liar. Regardless of fate's existence, it's not something men can see," said Ava.

"Maybe so," said Megami in a soft voice. "Still, our paths have crossed now, Empress. I'd like to think that that wasn't just chance."

"What difference does it make?" asked the Empress, looking at the woman strangely.

"I watched you a while at the door. I won't pretend to know what happened exactly, but I can guess that whether it to fate or man, you lost someone very important to you," said Megami in a somber voice.

"Yes. My beloved," Ava whispered painfully.

"Oh, how terrible…" Megami said, a sadness entering her eyes.

"Everything feels so empty. I feel so completely lost without her," said Ava, trembling.

"'Her'? Oho, another point for fate! Me and the Empress are kindred spirits!" Megami cheered, her smile than fell as she caught the Empress's glare. "That was insensitive of me. I apologize."

"It's alright," Ava said. "You're interest is with other girls then?"

"Sure is. I was sort of conditioned that way starting 13 years ago. All the men around me were psychos and idiots; all the women were competent and beautiful and showed me affection…" spoke the mercenary in a soft voice.

"Have you ever had just one person who you loved?" asked Ava, looking down.

"Yeah. I still love her too, I hope fate sees me back to her even if I know fate is seldom on my side," said Megami, looking down.

"With your ability you could probably escape and go back to her," started Ava. "Are you really intent on staying here?"

"Richter Novak asked me the same question. The only machine I'm being allowed access to is my _Onryou_. He's having it fitted with explosives; should my location ever differ from what he wants it to be… you get the picture," said Megami perfectly casually.

"I see. He certainly is a shrewd man," said Ava, smirking.

"He's also dangerous," said Megami slowly.

"I know… even still… I can't…" Ava spoke, her heart heavy.

"I understand what you feel. Believe me, I do," said Megami in a very low voice.

"And how is that?" asked Ava tentatively.

"My mother was a penniless and homeless woman in the far northern reaches of Britannia. I don't know who my father is. In a twist of fate a man from a strange Britannian organization approached my mother one day, and took me off her hands in exchange for some money. I was indoctrinated into a special program. At just two years of age I received my Geass from these people," said Megami.

"That's not the… you're not talking about the Geass Directorate, are you?" Ava started alarmed as she recalled the file she had read.

"I don't know what they called themselves. I just know that a boy named V.V. approached me one day when I was a tiny child and after that I was able to slip out of sight. I intermingled with other children, most older than me; I was a sort of test to see how Geass would interact with someone from a very young age, but still I made friends. We'd play and have fun, and it felt nothing but pleasant most the time," spoke Megami in a heavy voice.

"Zero massacred the Geass Directorate entirely. There shouldn't have been any survivors," spoke Ava, shaking her head, feeling pale.

"When I was just six, that happened. Impossible fear caused my Geass to suddenly evolve. The Black Knights became unable to detect me through sight. My Geass even eliminates heat signatures displayed over visual sensors. I was completely invisible to them. My friends weren't. I could do nothing but watch as every one of my friends, every single person I knew was systematically shot and killed in cold blood. Everything was dyed red around me and it wouldn't stop. I wanted to die then, but I was too scared. I just hid in a corner and watched as the bodies of my friends piled up. Twenty years later, the images are just as fresh as they were the day it happened," Megami spoke with incredible emotion. Even in her misery Ava felt for this other in her pain.

"How did you ever recover from that?" asked Ava, shaking a little.

"I wandered the streets out of sight for seven entire years, stealing just enough food to keep me alive. The images never left me, I never recovered on my own. I was a wandering ghost with no purpose in the world. Then fate led a certain woman to me, she and her associates rehabilitated me in many important ways. After seven years as that wandering ghost I wanted to finally become human again. Thanks to her, I was able to start," said Megami in a somber voice.

"I wonder if it will seven years before I'm able to take the step forward myself," said Ava, still trembling.

"Things take time. Loss is painful. No one expects you to be over this tomorrow. I certainly don't," Megami said in a soft voice, standing.

"Thank you for coming to talk with me, Megami," Ava spoke, smiling.

"Hey, it's nothing. It was fun," said the mercenary. "I'll try and stop in again."

"I'd like that," said the Empress, before the other disappeared from sight.

A/N: End chapter. Here we have the more proper follow-up to chapter 18. Mostly it's situational update chapter. I finally did the reveal on Megami's past. You pretty much know her whole backstory now. Interesting, hopefully. She got under Ava's skin quite a bit here. At the same time, Astrid and Chiharu are bonding. Kind of funny, isn't it. Hildegarde confirms the Xuemei fact that was highly debated but should have been rather obvious and receives Yasuko's confession. Richter is given power and a fiancee in an effort to prove that not all the girls in this are lesbians (just the one's you are supposed to like are… or, well Xuemei doesn't have a girl yet, and though she's admitted to being bi, Margaret doesn't have anyone either. Hiromi's only a lesbian if you really read into the Yasuko thing, and Amelia's yet to get a girlfriend either). Jackie really is a bitch. Anyway hope you liked it.

Two more extras posted,

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Adelaide mi Britannia

Everett Coleridge

Hector Cosgrove

Aeolus mi Britannia


	22. Turn 21: Darkness Within

A/N: Turn 21. Thanks for reading. And as it was brought up in a lot of reviews, allow me to say this plainly, Chiharu and Astrid are not going to hook up. You don't need to worry; I won't be screwing with you all like that. Anyway, enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Damian: "The author of this story does not own Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. He does own the original characters in this story."

Ava walked down the castle corridor as if in a daze. Three more days had past. Megami hadn't visited her in that time. She felt lonely. She felt broken. She wanted to company. She wanted to speak with someone who knew sorrow. She wanted someone to share her misery with, someone who could make it just a little more bearable.

Eventually Ava caught sight of someone in the empty hall. A girl walked into a room and shut the door behind her. Ava recognized this girl. It wasn't Megami Subarashii, but it was someone who knew Ava's pain all too well. She wasn't sure she should approach the girl. She wasn't sure this was right. Like her own sorrow, this girl's was entirely Ava's fault. Still, Ava's loneliness found her compelled toward the girl's door. She knocked at it.

"Excuse me, Lady Granville, could I come in for a while?" Ava asked in a tired voice, fearing rejection but knowing she would deserve it.

The door opened a few seconds later. Regina Granville appeared there. Her gaze was stern, but it showed notable surprise, "It's you, Ava li Britannia..."

"I-I… I just want to talk a while… if you don't mind…" said Ava, looking to the side.

"As you will," Regina said as she moved back into the room and sat atop the bed. Ava closed the door and took a seat in a nearby chair. All the Knights of the Round were given guest rooms to use whenever they visited the castle. Regina used hers most of the time; she never returned to the home her and Devlin had once lived within.

"I wanted to apologize to you. After it happened, the only apology I gave you was a halfhearted letter…" Ava said, already on the verge of tears.

"Letter?" Regina started, staring at Ava unblinkingly.

"I wouldn't blame you for never looking at it. It was childish…." said Ava, ashamed of herself. "I should have visited you then. I was too afraid of seeing you in your grief then… and when I heard about how you were taking it… I labeled you insane."

"Is there a reason for you being here?" asked the Knight of Eight coldly, her face appearing quite pale.

"I know you likely hate me. You deserve to…" said Ava in a low voice. "I don't particularly care for myself at the moment, either."

"The darkness of your war will eventually claim us all. Did you honestly think Astrid was any different from my brother?" asked Regina in a dark voice, staring at the other piercingly.

"How do you cope with this darkness they leave behind?" asked Ava in a steady voice.

"I use my sword to spread the darkness to my enemies," said Regina in a soft voice.

"Does that help?" asked Ava, looking down.

"It satisfies me, yes. But does it relieve the pain, does it get rid of the hole in my heart? No; such things are impossible," the knight spoke forwardly, closing her eyes.

"I've only ever killed one man. The memory of it still makes my hands quiver at night some times," said Ava in a dry voice. "Even if I understand your sorrow… I could never be like you."

"Do you honestly believe that?" asked Regina in a sharp voice. "Even if you've been spared the pleasure of cutting them down with your own hands, you've killed far more men than I."

"I know… I like to pretend otherwise… but I know…" Ava, said tears starting to leave her eyes. "I know that I'm the reason Astrid is gone. I'm the reason your brother is gone."

"If you know that, what makes you think your presence is something I can tolerate?" Regina now had a deep intensity in her eyes.

"Astrid was everything to me. I loved her with all my heart… now that she's gone… I just want someone to share my sorrow with… even if she may hate me…" said Ava, knowing she sounded like a needy child. How could she have fallen to this? How could she not pick herself up?

Regina looked at her in a cold way. "Even if I know your pain, do not expect sympathy from me, Ava li Britannia. I have none; I've accepted my sorrow and live to recreate it in whoever I can."

"Don't you ever still wish--- don't you ever still long to see your brother's face?" asked Ava in a cracked voice.

"Yes," said Regina in a low mutter. "Of course I would. It is only natural." Her eyes narrowed. "I like to go back and be with him every so often, even if I realize that is all an illusion."

"Illusion? What are you talking about?" asked Ava, confused by the words.

"I've become a bloody sword within your infirm hand, with no purpose but silencing the lives of men," said Regina. "But when I am returned to my sheath, I sometimes like to trick myself into thinking, I am still the person I once was."

"How do you--? How do you do that?" asked Ava, her eyes narrowed and wobbly.

Regina stood and walked to a drawer. She pulled something out of it and walked toward the Empress. Ava's eyes widened as she looked at the item, recognizing it immediately.

"This is what my--" Ava gasped as the small vial was placed in her hands. This was what her father used for his sorrow. This was the drug that Britannia had developed to help subdue the numbers. This was the drug that had reemerged in the decaying Britannia Ava had wanted to rebuild as a sure sign of its fall from glory. This was refrain.

"This substance allows me to be with him every so often," Regina spoke in a somber voice. This girl was unhinged. She was wavering between a perfect callousness and a shaky emotional insanity. Ava wasn't surprised she was relying on such things

"But then the effect fades and you are only reminded of your pain…" Ava surmised, looking downcast.

"And my drive to find vengeance is thus renewed. The sword becomes sharp and hungry for more blood," the girl said in a kind of shaky voice, actually smiling creepily.

"I can tell that I am not like you," said Ava staring down in disdain at the vial of liquid in her hand, her thoughts on her father. She felt cold. She felt uneasy.

"You've yet to emerge from the darkness with purpose," said Regina, smirking. "As infirm as your heart is, it's doubtful you'll ever find it."

"I am a weak person. As much as I've tried to convince myself otherwise, as much as I've attempted to mask that fact, as hard as I've pressed myself forward, I'm still the awkward little girl who would cling to my mother's leg," said Ava, her self-loathing intense.

Regina just looked at her, not saying anything. A minute of silence passed. Then a knock came at the door followed by a voice.

"Lady Granville, Dr. Wilde is prepared to see you now," said the voice in a strong tone.

"Understood," Regina replied quickly.

"Wilde? What does he want of you?" asked Ava, raising her eyebrow.

"You must ask?" Regina expressed surprise. "The sword that is me is to be reinforced by that man. Richter Novak said it was on your order."

Ava couldn't believe it. Was this girl saying Richter had chosen her for the cybernetic soldier program they were going to start? Maybe this was smart. The girl called herself a simple weapon. Still, to place power in the hands of one like Regina Granville...

"Ah. Yes. That's right," Ava said, ashamed of herself, not wanting to admit that she had no say in things anymore.

"I will go then," Regina said, moving toward the door, not excusing herself or issuing any sort of apology. She exited quickly leaving the Empress alone, sitting in her chair.

Ava's eyes went back down to the vial still in her hand. She would give anything to see Astrid again. She shook as she considered what to do.

---

Jeremiah Gottwald wore a stony expression under his Orange mask. The rest of the Masks were gathered around the meeting table they had set up within the makeshift headquarters they had setup in New Pendragon. Kallen Kozuki and Villetta Nu were also present at the table.

"Thank you all for finding the time to meet here today," he began in a level voice. "We are reaching the climax of this war. What we decide here could very well decide the entire outcome."

"The Empress is fortifying the capital. Taking it now is not within our grasp. That doesn't mean there is nothing we can do at the moment," Sayoko, behind her white mask chimed in readily.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Villetta in a low voice, smirking softly.

"Ava li Britannia is currently wholly focused on the home front. Though we now have held territory, we are still mostly a stealth organization. If we spread our forces to various locations, with some sacrifice we could make an effective resource grab," said Anya, her pink mask moving forward in a nod.

"So, we mean to start something in places where they'd be waiting for us, and then at the same time try to take a place they're not watching so closely?" asked Gold, the media specialist, seemingly surprised by the plan.

"Correct," said Jeremiah in a steady voice.

"And this place we'll be taking, it is?" asked General Kozuki, her eyes narrowing.

"The United States of Japan," said Sayoko proudly. Kozuki smiled.

"A brilliant plan," said Villetta. "The Britannian Empress won't have time to reinforce Japan with her Rounds if we present the proper distractions closer to home."

"Having Japan liberated would bolster support and resources to entirely new levels," said Red, nodding her head softly. "The Chinese Federation may even be able to openly join our cause then."

"The EU is still a big question mark in this mess," said Gold in a low growl. "We really don't know what they'll do."

"Yes, but it's just as hard to get troops from the European continent to Japan as it is from Britannia. They won't be able to react quick enough, especially with the Federation in the way," said Anya in a steady voice.

"It's such a simple plan," said Brown. "But what of those of us leading the decoy missions? Are they to just be abandoned?"

"We'll fly those missions with the intent to win them as well, Brown. Lives will certainly be lost, but what we obtain from winning back Japan shall give us the strength to end this war," Jeremiah spoke, closing his eyes under his mask.

"So, how many custom units do we currently have in operation between ourselves?" asked Villetta in a steady voice.

"We've managed to repair our damaged units from the last major fight," said Blue in a calm voice. "With the loss of the _Onryou_ and _Bercilak, _and the addition of three new models, we have ten customs in all. Eleven if the _Sieg Genesis _needed to be deployed."

"So, how should we split the forces?" asked Kozuki, eyebrow raised.

"You will take lead of the force taking back your homeland, General," said Jeremiah rigidly. "You will use two of our units and whatever units you have that can be deployed from the Federation."

"The two units?" asked Kozuki.

"_Jinketsu _and new unit, _Brunnhilde, _are our recommendations," said Sayoko in a quiet voice.

"The pilot of the new machine is?" the General asked, obviously wanting to know if she could trust the ones handed the fate of her homeland.

"The girl who narrowly failed to kill Ava li Britannia," said Anya with a nod.

"And you're sure she's a better soldier than she is an assassin?" asked Villetta, head titled slightly.

"She is more combat trained than any soldier we have. In terms of ability, few will match her," said Jeremiah, proud of his young daughter.

"Very well. The three of us along with whoever Tohdoh can spare will take back Japan," said Kallen smiling quietly.

"The rest of the force?" asked Gold.

"Brown will lead an assault on a strategic weapons facility on the West coast with _Hokurei _and the two agents we're giving our new customs. Pink will lead an assault with the two Federation models against a small military base to the South," said Sayoko in a strong voice.

"Sounds like proper distribution," said Red, sounding pleased.

"When does the fight start?" Gold gave another question, her voice still pleasant.

"Tomorrow night," said Jeremiah readily.

"Very well," said Brown. "Let's hope we don't lose anyone else this time."

"Right. May luck be with us all," Blue said softly, confidence in her voice.

---

Astrid sighed as she sat up in her hospital bed. She was beginning to feel better with each passing day, even if there still was a lot of pain. Still, she missed Ava and was lonely most of the time. She wished Chiharu would visit her again. She supposed it was only natural that such an important soldier was so busy. Then a knock came at the door and she wondered if maybe that wasn't the case.

She perked up as she called out, "Come in."

The door opened slowly. The one who walked into the room was not Chiharu Ohgi, but Astrid was far from disappointed. This was someone she knew even better than Chiharu.

"Amy?! What are you doing here?" Astrid asked, surprised to see her former maid standing in the door.

"I was saved from my imprisonment in the last fight," Amelia Gottwald explained softly. "For some reason, no one told me we had you until this morning. I would have come visit sooner."

"Oh. I see," said Astrid, smirking happily. "It's great to see you again. Please sit down."

"All right," said Amelia, tilting her head.

"It must feel good to be free," said Astrid, looking down at her lap.

"I wish I could let you free, Astrid," said Amelia, staring at her with a slight sadness.

"No. I understand that that's impossible. I don't hold anything against you," said Astrid, shaking her head. "I never set you free when you were our prisoner."

"I tried to rob you of your beloved," said Amelia somberly.

"I don't hold that against you either, Amy," said Astrid.

"You must miss her desperately," Amelia spoke, looking down.

"You don't know the half of it," Astrid said, a tear leaving her eye. "Before this happened she finally came to return my love."

"Oh, Astrid… I'm sorry," said Amelia, her voice heavy.

"I-It's okay," said Astrid. "I just worry about how she is more than anything."

"Hopefully some sort of prisoner exchange can be worked out," said Amelia. "I'd like the two of you to be happy, even if you are my enemy."

"Thank you," said Astrid, smiling. "You don't know how much your kindness means, Amy."

"While I was being rescued, I saw a fellow prisoner stay behind to tend to an injured Britannian knight she had bonded with. That girl's sister and the rest of my comrades call her a traitor, but I find it kind of beautiful myself," said Amelia with a quiet smile.

"Yeah," Astrid smiled at this thought. "I suppose the boundaries of war have no bearing on us when it comes to love. Who we love isn't something we can help"

"I've never been in love, but it seem nice," said Amelia with a quiet femininity. Thinking about it now, Amelia was far more gentle in manner than Astrid had ever seen her being. " I'm a little jealous of you, actually."

"You'll find someone someday, I'm sure, Amy," Astrid assured with a smile.

"If I live through this war, that is…" Amelia said in a low, reflective tone.

"You're scared?" Astrid questioned, actually a little surprised.

"I'm being handed a top spec custom knightmare tomorrow. With less than a week of training at it, I'm expected to aid General Kozuki in taking Japan back," said Amelia in a somber tone.

"General Kozuki…" Astrid became a little paler and her arm began to hurt a little more as the name hit her ears.

"I'm excited to be able to help out… but I think they may be expecting too much out of me… I failed completely last time…" said Amelia, gently smirking despite her words.

"But it's not the same, Amy! You're really strong! I saw you in the flower garden when you were going to kill Ava. There wasn't a hint of weakness in your eye until I called out to you," said Astrid, shaking her head.

"I know… still… it's too easy to die in this world," said Amelia. She then gave a long sigh. "Tomorrow's fight will also be my first time to kill…"

"That's hard," said Astrid looking back to her first battle where people had died at her hands. "But you just have to remember what your fighting for, then all that wonderful confidence inside of you should be free."

"You're probably right, Astrid. I know I'm making a big deal out of probably nothing," said the assassin with a nod.

"Even if, for Ava, I can't say I want you to succeed, I will say I wish you luck and safety tomorrow, Amy," Astrid said with a smile.

"Thank you," said Amelia with a pleasant grin.

The two would chat aimlessly about little things for a while longer. Astrid's smile never fell.

---

Damian Marsh wore a stern expression as he walked down a corridor. He entered the familiar room with the familiar round table. His eyes went from face to face, staring at the occupant of each chair. So many of the thirteen chairs were empty. The Knight of One wasn't present; a strange girl with turquoise hair and an exaggerated smile on her face sat in his chair. Nonette looked content, young Hildegarde looked troubled, Claudio looked downcast, Winfield looked irritable. The Knight of Seven was dead now, as was the Knight of Nine. The Knight of Eight wasn't there. Blackwell looked vaguely bored and Moore looked rather stone faced. The Knight of Twelve was also absent; in his chair sat Nonette's daughter, a girl Damian himself had helped guide as a new soldier. The Empress' chair also held a replacement; the cold eyed advisor, Richter Novak.

"Glad you could make it, Lord Marsh. Please take your seat," this young man spoke.

Damian nodded and took his chair.

"I will be brief," said Novak. "The enemy is mobilizing. Defense of Vortigern is priority, but we can't ignore the rest of the Empire else we'll incur losses. I am splitting you into three teams. Two of these teams shall be tasked with defending the homeland. The third, smaller team will leave for the more valuable Areas we control on the Asian continent. We can't take any chances."

No one said anything they just nodded or grunted in understanding. The whole room seemed to lack energy.

"Team assignments are as follows. The Knights of Three, Five, Twelve, and this Mercenary woman shall compose team number one. The Knights of Four, Six, Ten and Eleven shall be team two," said Novak rigidly. "The Knight of Two, Knight of Eight and Margaret will be the third team."

"So where are the the Knight of Eight and the Knight of Twelve?" asked the child, Margaret, pleasantly. She was the only one who seemed at ease in the room and in front of the young man.

"They are currently engaged in a special task. Unfortunately, as it is, they will not be able to join their respective teams until after a week or more," Novak spoke with a nod.

"Oh, I see," said Margaret, smiling while most eyes reflected distrust.

"If you understand, that will be all," Novak said and then stood, the meeting concluded. Winfield left immediately. Damian decided to stand himself not long after that. Both Margaret Enneagram and Hildegarde Waldstein followed behind him.

"I've been meaning to visit you, sir. I heard you were injured. I just only recently was released myself," said Hildegarde in an earnest voice as they walked down the hall.

This was true. Damian had suffered severe burns to both his arms in his fight with Larkin, as well as a painful gash across his right arm. He still was far from 100 percent.

"It's all right, Hildegarde," said Damian. "Have you recovered well?"

"My wounds have healed for the most part. I'm ready to fight," Hildegarde said in a rigid voice.

"And you, child?" Damian addressed the girl at his other side.

"I'm looking forward to fighting alongside you again, Lord Marsh," said Margaret Enneagram in a chipper voice, giving a firm nod.

"So you're Lady Enneagram's daughter?" started Hildegarde, looking at the other.

"That I am, Lady Waldstein," Margaret nodded, extending her hand to the other. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said as the gesture was accepted and a short nod was received.

"Margaret is sure to follow her mother's footsteps into our ranks one day. She's quite skilled. It was only with her assistance that I secured that Japanese General's daughter as a prisoner," said Damian in an easy voice.

Hildegarde stopped in place suddenly, her eyes going wide. "That's right! It was you who--"

"What's that, Hildegarde?" Damian started, turning back to the girl.

"Ah, never mind. It's hardly important," Hildegarde laughed and shook her head before stepping forward.

"I heard from the witch that you were the other receiver, Lady Waldstein," Margaret spoke, looking at the other girl.

"You mean you have it too?!" Hildegarde seemed surprised. Damian hadn't a clue what thy were really talking about.

"That I do," Margaret nodded. "I guess it gives us an advantage over other soldiers."

"Yeah," said Hildegarde in a heavy voice.

"You seem unfocused today, Hildegarde. Is something the matter?" asked Damian, looking at his young disciple, the child he had raised almost as his own daughter.

"You once told me that a Knight's heart existed only for his country. His hand existed only for his sword…" said Hildegarde in a low voice. Damian smirked.

"Discipline is important for a child aiming to become a knight, Hildegarde. I never intended you to take those words so literally," said the Knight of Two, somehow regretting the words. "Your father was still a knight when he loved your mother."

"It still feels wrong for me to put personal feelings before my blade," said Hildegarde, blushing.

Margaret gave a soft giggle. "Oh, am I seeing an adult woman get flustered over her first love?"

Hildegarde glared at her hard, though she was still blushing. "That's not how you should address someone who so far outranks you, Britannian soldier."

"Sorry. I meant nothing by it," Margaret said. "Love's a great thing."

"Do you have someone, Margaret?" asked Hildegarde, tilting her head.

"There's someone I admire. He doesn't like me, and he's engaged to someone else though…" said Margaret, her voice heavy.

"I see. That's unfortunate," said Hildegarde in a heavy voice.

"So what about the one you like? What's he like?" asked Margaret with a cocked head and a curious expression. Damian rolled his eyes. Here he was in the middle of two young women chatting about their love lives. He felt out of place.

"Umm… well… it's hard for me to say…" said Hildegarde, blushing profusely. "Very sweet and kind, but fun and clever. Caring… emotional… passionate."

"You seriously found a guy like that, or is this just some sort of dream you had?" asked Margaret skeptically.

Hildegarde didn't respond to that question. She spoke to Damian instead. "Is it wrong to wish to lift your sword for the sake of someone else?"

"Chivalry is the essence of what it means to be a knight, Hildegarde. Wielding your sword for the sake of those you love and wish to protect is the very thing a knight should strive to do," said Damian in a steady voice.

"What about sheathing your sword for their sake?" asked Hildegarde looking down.

"I'm not sure I understand. Perhaps you could clarify the situation?" Damian spoke, not following.

"No. It's okay. I'll figure it out myself. Thank you for everything, sir," said Hildegarde with a slight bow before walking off.

"I like her. She seems cool," said Margaret in an approving voice after the other had left.

"I've seldom seen her in such a state. I can only hope she doesn't let her troubles get in the way of the battle," said Damian with a stern expression. His thoughts finding that girl as a child. Maybe she hadn't come as far as he had thought.

---

Katsumi gave a long sigh as she collapsed on her bed next to her even more exhausted sister. It had been a really long week and a half. She still could hardly believe mother had okayed it, but her and Katsue were being given a formal crash course in the ins and outs of being soldiers by General Zhou. Katsumi's aching muscles made her question whether it was worth it, but she supposed she was glad that she'd be able to follow her mother onto the battlefield.

"Wow, this stuff hurts, sis," Katsumi said, panting. They had just returned to the _Hitokage _from jogging a mountain trail and doing who knows how many other exercises.

"You're already in better shape than me, Katsumi. Imagine how I feel," said Katsue in a heavy breath.

"I know! Maybe there will be less pain if we keep our bodies warm," Katsumi said with a nod.

"Sounds like an idea," Katsue giggled. Soon she wrapped her arms around her sister and took her into a deep embrace. It really was rather warm. Katsumi embraced her back tightly.

Katsumi gave her own girlish giggle. "That's already better!"

"Yeah," Katsue whispered. "I still can't believe this is actually happening. We're actually being taught how to fight like mother."

"It is incredible," Katsumi said in a sigh, staring into her sister's eyes. "I hope it's less scary next time."

"It should be," said Katsue, moving a hand to stroke Katsumi's cheek. "We're stronger now, we know what we're doing, and we've done it before."

"Heh, yeah," Katsumi laughed and blushed softly as she spoke in a quiet voice. "It can only be easier now."

A knock then sounded at the door. Katsumi snapped her head back. Katsue sat up reluctantly. Katsumi rolled her eyes angrily. Training really should be done for the night. What could anyone possibly want now?

"Yeah, who is it?" she asked bitterly.

"General Tohdoh," the answer came in a deep, strong voice. Katsumi's face turned red. She sat straight up. Her sister did much the same.

"Please come in, sir," Katsue said in a stern, militaristic voice. The door opened. The high ranking General stepped in.

"What can we do for you, General?" asked Katsumi with not too heavy a smile.

"General Zhou has told me that your training has come along well thus far," said Tohdoh in a steady voice.

"Yeah. She's been rather pleased with us," said Katsue in an easy voice.

"How comfortable do you feel with how you've come along?" asked the General in a low voice.

"We're getting pretty good at this. Mom's talent really is in us, I think," said Katsumi cheerfully.

"Tomorrow night we'll be flying a mission. As your training is not yet officially complete, I am leaving it in your hands to decide whether or not you want to take out the _Hiodoshi _tomorrow," the General explained his presence quickly.

"You think we're ready, sis?" asked Katsumi, looking at her sister.

"Well, maybe…" said Katsue. "Could I ask for some details of this mission, General?"

"We are going to reclaim our homeland. Your mother will be spearheading the operation," said Tohdoh in a strong voice. Katsumi's eyes went wide.

"Of course we want to help with that!" Katsue exclaimed.

"Yeah, please let us! We'll be okay, even if our training isn't done yet," Katsumi said nodding fiercely.

"Very well. You two will accompany the force we are sending that way as a reserve unit," Tohdoh spoke. "I expect good things from the two of you."

"We won't disappoint you, sir," Katsue said rigidly. Katsumi smiled and nodded.

---

Ulric Cross gave a sigh as his hand moved to open the door to the small research and development room. He was honestly a little skeptical about this whole matter. It had sounded nice off the cocky looking bastard's lips, but it still was kinda strange. Still, Urlic lived to fight. Why then shouldn't he accept any means of making him a stronger fighter, even if it did seem a little fucked up? He entered the room with those thoughts in his head.

Rayner Wilde was standing staring at some documents spread out over a table. Fellow knight, Regina Granville, was lying on a bed nearby, staring up unblinkingly. That chick had been real creepy ever since her brother died. Ulric had lost all his family to either disease or criminal violence so he knew how that shit could fuck with you, but even still the chick seemed to be taking it just a little too hard.

"It's good to see you again, Ulric," Rayner spoke, nodding at him. "How have you been?"

"Pretty fucking great," said Ulric with a smirk.

"Good to hear it," said the scientist, still staring at the papers. "Now, you understand the procedures that we'll be doing?"

"All I know is that you'll be making me much stronger," said Ulric in a heavy voice.

"That's right," said Rayner. "This will not be a quick, painless or all together pleasant experience. You will be put into an induced sleep, but it will likely still be very hard on you."

"But no normal opponent will be able to touch me any more? That's what I'm to understand?" Ulric stared, more hesitant than he appeared.

"Most likely," said Rayner in a tired voice, closing his eyes. "So, I have your full consent?"

Ulric looked down, questioning whether this was right or not again. He was a fighter. Fighting is all he knew. There was no choice then when it came to getting stronger.

"Do your thing, Doc," Ulric sighed.

"As you wish," said Rayner, guiding the other to an empty bed.

---

Cynthia wore a calm smile on her face as she sat in a room of friends. Miya was sitting next to her. The two of them had a the distinction of being the most veteran Absolution agents who had survived all their fights. As such, the two of them were receiving custom units and being added to the elite unit of custom pilots. Cynthia supposed it was maybe a little disheartening that they had gotten there just for surviving and had yet to actually win a fight, but she'd take it. She had need of strength.

"So guys, what do you think?" asked Chiharu Ohgi, a pleasant girl from the elite unit. She looked a little sadder than usual, but it wasn't a terrible sadness, just a slight loneliness, like a certain part of her heart had recently become somehow empty.

"Heh. I've been itching to fight again. There's one opponent I'd give anything to run into," Hiromi Tohdoh, said, a darkness appearing in her eye. This was troublesome. It was the sort of darkness monsters were born from.

"I trust you speak of my usual opponent, should she still be alive," Hu Xuemei started in a cold voice. Her eyes revealed a very shaky, uncertainty, that belied the girl's usual cold persona. It wasn't something dark, just something horribly distracted and troubled, like something she had been avoiding her entire life had haphazardly been forced in front of her eyes.

"Heh, if she is alive, I plan to correct that," replied Hiromi, scowling.

"I'm just excited to be retaking Japan. That will invigorate the troops," said Chiharu smiling.

"Yeah. I may not have ever even been to Japan, but it is my Mother's homeland. I will do everything I can to see it liberated," Amelia Gottwald nodded rigidly. In her eyes, Cynthia saw an intense self-doubt.

"Heh, I know how that is, Amelia. Even if Britannia is all I really know, I was born there and my birth parents were Japanese. It will be nice to see Japan free again," Miya spoke. Her eyes revealed nothing; they were perfectly clear and bright. Cynthia rather liked looking into them anyway.

"I don't think the Japan team has anything to worry about. You guys got the General to rely on," said Wu Chaowei, the lone male of the elite squad and highest ranking member outside of General Kozuki. His eyes didn't show anything very particular, just a reckless impatience.

"You can't just write the fight off just like that. Ava li Britannia isn't stupid. She won't leave the whole of Japan open to us. Besides, the knight to the recently appointed viceroy overseeing the territory is rumored to be a very capable fighter," said Xuemei in a cold voice, the coldness still seeming forced.

"Heh. We'll just have to give it our all and hope for the best. That's all we can do," Chiharu wisely, stated, giving a soft smirk.

"Well put, Chiharu," Miya nodded in approval.

"We should probably begin preparations for tomorrow then," said Amelia with a nod of her own.

"Right," said Chaowei. Everyone stood to disperse.

"Good luck tomorrow, everyone," Cynthia gigglingly chimed in. Miya, Amelia and Chiharu gave her quiet "thank you"s in return while the others hardly acknowledged her. Cynthia left the room with Miya.

"You were awful quiet through all that," the cheery black-haired girl said in a cool voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I hope it didn't seem rude of me," Cynthia blushed, realizing it might seem that way with her having said so little to her friends.

"No, I've never seen you as rude, Cynthia, I was just wondering if there was a reason for it, is all," Miya explained, cocking her head.

"I was just focused on something. I was trying to asses the condition of our friends," said Cynthia, smiling sweetly.

"Assess them? How do you do that? Something like how you judged me based on my reactions to that kiss when we first met?" started Miya, curious and eager.

"I suppose it's similar," Cynthia began deliberately. "But what I was doing now, was looking at their eyes."

"Their eyes? You can tell a lot from that?" started Miya, impressed.

"I think I can," the blonde said in a soft voice.

"Wow, that's pretty cool, Cynthia," Miya said with a short laugh.

"It's no more impressive than what you can do. How you judge whether someone is a good or bad person just after meeting them," said Cynthia, recalling their first meeting.

"So, what did you see in my eyes, Cynthia?" asked Miya, fluttering her eyelashes teasingly.

"Nothing but clarity, electricity and beauty," Cynthia said with a nod. Miya proceeded to embrace her with one arm.

"Aww, thanks. I think you have beautiful eyes too, Cynthia," Miya said with a cute nod, smiling cheerily.

"Why thank you." Cynthia blushed.

"So, the others, they seemed more or less well, right?" started Miya, not removing her arm.

"Not entirely. The Lieutenant Colonel's eyes are about as they always are, but the rest seem off today," said Cynthia.

"Oh? Well, Hiromi's just upset about what happened with her sister," Miya said in a quiet voice.

"I know. Still, I don't like the darkness in her eyes. It reminds me of something I've seen before," said Cynthia feeling cold.

"You can't expect me to believe Xuemei's eyes were any different than usual," Miya started.

"Something happened during the last fight with that girl that stuck with her; it's something she's having trouble letting go of. It may distract her," said Cynthia giving a quiet sigh.

"Heh, never would have noticed. Chiharu and Amelia seem to be in a good mood though," said MIya, cocking her head.

"Amelia is suppressing a fear probably rooted from her last failures or her lack of non-training experience. Chiharu is feeling lonely and despondent, but also not letting it show," Cynthia explained while nodding.

"Wow, you're really something else to get all that just from looking into someone's eyes, Cynthia," Miya laughed softly.

"It's not so difficult," said Cynthia, cocking her head. Miya suddenly then ran in front of her, and started staring hard at her face. "Umm…"

"Hmm, I wonder what's in your eyes, Cynthia," the girl spoke, still staring hard. "I can't really tell."

"You should see a guilty anxiety, a reluctant desperation and discord," Cynthia said, closing her eyes and speaking in a somewhat sad voice.

"You're kidding me if you think I'd be able to pick all that out," Miya giggled.

"Yeah, I know," Cynthia giggled as well. She then looked at the girl. In a serious voice she spoke, "The Empress is your light in the darkness, is she not?"

"She is," Miya said readily, nodding. "I know it may be foolish, moving forward, looking for traces of light in the heart of this darkness, but I believe they're there."

"Your task is a difficult one. That you can approach it with nothing but purity in your eyes…" Cynthia spoke, impressed.

"Your monster, who is he?" asked Miya in a very tentative voice.

"My father," Cynthia spoke, closing her eyes while those of the other widened.

"Cynthia, that's…" Miya started.

"It is what it is and nothing more," spoke Cynthia softly. "He is no longer my father, just a monster to be slain."

"I… see." Miya seemed unsettled. "H-his name?"

"Knight of Eleven, Niles Moore," Cynthia closed her eyes again, repulsed by the sound of the name.

---

Ava sat atop her bed, shivering. She couldn't believe herself. Her hands were shaking as she stared down at what they held; a small vial of refrain inserted into an applicator. Why had she taken this from that girl's room? Why did she still have this? She was losing herself. After so long resenting her father's decisions, was she honestly about to make the same?

The Empress so acutely focused on staring down at the despicable substance that she didn't notice when the door creaked ajar and a figure quietly entered her room unannounced. She didn't notice that woman's presence at all until she spoke.

"Oh, now what's that?" the voice started. Ava looked up. D.D., the immortal witch, was staring down at her with a smug expression.

"You--" Ava started, looking at the woman, putting the refrain aside.

"Oh, I've seen one of those before. Back when you were still just a princess, back at that manor, your father had a few of those in his room," said D.D. staring at the small vial. "I was actually wondering what it was exactly."

Ava didn't answer. She just stared at the woman, ashamed of herself. She couldn't find anything to say.

"I wonder if it had something to do with how disconnected he seemed. How he would sit alone in his room and talk to himself, how throughout it all he never once noticed my presence in that house," D.D. said perceptively, encroaching even further.

"Why are you here?" Ava asked bluntly.

"Oh, I just want to see you, Empress. You are my master, after all," the witch spoke with a soft smirk.

"I'm hardly in a state where I can tolerate your games," Ava spoke, looking downward.

"I won't pretend to understand. Of all the men the dead men who have claimed they loved me, I seldom had much love for any of them in return," the woman spoke, shaking her head. "I just know that a fragile, innocent young girl, isn't so attractive when she's broken as when she's pretending she's strong."

"I really always was just a lie, wasn't I?" Ava gulped. She was feeling cold, on the verge of tears. "Because of what happened to mother, because of what happened to Astrid, I masked my insecurities and weakness six years ago behind cold ambition. You gave me this power in my eye, the power to defeat lies, but in truth I am the most horrid liar of them all."

"Even if it was a lie, the mask of strength you wore for that girl, was beautiful, enticing. Far more attractive than the colorless expression on your face right now," D.D. spoke in a quiet voice, smiling.

"Six years ago, after it happened, Astrid was dependent on me. In her traumatized state, she couldn't be without me very long else she would experience nightmares. We were inseparable then. As she readjusted, she still clung to me. Now, after all this time, it's me who just can't seem to let go… me who is helpless to the nightmares without her at my side…" Ava spoke, sorrow in her heart and voice.

"Heh, there's been no body found. You don't know the girl's gone for good, do you?" asked the witch, tilting her head. "I mean it's similar to the case of your mother, whom you are so adamant is still out there."

"I'm not so naïve, witch. I read the battle report, looking for hope. The _Guren _isn't a machine that leaves enemies alive. Eye witnesses report that _Viviane _was demolished and set aflame. Nothing is known about my mother's disappearance," said Ava, the imagery prompting her to shake vigorously.

"I suppose you have a good point," D.D. said turning around and taking a step toward the door.

Ava froze. For some strange reason, she didn't want the witch to just leave like that. The woman was acting like usual. Why not? Why was she so passive? Why, when Ava wanted something to take her mind away from her private hell.

"Please! Don't go!" she heard herself demand in a half-broken voice.

"Oh? Why not?" the witch spoke cocking her head back.

"Please touch me. Do all those things you usually try to do. Please, I'm letting you now. I want you to…" Ava said with a shiver, looking at the woman. "I need you to help me forget this misery, this loneliness, if only for a while."

"I'm sorry, girl," D.D. spoke, addressing her in a fashion she hadn't since the day they met. "You're beyond what comfort I can give." The witch turned her back on Ava. "Sad sex isn't my thing anyway."

The woman left with that. Ava felt even more alone than before. Her heart was aching. Her body was still shaking. She wanted Astrid back. She wanted her Mother back, and her father too. She wanted things to be simpler, happier. She hated this pain. She hated this loneliness. She didn't want it to persist. Her hand moved quietly, but tremblingly to the refrain. She hated her weakness.

---

Megami wore a cool smile on her face as she flew _Onryou_ swiftly southward. Absolution had launched simultaneous assaults on a military base in the South and a weapons plant in the West. Her team, the Knights of Three and Five at the moment, were flying to meet up with the troops currently engaging them, intent on stopping the assault. Megami had a bit of reluctance in fighting against her former comrades for the first time, but she had no loyalty to them. She was a mercenary. Britannia was paying her. She'd fight whoever she had to fight… minus one certain girl, perhaps.

Eventually, the smoking military base was in sight. A mass of _Vincent Wards _was engaging a mass of _Vincents _and _Vincent Aethers _in the sky above. The fight seemed hectic, but the enemy force was clearly winning. It was Megami's job to turn that around.

"Okay! Let's split up and stop them!" the Knight of Three, the chick who Megami fought in her last fight, commanded her. That was a funny irony. Fate could really screw with you sometimes. It was especially fun when you considered her other teammate, the Knight of Five was also a former opponent.

"Got it!" Megami called back before charging in, _Onryou, _ready to find its mark.

Her grin was fairly immense as she spied a fun mark. It was _Dongfeng, _knightmare of that stupidly cocky Federation Lieutenant Colonel. She steadied her radiant-wave shooter and fired off a blast in its direction. It was evaded, but it got the machine's attention.

"The _Onryou?!" _the man shouted, surprised. "Is that you, mercenary?"

"Heh, heh, it sure is. Except now it's someone else holding my paycheck," Megami laughed cruelly, hoping for a reaction.

"You really do have no shame," said Wu Chaowei. "But I was always hoping for a chance to fight you."

"Well, you have that chance now! Why don't you come see if all I have is my cheap trick'?" taunted Megami, recalling what the young man had once said of her Geass.

"It'll be my pleasure!" Chaowei retorted in a strong voice as he swept in, steadying his two blasters and letting them blaze.

_---_

Miya Ashford wore a blissful expression as she bested a _Vincent Ward. _Her new frame, _Dinadan, _was performing wonderfully. It was a pretty cool machine, shimmering green and vibrant blue in color, with two short but sharp blades as its weapons. It was very small and fast, the only excess weight slowing it down being the two medium sized missile launchers at its shoulders. It had a custom handgun as an additional weapon, but Miya hoped she wouldn't have to use it; she still wasn't the most accurate shot.

She sighed as she moved onto the next opponent. She was moving away from Cynthia in her _Palamedes, _a medium weight, orange and gold machine outfitted with both a maximum accuracy rifle and a maximum destruction hadron cannon. Cynthia had just been engaged by the Knight of Six in a one on one fight and, though tempted to help out, Miya decided that it would be best to spread out and find her own opponent. Once she was a considerable distance from her friend, an opponent found her.

Miya barely caught the giant hadron blast in time to evade it completely. She turned in its direction. The enemy knightmare was in the distance, but it still appeared fairly large. It must have been massive. There was only one knightmare so massive on record that Miya knew of. She trembled as she realized just who had his sights on her. She supposed it was a relief that Cynthia got pulled away early. No matter how important it seemed to her, there was nothing crueler than a child being forced to fight her parent.

Convinced she was doing Cynthia a favor, Miya approached the _Agravain _swiftly, letting some missiles fly as her greeting. She was ready for this fight.

"That's a new machine. An absolution model?" the man in the massive knightmare spoke, revealing a gruff, aged voice, his shields easily brushing off the bombardment.

"This is _Dinadan, _Lord Moore. With it I shall slay your cruel heart," said Miya, trying to sound as much like Cynthia as possible, unsure why she was playing such a game. She racked it up to curiosity. She had a deep wonder as to what had went so wrong between these two.

"E-excuse me, girl… might I have your name?" Niles Moore started in a heavy voice, obviously buying into Miya's game. Even in throwing her voice, she sounded fairly off; it was immediately apparent this man hadn't seen his daughter in a very long time.

"Miya Ashford," she answered, lightening up and becoming more natural.

"Ah, I see. Very well then, girl, I welcome your challenge," Moore spoke, relief in his voice.

"Would you welcome it if I were her instead?" Miya asked in a piercing voice.

"What was that, girl?" Moore asked, caught of guard.

"Would you welcome this fight if it was with Cynthia instead of me?" Miya spoke clearly.

Silence fell for a moment before the reply came. "You know her then…?"

"I do. She is my dear friend," Miya said, rigidly.

"I see. She really has taken up arms then..." Moore said, his voice even heavier than before.

"I won't pretend to understand what happened between you, but I intend to spare her the anguish of having to kill you herself," said Miya, focused.

"Is that so? How noble of you, girl," Moore spoke, his voice deep.

"Let's get started then," said Miya. Soon _Dinadan _had it's blade raised high, ready to engage.

---

Hu Xuemei was trying to keep focused. It had been a hard two weeks. She cursed it. She was still haunted by the words of that woman, Hildegarde Waldstein. Why could she not get it out of her head, even after all this time? She didn't understand it. How could that woman know anything? It was ridiculous, even if the look in her eyes at the time was so stony and resolute.

Xuemei shouldn't have cared about her origins. She shouldn't have questioned them. She was an orphan child left at the palace with only a name. She had been trained to fight and raised from childhood by Zhou Xianglin. She was the blade of the Tianzi. She wore the sword of a hero at her waist. This was everything that defined her. No other truths should matter, even if the uneasiness, the suspicions in Xuemei's turbulent heart had her on edge.

She needed to retain her focus and concentrate. Her _Tianlong, _the name of which recalled the Tianzi, was currently engaged in trying to beat through enemy knightmares as they attempted to take a military base. That's where her eyes had to be. She needed to fight. She needed to win. She needed to send all other thoughts from her mind.

"Why, hello there!" a voice called from behind Xuemei; she darted _Tianlong _to the side quickly, narrowly evading a direct sneak attack. She turned to find herself facing the _Lamorak. _Foul luck would have her facing off against such a formidable opponent in her turmoil.

"Knight of Three, I will not be easily bested!" Xuemei called, readying her fierce blade.

---

Hildegarde Waldstein had an unnerved look on her face. _Galahad Renascence _had already fully engaged in the fray, and was fighting to maximum effect. With Yasuko held deep in her mind, killing her enemies had lost its thrill. It was for Britannia, it was for the Empress. Hildegarde knew this. She could live with it because of this. She still couldn't keep the thought from her mind; what if, before she had gotten to know her, she had cut through Yasuko's knightmare just like any of these others? She would have been spared so many wonderful emotions.

Still, Hildegarde couldn't dwell on such things. She was a knight. Lord Marsh had taught her to swing her sword unwaveringly. She intended to do so, even now, even when she was in love. She just couldn't let go of the notion that something game altering might occur at any moment.

"Well, I'll be damned… Exactly the one I was looking for…" a dark cackling voice came from behind the _Galahad Renascence. _

Hildegarde turned slowly.

"This is your death, Knight of Four!" the voice screamed and soon a massive column of red energy was shooting straight at the _Galahad Renascence. _Hildegarde couldn't move quickly enough to spare a hit though her shields absorbed it, much depleted for the wear. As the smoke cleared, Hildegarde's heart fell. She recognized her opponent. It was the _Hokurei._

"You are Hiromi Tohdoh?" Hildegarde started quietly.

"Silence! Just die! Just shut up and let me kill you!" the enemy shrieked, anguish in her voice. She fired off another intense blast. Hildegarde, shaking, her heart beating fast, did her best to avoid it.

Her hands trembled. Hiromi could and would kill her if given even the slightest opportunity. She had to fight to live. But could she really fight Hiromi? Could she really lift her sword against the family of her love? If she had no other choice, could she really cut Yasuko's sister down?

---

Arienette mi Britannia sat in a chair in the parlor of the viceroy's mansion in Area 11. She honestly still couldn't believe this. She couldn't believe that the Empress would just suddenly, so long after having taken Japan, decide to revive the viceroy system. It was aggravating, especially given she had dreadfully important things to do back home; namely planning her young Jackie's wedding.

But she supposed this was payback for twenty years ago. She had escaped having to serve as a viceroy back then when she was fourth princess of Britannia (or third after Euphemia, one month her elder, died). Now, as small as the imperial family was, it was a necessity if they were reviving the system. It was a good thing Hector was there to keep a handle on all the difficult stuff. With him at her side, Arienette was sure she'd be just as able a viceroy to Area 11 as her siblings Clovis, Cornelia and Nunnally had been.

A door was suddenly slammed open as Arienette sat. Hector entered quickly, dressed in some knightly plates, a sword at his side. He looked most serious.

"Dear, what's happened?" Arienette questioned, standing and approaching her husband.

"We're under siege," he replied gravely. "Troops poured from out of the Federation and Britannia. They have us on both sides."

"What?! But it's only my second day as viceroy! This sort of thing can't be happening yet!" the woman shouted, infuriated by the turn of events.

"But it is happening," Hector spoke in a stony voice. "Yet you needn't worry. My sword shall lead our side to victory over even this foe."

"It honestly better. I don't want to lose face before the Empress when it's that woman's child," Arienette said, coldly, giving a slight nod as she glared ahead, more than a little scared.

"For your sake and Britannia's I shall not fail you, my dear," Hector spoke stiffly, giving her a nod and turning.

"Be safe, dear," Arienette whispered after him as he left the room.

She gave a long sigh as she sat down again, on edge for what was sure to be a most hectic day.

A/N: End chapter. Well, this one was fun. Astrid seems to be doing better each time someone talks to her. On the other hand… Regina and D.D. are hardly as comforting as Amelia… and Ava's taking a downward spike. Will she ever recover? You'll just have to wait and see. But the point of this chapter was not Ava's dark angst. We're moving the war along. I quickly plotted out and started the next fight. But, just so you know, the net chapter won't be a Turn 18 style pure action thing. You'll get to see a few full fights, but mostly you'll just get the highlights this time. Some interesting match-ups happening this time. I'm sure everyone's particularly curious what will happen between Hiromi and Hildegarde.

Anyway, a couple more extras were added. Enjoy.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Dinadan

Palamedes


	23. Turn 22: Severed Connections

A/N: Chapter 22. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: Arienette: "The common born knave who wrote this piece of refuse does not have any claim nor birthright to the source material used to construct this story."

Amelia felt a sort of pain in her heart as she flew above the skies of Japan. Blood was already on her hands. She had killed many men so far, many soldiers defending the Britannian territorial claim to their Area 11. It had been surprisingly easy for her. That made her sad. She had been conditioned to kill, but her initial mission had partly sensitized her to it. If the Empress she was told was evil had the warmth to capture one as pure as Astrid, then how did she know the rest of the ones she killed weren't the same? It left her racked with guilt, but still Amelia persisted. She was strong. She would remain so.

_Brunnhilde_, named to match her father's infamous machine, was a truly formidable unit. It wasn't a Knight Giga Fortress or anything like that, her father just wanted her personal unit to be named as such. The Knightmare was very sleek, thin and smallish, but had large plates at the chest, shoulders and hips; in color it was mostly blue with gold highlights. It's head was shaped like a warrior's helmet, sweeping up on either side in feather-like protrusions; from the back of it ran many thick golden cables that gave the effect of hair, in a similar manner to the _Zangetsu. _It's wings were very large and a light ethereal blue; they swept upward elegantly. In its right arm _Brunnhilde _held a large, thick lance. In its left, it held a mid length sword.

"Wow, what a pretty knightmare. I'd think I'd remember one like that. Must be brand new," said the pilot of an approaching knightmare. Amelia had been watching this unit for a while, feeling ominous about what encountering it would mean. She had never seen the unit before. It wasn't on record at least. It was red, gold and purple and had a long broad sword in either hand.

"I could say the same about yours," Amelia spoke, flying to the side, trying to gauge her opponent.

"Oh no, this is _Ywain's _second fight. You just don't know it because no one who fought with it in the first battle returned to tell the tale," the female pilot, young by her voice, spoke, as if trying to intimidate Amelia.

"Really? You must be pretty confident going into this," said Amelia quietly. "Yet here I am feeling sick to my stomach, having killed for the first time."

"Wait! This is your first fight?!" the enemy exclaimed, surprised either by her opponent's willingness to share this fact or the fact that a complete rookie was being given such a highly custom unit; most likely it was a combination of the two.

"My first deadly battle in this war. I have fought with someone before," said Amelia in a firm voice.

"I understand what it's like. It took my heart many weeks to set itself right after my hands were first coated in blood," the other girl responded brightly. "But I suppose that's not something to discuss with a simple enemy.'

"I'm a simple enemy then?" Amelia started, smirking at the label. If her opponent underestimated her it would be ideal.

"Perhaps not," the other girl spoke. "Tell me then, who are you?"

"My name is Amelia Gottwald," said Amelia in a subdued voice. The other gave a sharp laugh.

"Oh, so this is a rematch then?" she spoke, still laughing.

"W-what are you--? What do you mean?" started Amelia.

"I wonder if you're any better as a pilot than you are as an assassin…" the girl said deliberately.

"You--! You're not--?!" Amelia's eyes widened. It couldn't be.

"My name is Margaret Enneagram. I am the one who bested and imprisoned you," the other girl spoke. Amelia could now attach the face to the voice. She shook a little. This girl who's skill so closely resembled her own, this girl who had defeated her once, she was her first opponent. Her stomach turned again.

"Very well. I have new reason to win then. I will not let the same opponent best me twice," Amelia spoke. She then began a heavy charge with her lance.

"Ha, let's do this then!" Margaret called back excitedly, bracing for Amelia's attack.

She crossed her swords in front of her. The impact occurred. Margaret threw off Amelia's attack and made a quick counter slash. Amelia blocked it with her sword and made a jab with her lance. Margaret moved back just slightly to avoid it and made a quick slash for _Brunnhilde's _side. Amelia wasn't in time to block it but the machine's shields prevented everything but a slight indention to one of the hip plates.

Amelia pulled off slightly and made another jab. It was blocked and countered. Soon the battle had become furious, the two meeting each other blow for blow, each strike perfectly countered, each counter effectively blocked or evaded. No one was breaking through the other and landing a clear blow. Whenever one of them did find an opening it was for a very glancing hit. Margaret was finding more of these said hits though.

After several minutes of intense close combat, Amelia decided to pull off Margaret's blades and put some distance between them to collect herself. Margaret, likely as exhausted as she was herself, pulled back herself. This was truly a skilled opponent. Just like before, this girl proved herself to match Amelia's skill perfectly in spite of her rigorous training. Just who was this girl? Her name would place her as the daughter of the Knight of Three, but Amelia failed to believe anyone but her parents would put their young daughter through the same sort of training hers had. This girl's skill so closely resembled her own that it was baffling.

"What's your trick?! How do you match me move for move, Margaret Enneagram?" Amelia asked, narrowing her eyes and speaking in a cold yet slightly trembling voice.

"Heh. You would like to know that, wouldn't you?" Margaret laughed. "Sorry, but I don't intend to give my secrets."

"Suit yourself!" Amelia responded as she contemplated what to do. She decided to put more distance between the two of them. She could see two large rifles at _Ywain's _side. If she could get Margaret to change weapons, evade the ensuing hellfire they produced and close the gap again, she could maybe then find a proper opening for her lance. She nodded as she flew upward. To not draw the suspicions of her opponent, she held her lance out, as if she was planning a full powered charge from a long distance.

"Do you think I'm stupid?!" Margaret challenged.

She sheathed one of her swords and drew a rifle. It was just one rifle. It looked to be an advanced model VARIS rifle. She fired it in several quick bursts. Amelia swerved to avoid all of them. When she turned back, she noticed, to her horror, that the gap was effectively closed between her and _Ywain. _Margaret's remaining sword cleaved her left arm from her body in one quick swoop. A rifle blast followed it almost immediately, and the greater part of _Brunnhilde's_ torso was left damaged and sparking.

"You really are new at this, failing to see that I would never need to draw both my rifles. Now you're done, Amelia Gottwald," said Margaret with a cold laugh.

Amelia shook. She was scared. She could die shortly. She had to do something to turn this around. She had to unleash the true power of _Brunnhilde, _the light of the warrior maiden. She needed to do something.

"You underestimate me if you think this is over just like that!" shouted Amelia, as she flew her battered machine up to an appropriate angle

"Heh, just what are you planning now?!" Margaret started, her voice showing confidence it wouldn't be enough.

"Let _Brunnhilde _show you her burning judgement!" Amelia called as she held her lance directly before her chest. _Brunnhilde's _chest plate opened up, revealing a large circular device. Her energy wings dissipated, and their energy appeared as a swirling blue light manifesting in a large radius around her lance. More and more bright energy appeared as the _Brunnhilde _began to descend rapidly. Margaret, likely noticing the size of the attack that was prepared for her, began to run. She wouldn't be able to move fast enough. No knightmare could survive this blast.

WIth a deep breath, she unleashed it. A column of pure light, its diameter three times the height of an average knightmare shot from all around her lance, channeling the entirety of her knightmare's energy reserve into pure destructive power. Amelia had made an effort to find a proper angle before firing. She was shooting up and out, so collateral damage would be reduced. She knew it was still very likely that some of her side's forces might get caught in the blast. She hoped they'd forgive her.

Margaret, somehow knowing the strength of the blast beforehand, pulled out her second rifle quickly and fired both off at once creating a sharp additional thrust that propelled _Ywain _to the edges of the blast. She then ejected prematurely, allowing the top half of her knightmare to be entirely incinerated as she flew into the ocean. Amelia, though she had effectively failed, being forced to use her trump card only to fail at killing the enemy, was somehow relieved that this life was spared.

She felt tired as the completely dead _Brunnhilde _fell downward swiftly, not even the life in it to allow the eject mechanism to function. As she prayed that someone would sweep in to rescue her before she crashed down onto the Japanese streets to her death below, she fell unconscious.

--

Chaowei cursed. He couldn't believe this traitorous woman. She had been a part of their "elite squad" just weeks ago, now she had him on the ropes in a hectic fight. She had used her Geass and slipped out of sights. Chaowei had sharp senses, even disregarding his eyes, so he was not so overwhelmed as some people might be. Still, a sharpshooter who couldn't see the target needed to be damn sure of himself to come out on top.

"Heh, you've lasted longer than most," Megami chuckled. Chaowei placed the sound of the projected voice as coming from an angle 30 degrees to his left. He aimed his four guns (he had went to four rather early in the fight, figuring that more guns would make for more lucky shots), and fired at varying angles from the shot. He heard the distinct shot of a blast hitting a knightmare.

"I don't intend to lose to you, woman!" Chaowei shouted as he continued to fire. It wasn't long until he was no longer hearing that good sound. Instead, a short red blast materialized seemingly out of nowhere and impacted him. His right flank started to smoke at impact as one gun was lost.

"Well, I'm not the type who likes losing either, kid," the woman spoke in a sly voice, She was behind him. Chaowei turned around and let his guns blaze. They found the target again. Chaowei's aim was precise as ever. Surely _Onryou _was full of holes now. It couldn't have much stamina left.

"You're through!" Chaowei called as he let his three guns blaze.

"Heh, this has been fun, but I think I'm done," the woman said with a cheap laugh.

"What's that?!" started Chaowei, his eyes wide. Did this woman have something planned?

"You're petty little custom handguns can rack up some serious damage for sure, but when only one out of four is finding me at any give time, you're really getting nowhere fast," Megami said sharply. "You may think that since you can actually score a hit you're a match for me, but those tiny things aren't ever going to take me down."

"We'll see about that!" Chaowei shouted as he shot off an amazing barrage of fire in the direction of the woman's voice. He was causing damage again, he could tell.

"Please evade this. I don't want your life on my hands," the woman said in a strangely sad voice. Suddenly a large column of light was firing straight at Chaowei. It was a Hadron cannon; a powerful one. It's approach was swift. Chaowei swept up, but he would be barely in time. He could do nothing as the left side of his machine was decimated, including its two guns.

"You bitch! Die!" shouted Chaowei as he began to fire his last gun aimlessly, hoping for a miracle.

"I'm sorry. I hope you… I hope everyone is able to forgive me one day," the woman spoke in a soft voice. _Dongfeng's_ last arm was pulled backwards by an unseen force, and snapped off.

Disarmed, literally, Chaowei knew it was hopeless. He had lost. His opponent wasn't killing him. That was infuriating, but he wasn't about to not take advantage of it. He puled his ejection switch, ready to make a quick escape.

---

Rowena Winfield wore a stern glare on her face. This new unit, _Palamedes,_ the woman piloting it had called it, was a formidable opponent. It had a precision rifle that made maintaining distance difficult and an apparently low-energy, easy-fire Hadron cannon that made getting close difficult. _Kay's _shields were gone. Things were getting rough.

Rowena couldn't let herself be defeated again. She needed to be the best. It was her solitary focus, it was her life. Being regarded as the sixth best knight in Britannia wasn't enough. She needed to be better. She needed to force herself to be better. She had promised someone that much long ago. She couldn't bring herself to break that promise, even if she had to become a demon to fulfill it.

"I cannot lose to you, woman, winning here is everything. Winning is my life," said Rowena shaking as she faced _Palamedes_.

"I don't intend to die by you hand either, Knight. There is someone I must kill before I lose my own life," the woman pilot said.

"Vengeance, huh?" said Rowena in a cold voice.

"It isn't vengeance, my story. It's so I can find peace with a mistake I made. Vengeance is something that turns us into beasts," said the woman in her strange, placid voice. Everything about this enemy was infuriating.

"Well, whatever your game is, we're different. It's one head you're after, while I'm trying for as many as I can get!" Rowena called.

"So you are a ravenous beast who seeks only violence?" the woman's voice became colder.

"I don't mind spreading this carnage, so long as I find recognition, so long as I can make it to the top," said Rowena, scowling inside _Kay_.

"So you are the type of beast who kills not because it is hungry, but instead to proudly display the mound of corpses it has created," the woman spoke with clear disdain. "You are the most foul sort."

"Call me what you will, woman, it won't give you the strength to beat me," said Rowena, frowning at the other's words.

"A simple wild beast is hardly a threat to one who hunts a true monster," spoke the woman, her voice sharp.

"Heh, we'll just have to see about that!" challenged Rowena. She swooped downward.

She fired three bursts from her blaster as she made her descent. The _Palamedes _fired its Hadron blaster. Rowena darted to the side and fired her blaster. It landed a glancing hit. She cursed, she was never going to win if she didn't get close and rip into the enemy with her sword._ Palamedes _cannon was just too quick to fire and its blast radius was too large. Even with _Kay's _superior speed, this was going nowhere.

"Damn you!" Rowena cursed as she contemplated what to do. Her greatest strength had always been her unbreakable will and her cutthroat manner. Now she had to use her head. She recalled _Kay's_ specs. There were power settings on both her arm weapons. She had found this stupid and had set both arms to maximum power from the start and never altered them. Looking at the dials now, she thought maybe…

Thinking time was soon over. A high precision sniper blast was headed for her rapidly. Luckily she caught it coming off the rifle and was able to begin quick move to the side. The blast grazed her torso at a not so critical spot, causing some damage, but leaving all the systems in tact.

Rowena decided then to go for it. She rolled to the side of the follow up hadron blast and lowered her blaster settings. She began to fire. Her arm blaster, instead of in short powerful burst, now fired off in a continual rapid stream. Rowena gave an energetic laugh. The blasts were keeping the hadron cannon from firing. They were also quickly damaging the _Palamedes_ armor. Excitement in her eyes, she swept downward, keeping her blaster blazing.

Slowly, Rowena readjusted the power to a middle setting, where the blasts were coming out continually, but had more punch, this just kept the woman even more subdued. The gap closed quickly; Rowena's opponent was surprised and overwhelmed. She pointed her hadron cannon up and shot it through the fire, but some blasts saw it fire at the wrong angle. Desperate, the woman fired off two slash harkens in a last ditch ever to keep distance, Rowena beat these back with her sword, made quicker by lowering the power settings. This did not stay low for long. Optimizing the power in her sword arm once more, Rowena let it punch a hole into the _Palamedes' _chest. The enemy was in time to eject before the blade sliced her in half.

"Don't you see girl, I'm willing to become your ravenous beast. I welcome the title; I celebrate it, if it means my strength shall be recognized," said Rowena in a quiet voice as she stared at the ejecting target, smirking as she pictured her mother's face.

---

Niles Moore remained stalwart as he faced off against a child who claimed to be a friend of Cynthia's. It was with a heavy hand and a heavier heart that he fought this child. He was guilty. He was a sinner. He deserved to die for how he had wronged that child, her mother, and so many countless innocents. He knew this, but the bloodlust inside him mixed with the dark cries for a redemption he knew impossible, compelled him to live on.

Miya Ashford, as this girl was called, was a skilled youth. She didn't quite match that child, Chiharu Ohgi, who would have bested him, but she was certainly headstrong, adaptive, and energetic. Her machine, the _Dinadan, _had a unique combination of explosive high radius missiles and short, quick blades. It was a fast unit, and was slowly whittling away at _Agravain. _Every time Niles made a counter attack, it did more damage in one hit than the girl could create in thirty. There was no way this child could win against _Agravain. _Something told Niles the girl knew this too.

"You're seriously tough… I really did bite of more than I could chew. Blue did specifically tell me that _Dinadan _was worst suited for heavy armored types… but for Cynthia…" the girl panted inside her knightmare, which had just lost the majority of its torso plating to missile fire.

"Cynthia… that child cares for you …?" Niles spoke, his voice sorrowful.

"Yeah. I think so," Miya said cheerily. Niles frowned. Killing this girl would be easy. But with all the pain Cynthia had had to endure because of him, he couldn't bring her any more. He couldn't kill this girl too.

"I will not kill you today, girl," Niles said formally, his voice dark.

"While I'm not too keen on being shown mercy by my enemy, as someone who doesn't want to die today, I guess I could offer you my thanks," Miya said in a caustic fashion.

"This is just for now. Thoughts of Cynthia have made me want to sheath my sword and beg the skies for a sliver of the redemption I don't deserve. If we meet again, if Cynthia comes, I will show no mercy at that time," said Niles closing his eyes.

"I want to know! Tell me, what happened between you two?!" demanded Miya in a bitter but strong voice.

"I killed her mother and then lied about it out of shame," Niles admitted, feeling a deep pain in his heart as the memories began to replay in his heart.

"Y-you… you bastard! You killed your own…" the girl was stunned; Niles could picture clearly the wide-eyed expression on her young face.

"There is more to the story, but it is probably best you view me in this light if you intend to help my daughter strike me down," said Niles darkly.

"Wait! I want to know more! Tell me why you did it, you sick freak!" Miya shouted in discuss. Niles fired a single slash harken. He guided it to the girls back. It sliced her wing pack in two.

"I am sorry. That is all I can tell you for now," said Niles, as the _Dinadan _began to descend rapidly. The girl ejected. Niles sighed. He wondered how many more fights there would be.

---

Nonette Enneagram smiled as she faced down the _Tianlong. _Her opponent was careless. It was hard to believe that this was the foe that Hildegarde always said was so strong. Maybe the child was just off her game today, because her sword moved with such hesitation. It was easy to beat aside.

"Are you even trying?" Nonette roared as she made a sweeping diagonal slash with her axe.

"Damn it… I can't be beaten here…" the girl panted in a desperate voice as she dodged to the right with a quick jerk.

"I'm not an opponent you can take at 75 percent girl. You can only blame yourself for this loss," said Nonette. She hefted her axe up an around. It ripped the _Tianlong's _head from its body.

"Damn! No!" the Federation girl screamed in a child's voice; it was so very different from the voice the warrior Hildegarde described should have. Nonette shook her head in disappointment as she made one final downward slash. The girl ejected before the axe cleaved _Tianlong's _chest in two.

---

Larkin wore an uneasy expression as he watched his opponent, the _Morganna _closely. The Blood Queen had proved herself to be a most dangerous foe. Much of _Bors' _armor had been destroyed or rendered useless. _Bors _was only equipped with two of the hidden rockets he had used to best the Knight of Two and he had already been forced to use one. It had left the _Morganna _in desperate but still functional shape. Larkin just needed to find an opening to use the second and he was sure he'd win.

"Hehehehe, you're actually thinking that you'll best me, aren't you?" the vile woman challenged in a dark voice, with a disgusting high laugh.

"For Britannia's future, I must," Larkin said in a strong voice. Everything was for restoring Britannia to the place it once was, a just and honorable nation, a nation where women like Callista Blackwell remained firmly behind bars.

"For Britannia? Heh, what a stupid reason to fight. What a ridiculous reason to lose your life." The woman continued to laugh cruelly. "Ignorant fools like you really can test my patience."

"Really now?" Larkin spat. "I tend to think your way of thinking is the more ignorant."

"Oh? Killing for the thrill of it is too simple and straightforward a philosophy to be labeled ignorant or foolish. It is what it is. Wasting your life for some misguided ideal of justice, however…" the woman trailed off in a smug fashion.

"You really are a vile person. You deserve no mercy!" Larkin shouted. He was ready to do this. He was going to win.

He let his massive spike shaped slash harkens fly from his shoulders at the _Morganna. _Blackwell beat either back with a slash of her scythe blades and descended rapidly. Larkin hefted his axe. His opponent came to a halt hallway and fired her converger palm beams. These were difficult for Larkin. Saying _Bors _wasn't an evasive unit was an understatement, and these beams were serious. His armor had been thick enough to take a few, but now he had little armor left. This did make evading a little easier though, even if he was fearful of how many more hits he could take.

Larkin swept to the side and under one of the beams and approached readily, his axe held high. He went into a sharp vertical strike at the _Morganna. _Predictably, it pulled back. He fired his slash harkens again. Blackwell beat one back. The other hit and shallowly pierced the side of _Morganna's _chest before Blackwell could get to it. She had a counter ready. One of her scythe harkens fired off and went straight for _Bors' _head. Larkin, dove down quickly. The second scythe harken was fired immediately for his new location. He hefted his axe before himself in defense and hit the sharp blade back.

He wasn't prepared for the converger beams that followed it. He was able to fall to the side to avoid one, but the second hit and pierced straight through _Bors _chest, just inches from his head. His eyes were wide. His life really was on the line. All this woman needed to do was fire one of those beams through him or something vital and that was the end. He really needed to stay sharp. He needed to get his second rocket off.

He fired his slash harkens again, to create a gap. _Morganna _swept up and met them with its scythe harkens. Feeling bold, Larkin pointed his axe forward with both hands and activated its hidden rocket launcher. This was it. This was the battle. This was his life. The axe blades pulled back and the rocket emerged. It fired cleanly toward the enemy. Larkin could soon hear it explode as the battlefield obscured with smoke.

"You honestly think you can kill me with something like that?" Larkin's eyes widened as he heard the women's cold high voice, unaltered as the smoke cleared slowly. _Morganna _was undamaged. The center of the explosion was halfway between the two of them. She had shot the rocket with her hand beams in midair. That shouldn't have even been possible.

"What a sorry thing. That must be the only trick you have," the woman continued to laugh. "Well, it won't save you here. Your life is mine."

Larkin charged forward recklessly with his axe held high. That's all he could do. He wasn't going to run away. He wasn't going to give this woman the chance to see him fall apart. He was going to die a warrior's death if that what it had to be.

"Good bye, my enemy," Callista Blackwell half moaned as _Morganna _outstretched its hands. The deadly beams fired she crossed the horizontally to create a slow slicing effect. _Bors _was split in half effortlessly. Larkin could feel the intense beams tear into his flesh, burning him down to the bone. As intense as the pain was he couldn't even scream. He would stay strong even as his physical form was destroyed. He prayed then that his sacrifice was not in vain, that the strong, just Britannia would one day reemerge in part because of his actions, even if it had to be without him.

---

Hildegarde was breathing heavily. Her opponent just wouldn't relent. _Hokurei _was obviously a defensive unit, but with the hell it was unleashing, one would hardly know. Blast after blast came from its fierce rifle. With the size of Galahad Renascence it had been impossible to avoid them all. She had taken severe damage. Hokurei was all but untouched, however.

Hildegarde was scared. She was treating Hokurei like it was something fragile. She didn't want to hurt it. She didn't want to hurt the sister of the one she loved. She couldn't. She couldn't let herself die either.

"Stop running away and fight me already!" Hiromi demanded in a sharp scream, firing off another radiant wave blast. Hildegarde did her best to avoid it.

"Please! I don't want to fight you," Hildegarde spoke, concern in her voice.

"Funny, because I want nothing more than to erase you from this world!" Hiromi retorted, firing off another blast with another sharp battle cry. Again Hildegarde fell back and evaded.

Hiromi wanted her dead. This had been apparent from the beginning. Hildegarde knew Yasuko was just as much at the heart of her sister's rage as she was at Hildegarde's hesitance. Hildegarde was the reason Yasuko had betrayed them. Hildegarde was the reason Yasuko wasn't with this girl right now. Hiromi likely had herself convinced that Yasuko would return were Hildegarde killed.

The blasts kept coming. One connected and destroyed some plating. Hildegarde was becoming careless. She needed to win. She needed to win without killing Hiromi. Attacking the wing pack would have been obvious. Hokurei, though not particularly agile itself, could easily move faster than the comparatively massive Galahad Renascence. Despite trying, there was no clear way to get behind it. The radiant wave surger shield generated by the shield Hokurei held was far too strong to work slash harkens around too.

It was difficult, with its mammoth, destructive sword, her knightmare was meant for the kill. Sparing opponents wasn't something _Galahad Renascence_ was particularly good at. If only she could see some opening. She kept thinking that as she worked her way around another blast.

Then it happened again. Her Geass activated. It was a familiar sensation. Hildegarde was now seeing through Hiromi's eyes. She wondered what it would be she saw. She was inside what looked like a knightmare hangar. _Hokurei_ was in front to her. An aged man stood in front of _Hokurei._

"Are you sure about this, dad? I know Chiharu was being all insistent about it, but you could probably find better candidates for the pilots of these custom units," Hiromi addressed the man, General Tohdoh, in an uneasy voice.

"It may not be a fair thing to the others but, it would do my heart good to have you safe behind _Hokurei's _shield, especially when I know you will keep Yasuko behind it as well," the girl's father spoke in a stern voice. "Besides, I know I can trust you. You've always had a strong, level head on your shoulders, Hiromi."

"Yeah, but…" Hiromi started, her voice indicating doubt.

"I know it's a burden, but I have faith in you enough to bear it," the man spoke.

"Well… alright then… if you insist," Hiromi sighed loudly, shaking her head.

"Here. Read this. You don't have long to completely familiarize yourself with this machine," Tohdoh, spoke handing the girl a thin, wide booklet. It was the _Hokurei's _manual.

"Alright, dad," Hiromi spoke. "But… Chiharu…?"

"Aside from her enthusiasm that girl has an incredible level of skill. Besides, she survived something horrible. Your mother wanted to appease her," the girl's father said.

"Ah, I see," Hiromi said. She opened the book in her hands and peered at it.

Hildegarde could see its contents clearly. She couldn't read most of the text, as the majority was written in the Japanese language, but everything was drawn out in a clear, concise fashion. Hildegarde quickly analyzed the manual as Hiromi slowly flipped through it. She was able to quickly memorize the size, shape, depth and location of the actual pilot's seat and the thickness of the armor. She also noticed that there was a concealed high-grade, Guren quality fork knife hidden under the shield. As it was, _Hokurei _had a lot of bulk to its design, its cockpit was situated kind of high and further back than typical. Knowing this, Hildegarde knew she could win the fight without killing Hiromi.

The second the vision disappeared, a massive blast hit Hildegarde dead on, warping a portion of the chest, and causing sparks to fly, but luckily not breaking into the cockpit. Hildegarde collected herself, analyzing the _Hokurei _quickly, trying to match it up to the designs in the manual. She calculated what she had to do. It was going to be difficult and risky, but she was confident she could do it now.

"It's time I fight you for real," said Hildegarde, announcing her intention. She drew her massive sword.

Hiromi fired another blast as Hildegarde made her swift approach. She went into a slash aimed specifically for Hiromi's shield. The girl failed to anticipate the range of the heavy weapon and the attack connected. The sheer power of Hildegarde's sword was enough to rip the shield from _Hokurei's _hand_._

"Heh. Die!" Hiromi shouted, her hand immediately drawing the fork knife and going for a surprise killing blow. This was a move that might have bested Hildegarde if she didn't know about the knife; it would have caught her off guard before she could react. Of course it wasn't a surprise for Hildegarde who was anticipating it.

As Hiromi made a swift and deadly charge, one of Galahad Renascence_'s _hands left its blade and fired the five slash harkens from its fingertips. They wrapped around the arm holding the knife and pulled the _Hokurei _toward her. She then reared her sword and with some difficulty let lose a one handed diagonal slash. It ripped through _Hokurei's _shoulder, detaching the arm and coming down across the torso, staying clear of the cockpit, before coming out and severing a leg.

Though she was effectively left with half a knightmare, Hiromi still pointed her rifle at Hildegarde. "Die!" she screamed again as she fired. Hildegarde easily avoided it and went into another slash, this time destroying the rifle.

Even still, Hiromi fired a slash harken. She was so blinded with rage. It made Hildegarde feel an indescribable guilt. That she was at the root of such strong feelings, she could hardly fathom it. She didn't deserve Yasuko's love. It was an impossible thing. Despite what the girl may say, Yasuko really needed to return to Hiromi and her friends. That's where the girl belonged.

Those were Hildegarde's thoughts as she turned and left the battered _Hokurei, _still somehow flying, in the air behind her. She could hear Hiromi's furious screams and cries. They ate at her heart.

---

Damian Marsh was cool and collected as he flew into the intense battle happening over Japan. The Britannia forces were becoming thin. Even with the aid of Margaret and him, this wasn't going to be an easy fight for Britannia. As he spied a fast approaching unit and instantly recognized it, he knew this wasn't going to be an easy fight for himself either.

"The greatest champion of the war 20 years ago…" Damian spoke as he stared straight ahead at the infamous _Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. Eight Elements_. "I always did regret that I never got my chance to face off against an opponent of your caliber."

"You would be the man regarded as the second best knight in Britannia. You are the one only outranked by Gino Weinberg," Kallen Kozuki said, not as a question but as a statement of fact.

"It is age and experience more than skill that has me above many of the others," Damian said, shaking his head.

"Fair enough. Even so, you are more of an opponent than any I've had in this war," said Kozuki with cold intensity.

"You've killed two of my fellow knights now. I am not a vengeful man, but I do honor my fallen comrades. I will let their spirits guide my lance," said Damian in a tense voice.

"I see. So Weinberg thinks his daughter is dead?" Kozuki spoke in an amused voice.

"Young Astrid is alive?" Damian's eyes widened. Could that be true? _Viviane _was reported destroyed. Kallen Kozuki was not the type to spare an adversary.

"That girl deserved to die for what she helped that other girl unleash into this world. I showed her true fear. I however didn't boil her flesh with radiation as I did that other Knight. I reduced her machine to a smoldering heap and left it up to her and fate to decide whether she died or not. Even if I have guilts in my past regarding the Knight of One, that's all the compassion I had at the time," Kozuki spoke in a very clear, honest voice. Damian was impressed.

"You still ripped Devlin Granville from this world. You still forced his sister into a living hell. My lance's aim will not be any less true knowing you spared one child," Damian spoke.

"Suit yourself, Knight of Two," said Kozuki with a short laugh.

Damian held out his lance. He went into an immediate rapid charge. Kozuki didn't move to evade until the last few moments. She stepped aside and let a wide area blast escape her radiant wave surger arm. _Constantine _shook, but its shields remained more or less intact. He turned around quickly and fired a massive blast from the lance blaster. Kozuki showed no indication of surprise and dodged to the side. She went in for a grab with her claw.

Damian pulled back quickly. The claw came rushing after him, detached and guided by the attached harken booster. Damian fired a blast at it, halting its course and forcing Kozuki to withdraw it. He smirked, that's what he needed to do to beat this opponent. All he had to do was destroy that arm, and his would be the better knightmare.

_Constantine _withdrew further, putting a decided gap between himself and _Guren_. Kozuki fired off the _Guren's _missile launcher. Damian shot a blast into the twelve missiles coming toward him. Three of them made it through and continued toward him. Damian took them out with his shield-spike slash harkens. He then, luckily, caught the long range radiant wave blast coming straight at him and managed a sharp dodge.

Damian didn't waste a second. He went into a lightning charge with impossible force behind it. Again, the agile _Guren _escaped his grasp but he wasn't expecting a hit. _Guren_ evaded to his left, just as he had predicted. He fired his slash harkens all off at once before he had even stopped his charge. He saw the harkens coil around the infamous right arm and pulled them taut. He then aimed his lance and jammed it straight into the underside of the radiant wave surger before Kozuki could charge it up. Kozuki pulled out her fork knife and made a quick swipe. Damian pulled off. He could see he hadn't completely destroyed the arm, but it was sparking horribly and seemed to lack functionality.

"Heh, you're a smart man, Knight of Two. I wouldn't have expected any less," said Kozuki in a voice no less rigid and intense than it had been previously. "But even one-handed, I'm still a force to be reckoned with."

"Of course. I haven't won yet. But you should know that I do not plan to return to Britannia having lost today," replied Damian in a strong voice.

"Very well. Then come at me and prove you deserve to return victorious!" Kozuki shouted.

Damian began another sharp charge. Kozuki fired off some missiles which slowed his charge and depleted his shield. _Guren _then flew forward and went into a high arc slash with its super sharp fork knife. All Damian could do was ready his shield. It tore straight through it like it was forced himself back. _Guren _really was a masterwork. Even without its primary weapon it was still more deadly than just about any knightmare one could face. This was still the furthest thing from an easy fight.

Having lost his shield which held all his slash harkens, all Damian had to rely on was his trusted lance. That would be enough. It would have to be. He remained calm and cool as he pulled back and fired a quick shot before pushing back. He'd keep his distance and rely on the blaster. Guren's missiles weren't the most powerful things and he doubted he had a gefjun net on her at the moment else she would have already used it. If Damian kept out of the fork knife's reach he had offensive superiority.

He fired a burst from his lance. Kozuki flew around and past him. He backed away rapidly and fired another blast. _Guren _avoided it still and continued its approach. Damian rolled to the side ad fired another blast off, still keeping to a safe distance. This one was of such proximity that Kozuki couldn't break completely away. It was a hit. Guren showed signs of damage.

"Heh, I really haven't had a good fight since way back then. I have to thank you for that, Knight of Two," Kozuki spoke. Clearly a true warrior, her voice showed no fear, only strength and conviction.

Damian could respect these words. This as his first fight with a real opponent in twenty wars as well. Larkin Ellison had bested him, but it was only in sacrificing his own men and relying on a secret weapon. This was a true battle.

"You're quite right, General Kozuki," he said pointing his lance forward. "But it's not over yet."

"True enough. One of us will die before this is through," Kozuki said in a dark voice. "And I hope you don't mind but I intend to make sure that it isn't me."

"Of course," Damian said, smirking. "Let's end this."

"As you wish," the other replied.

A blast shot from Damian's lance. Kozuki twisted around it and charged in with her fork knife held out. Damian dodged to a side and fired a quick blast. Kozuki avoided it. Damian didn't relent. He wouldn't stay still. he wouldn't let her get close. He kept moving backward and firing blast after blast, each time he was lucky enough to score a hit, it leaving the _Guren _more damaged.

After minutes of this, Damian decided it was time to go in for the kill. Kozuki wouldn't be expecting it now. There was no reason for him to approach her. So that's exactly what he did. After one final blast, he went into a sudden and lethal stampeding charge straight at the legendary unit. He could feel his lance as he grew closer. He could taste his victory.

But victory didn't come. Instead, a machine came speeding toward him. His arm was grabbed mid charge and thrust backward. He was held in place. Damian gasped. Outside interference at a time like this?

"The reserves are here!" an energetic voice announced proudly from the unknown machine.

"That voice--!" Kozuki started, turning toward the sound. Damian turned his own head. The unit holding him was reminiscent of _Guren_. It was red with large claws. He had never seen it.

"We thought we'd give you a hand, just in case you needed it, mom," the inflection of this voice was noticeably different from the first even if they were very similar.

"Girls! You came to--!" Kozuki seemed startled. Damian closed his eyes. The other red unit was being piloted by Kozuki's children. One of his primary regrets being that he never started a family of his own, Damian knew this was fitting.

"You got this, mom," one of the bright children's voices said. Damian smiled. The unknown unit's hold on him was strong. He couldn't break away.

"I apologize, Knight of Two. I would have preferred to keep this fight between you and I," Kozuki spoke in a full voice.

"It still is, Kozuki. It still is," Damian said, smirking as the Fork Knife was jammed into the core of the _Constantine._

He could feel the heat welling up under him. He had no regrets. He had been bested by a better opponent, a woman of true strength. He had lived a long time, outlived most of the men who knew him.

"Be well, Hildegarde," Damian whispered as an intense light and heat surrounded him completely.

---

Chiharu Ohgi wore a proud smile as she flew _Jinketsu _high above the skies of Japan. She was doing it. She was taking back Japan. She was freeing her homeland from the grasp of her enemies. She was making a difference. She would keep her promise with L.L.. She would avenge Kiyoko. She would take yasuko back. She would kill Ava li Britannia. For once, all these goals seemed possible.

As she flew ahead, Chiharu's eyes narrowed on a single unit. It was at the back of the force, seemingly commanding the others. It was large but not overly so, shimmering silver primarily in color with some gray and blue, and held an incredibly thick oversized sword in one hand. It had an overall strong, imposing presence. Chiharu approached it with intent to take it down. It looked up at her. It flew toward her slowly.

"That is an interesting unit, you've got there. Could I have its name?" the enemy pilot asked. His voiced was well aged but had a strong noble quality to it.

"This is _Jinketsu. _It means 'hero' in the language of Japan," said Chiharu, smirking lightly as she gazed at the enemy. "I intend for it to live up to its name."

"Well spoken, girl," the man said. "This machine is called _Urien. _It is named after a knight and king. It was provided to ensure Area 11 was kept firmly in Britannia's hand."

"I see," said Chiharu. "And if I may ask, what is the name of its pilot?"

"I am called Hector Cosgrove, acting Viceroy of Area 11," the enemy replied. Chiharu smiled. This was it. This was the leader of the force here. The most crucial fight of this battle had fallen into her lap.

"Very well," was all Chiharu could say. She swept downward, her spear pointing firmly ahead.

"Show me your strength, girl!" Cosgrove challenged as he met the charge head one.

_Urien _was surprisingly fast. Its sword was coming at Chiharu quicker than she would have expected something so large could be swung. Chiharu darted back out of its range. She made a vertical slash with her spear. _Urien _fell back and unleashed a swift and fierce full body swipe. Chiharu activated her Geass to jump from its path. She then fired off the two slash harkens in _Jinketsu's _left arm, aiming them at the massive sword. They wrapped around it and held it in place.

Her enemy immobilized, Chiharu dived into a quick yet deadly stab at the heart of _Urien. _ Of course, she hardly expected things to be so easy. _Urien's _empty left hand was lifted at her. It gave a faint glow for a moment and then something shot out. Chiharu used her Geass to break away before this something could hit her. Turning she saw it was a thin, destructive beam weapon all but identical to the ones used by the _Morganna._

"You have considerable skill to have evaded that completely," said Cosgrove, obviously impressed.

"I can't fear kings, not when I have the Power of the King inside of me," said Chiharu, thinking it was a cool thing to say. "I won't lose to you today."

"I'm not sure I quite follow you, girl, but you certainly have the spirit," Cosgrove spoke in a strong voice. "Come! Let me test if it is only just empty words!"

Chiharu gave a fierce battle cry. She went in for a quick slash with her spear, followed by a short jab and a full thrust. The obvious veteran remained ahead the whole time, offering a single wide slash at the end of Chiharu's barrage, depleting her shields and sending her flying backwards. The man then fired his beam weapon again. Chiharu had to do another quick activation of her Geass to break away.

Hector Cosgrove wasn't an opponent to take lightly. _Urien _was a well-built and deadly machine. It was exactly the sort of machine you do have lead the force safeguarding an important remote territory. Still, for Japan, Chiharu had to emerge from this fight victorious. There was no other option. She couldn't hold anything back. Her eyes burned with Geass. She could feel her heartbeat quicken exponentially.

_Jinketsu _moved with blinding speed as Chiharu pushed it to the limits its machinery allowed. _Urien _went into a deep, quick slash. Chiharu moved narrowly to the side, spear held forward. With all her strength she made a full on slash. She watched as the fierce blade cut through the _Urien's _shields, and scraped its chest blade. She then zoomed to the side before her opponent could react.

"You've been holding back, girl," Cosgrove spoke, his voice heavy. "That unit…"

"It's not _Jinketsu _but me you should be worrying about!" Chiharu shouted, her focus deadly.

"Is that so?" Cosgrove started. "What is your name then, girl?"

"I am Chiharu Ohgi, the one who will take your life!" Chiharu said, nothing but strength in her voice.

"Then show me!" Cosgrove demanded. _Urien's _left hand extended. It's powerful beam shot forward.

Chiharu gave another cry as she flew straight ahead, just inches above the high powered beam. Cosgrove went into a full body vertical slash. Chiharu continued ahead, her spear held forward for a heavy thrust. The two units clashed and passed each other by.

"I see. Well done, girl," Cosgrove spoke. "Your strength was the greater today."

Chiharu could hear the _Urien _exploding into a fiery blaze behind her. The heat from it had reached her. She gave a relieved sigh. She had done it. Her home was free once more. She took a deep breath and began to fly JInketsu down to the ground below. She landed it. She deactivated her Geass.

"Please, someone, make sure I don't die okay…" she said into the comm system through an intense yawn.

In just seconds she was no longer conscious.

---

Arienette mi Britannia felt an incredible nervousness in her stomach as she sat in her chair inside the Viceroy's mansion waiting for some news. It was almost unbearable. She could hear it. She could hear the loud sounds of war even through the high roofs and thick walls. Hector was in that. He was in that and it was becoming quieter. Sitting alone, cut off from everything, she was filled with nothing but fear and apprehension.

"Lady Viceroy, hurry! We must leave this place!" the door suddenly was thrown open violently. A young man of Britannia emerged, looking frantic.

"Leave?! But what of Hector?!" Arienette started, pale and shaking as she faced the young soldier.

"Lord Cosgrove has fallen in battle. Our forces are depleted. Area 11 has fallen to the enemy," the soldier reported, his voice shaky but strong.

"No… Hector is…" Arienette's eyes began to water at once. All color left her skin. She felt cold.

"Lady Viceroy, we can't waste any more time! You are the crown princess of Britannia! Losing you to the enemy, would be--" the soldier started, approaching her, grabbing her by the hand.

Arienette looked at the young man. He was an attractive, nice looking young man; the kind of man who caught her eye, the kind of man Hector wasn't. She looked at the man, knowing she had to listen to him. She had to move forward. She nodded as she looked the young soldier in his eyes.

Then, very suddenly, a loud sound filled the room. The red of blood splattered out across the room as a bullet found the young soldier's head. His lifeless body fell to the floor. Arienette, eyes wide, turned to find the culprit. Her eyes were filled with an intense confusion. Standing in front of her, holding a smoking gun, was none other than her husband, Hector.

"Hector! You're alive. So he was an enemy? He was lying?" Arienette's expression changed quickly to one of blissful content.

Hector didn't say anything. He just moved toward the dead man's body. Arienette thought to rush forward and embrace him, but something was off. He bent down and picked up the gun the other man wore.

"Britannian scum! Japan is now ours!" a voice shouted in the halls. The entire mansion was soon blazing with the sound of gun fire. Very shortly a man appeared at the door holding a gun. He was an enemy soldier.

"The enemy viceroy, heh?" he started pointing his gun at Arienette. "You both are now our prisoners!"

Hector promptly shot the man in the shoulder with the first man's gun. This hardly deterred him. He fired at Hector's head. For some inexplicable reason, it didn't connect. It passed straight through Hector's face as if he wasn't even there. Hector shot the man again, this time in the head, killing him. He placed the gun back at the side of the first corpse and began to walk toward the second corpse.

"Hector, please, how are we going to get out of here? The mansion's probably swarming with them by now!" Arienette stammered, stepping toward her husband as he lifted the second man's gun. To her horror and surprise that gun was soon pointed at her.

"Hector, dear, what's the meaning of this?" she asked in a tentative voice, now scared again.

"I must apologize. I'm not who you think I am," Hector said, except it wasn't Hector's voice, it was thinner and darker. "I don't even know what voice to use with this form."

"W-who are you?" Arienette shook as she stared at this other.

"I'm sorry. Knowing wouldn't do you any good," the impostor said.

Arienette had little time to recognize anything more than the sound of a gunshot, a sharp and then a dull pain before her world went black.

---

Richter Novak wore a stern expression as he entered the throne room, feeling incredibly awkward and unsure of how to deliver the words he had. He looked at Jackie, his fiancée. She looked up at him.

"So, tell me, Richter. What has transpired?" she asked in a steady voice.

"We were unable to maintain Area 11," Richter said with regret.

"Now that's unfortunate," said Jackie. "It's the land from which Zero came; its importance isn't just in resources."

"Exactly. It's most regrettable," said Richter, narrowing his eyes. "But losses at home were kept to a minimum. Losing Area 11 doesn't equate to losing this war."

"So what of mother and father?" asked Jackie, giving a quiet nod.

"Your father fell in battle against the unit known as the _Jinketsu,_" said Richter forwardly, completely unsure how the other would take this news.

Jackie turned a shade paler. This was of course entirely her fault. She was the one who sent her parents to Area 11. She surely knew she was at fault. Still, there was a surprise and horror hidden in her cold expression.

"Father…" Jackie said under her breath. "And mother?"

"Your mother was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head. Evidence indicates she was caught in a standoff between a Britannian and a Japanese soldier, both found dead in the same room," Richter conveyed, his voice heavy.

"M-mother too…?" Jackie started with a quiver. Richter could faintly see a tear leave one of the girl's eyes.

"It's unfortunate that it had to happen like this," said Richter, failing to put much emotion in his voice.

"No. I had to expect this…" said Jackie. "Isn't that why I sent them there in the first place? To be rid of them…"

Despite her words, Jackie looked quite fragile at that moment.

"Losses are a natural part of existence. It's best not to dwell on them," said Richter in a stern voice. Jackie looked at him.

"Yeah," Jackie smiled at this. She gave a short laugh. "Unless you want to become like my disgusting little cousin."

"That's another matter I thought I might bring up," spoke Richter, closing his eyes.

"There have been developments with that loathsome girl?" Jackie said with an added layer of cruelty to her inflection.

"Word is that she's been experimenting with refrain use," Richter said, trying to mask his disappointed. It was hard seeing one who he had once held in high esteem having fallen to such a level.

"Refrain use?!" Jackie gave a dark, callous laugh. "It would certainly do us well were she to become addicted."

"The woman doesn't lack willpower. She'd eventually break out of such a habit without intervention," Richter said deliberately, nodding.

"Intervention?" the woman smile deepened.

"If we make it easy for her. If the substance is always right in front of her, we might be able to use it to keep her fully subdued," Richter said, giving another nod.

"Brilliant!" Jackie said, giving another sharp laugh. "We can only hope it robs her of her health. That or she overdoses."

"Certainly. If she dies by a means out of our hands, we'll still have the people's favor," Richter spoke solemnly.

"And my brainless sister is the only thing keeping me from being the natural heir," Jackie said quietly, though there were signs of regret behind the words.

"If it was time for succession, I doubt your sister would argue you are more fit," Richter assured.

"You're quite right," said Jackie. "We really could not have to hide behind a puppet anymore. I really could be Empress any day now."

"I'll do my best to make sure that happens," Richter said, closing his eyes again.

"R-Richter," Jackie looked at him, clearly enamored. He smiled. Thanks to this girl, he was sure that he'd have direct control over the entirety of the Holy Britannian empire any day now.

A/N: End chapter. Not as long as some, but I think this stuff functions as a complete unit. Putting anything else in would just be stretching. This was mostly a battle chapter as it turned out, but I tried to keep it from becoming cumbersome like Turn 18 seems to be. I just showed you a glimpse of most of the fights, omitted the one I had no interest in. You can probably figure it out by filling in the blanks, but if not, Claudio fought Anya (and probably lost); I just didn't really care or know how to make it interesting. Lots of character deaths this chapter. Larkin, Damian, Jackie's parents. Mostly, despite being a battle chapter, this one was also a transitional chapter. Chiharu's building stride and confidence, Hildegarde's making practical use of her geass and beginning to wish distance between herself and Yasuko, Hiromi's still broken and dangerous, the Niles-Cynthia thing is party revealed. I think Rowena's fight showed great character progression. Xuemei was completely useless here. She really needs to return to the Chinese Federation and have a certain talk so I can make her awesome again. Oh and Amelia and Margaret; they both got their chance to be cool there at the beginning. Interestingly, this was the first chapter that contained neither Ava or Astrid.

And as it was, I didn't have the time nor the energy to do any more than one extra this week. It's nothing fun either. Still, hope you enjoy it.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Brunnhilde

Urien


	24. Turn 23: Blazing Spiral

A/N: Sorry for the lack of update last week. My laptop charger went out (for the third time; first time out of warranty…) and as I didn't want my battery to die, I couldn't really type anything until the new one arrived. Anyway, let's get this thing rolling again. Stuff happens this week. Stuff in this case includes lesbian sex. Just a warning for those who skip such things; when it looks like it's going to happen, it is.

Disclaimer: Callista: "The author of this story does not own the characters and elements from the original work, just the ones he himself created."

Chiharu approached the familiar door within the New Pendragon Absolution base with a firm smile. She was eager to see the faces on the other side, faces she hadn't seen in a week now, and share the joys of the recent victory. Japan was free now. Absolution was on the up swing in the war. Morale with everyone she had spoken with thus far had been high.

She was in a better mood than most. The slight longing she had entered the fight with had been replaced with pride. She had won. She had personally defeated the enemy viceroy. She had spear-pointed the charge and freed her home. For her valiant efforts she had been awarded a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and had been praised personally by both General Kozuki and General Tohdoh.

But it wasn't just her, the whole of their allied force was in good spirits. Japan had been liberated. They had killed the crown princess of Britannia in the process, something that, though it energized the force, Chiharu herself was uneasy about. Absolution was meeting Britannia move for move now. The Federation had reentered the war as well now and was fighting the EU all out. For the first time in the war, victory seemed like something realistic.

Chiharu nodded. She felt good. General Tohdoh had given her the option of staying on in Japan and flying under him, but she had opted to return here after a week. As long as Britannia was the front line of the war, that is where she wanted to be. Her hand moved to open the door quickly. She entered the room the elite unit she was a member of used with her smile. Amelia, who had returned to Britannia much quicker than she had, Chaowei, Miya and Hiromi were there. Xuemei and Cynthia weren't.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Chiharu greeted cheerfully.

"Hi Chiharu!" And she received a cheerful response. Just one. Miya Ashford smiled at her happily, with bright eyes and nodded. Chiharu smiled back at her and then looked at the others. They weren't smiling. No, that's not all, after Miya's greeting there was silence, a tense, horrible silence.

"Hey what's this about, you aren't pleased to see me back?" she started, tilting her head.

"No, I'm sorry, Chiharu. It's great to see you," Amelia said, bowing her head just slightly. She looked preoccupied. "I heard about your promotion. Congratulations."

Chiharu sighed. This girl had been forced to her limits and had to resort to an attack she clearly hadn't wanted to use. Chiharu understood her distant frown.

"Thanks, Amelia," she said softly. The tense silence then resumed. After a while she looked at Chaowei. "So, you hear? You no longer outrank me."

"Yeah, I heard," the young man spoke in a aggravated growl. Chiharu scowled. Was he mad at her or upset about something else? She couldn't tell. All she knew was that he wasn't his usual braggart self.

Chiharu sighed loudly. She looked at Hiromi. Hiromi had her "don't talk to me right now or I'll kill you" face on and Chiharu wasn't sure why. She decided to ignore her close friend and turn back to the others.

"So, things are looking up for us. We have Japan back and its just a matter of time before were able to push through to the capital," said Chiharu with an enthusiastic smile. "Shouldn't you guys be in a little better mood? We're winning; shouldn't you be celebrating?"

"Just what exactly is there to celebrate?" Though Chiharu had her back turned to her, it was Hiromi who spoke up. Her voice was harsh and cold. Chiharu turned around and looked at her.

"You know, what I just said, our victory," Chiharu spoke tentatively.

"Victory?!" Hiromi spat. "Not everyone got promoted a rank in the last fight, Chiharu, not everyone was lauded and celebrated as a hero, not everyone was victorious even!"

"Hey, calm down. I know, I know, but you shouldn't beat yourself up over it. You knew going in that the missions you guys were flying on were more or less decoys," said Chiharu tilting her head. "Surviving should be the same as winning in such a fight."

"I failed, Chiharu. I made my stand for Yasuko and that woman shot me down and treated me like a fool. You expect me to ignore the anger that's caused in me?" Hiromi said; her voice was down right volatile. "How do you think you would feel if our positions were switched?!"

"N-no, you're right. I'm sorry," said Chiharu, shaking her head. "But we freed our home. That should at least soften the blow, right?"

"Tch, what good is home if Yasuko isn't there?" Hiromi growled, her gaze intense.

"Look, I'm sorry about Yasuko, but this war is going to turn around. We'll have her back soon," said Chiharu smiling uneasily.

"You say that, but you don't even care if its true or not. Yasuko is nothing to you," Hiromi said darkly, coldly.

"Wha-? Hiromi what's that about? I've known Yasuko as long as you. She's my friend!" Chiharu said with building intensity, shocked at her friend's words.

"You say that, Chiharu, but it's a lie. You know how she looks at you, you know how she admires you. Yet you don't look at her. You ignore her and talk down to her like she's a child," Hiromi accused bitterly. Chiharu was shocked. The hard hitting words didn't stop. "I haven't seen any indication that you've missed or worried about her. Even after the prison incident, when we were sure she was dead, you smiled and laughed with that damn woman. And when she disappeared you moped around for days. That you could put such an infuriating character ahead of Yasuko is insulting!"

Chiharu glared at her friend in disbelief. She had tried to contain her emotions and still remain content because she wanted to remain optimistic about Yasuko, not because she didn't care.

"Hiromi, I don't know what's wrong with you, but that's wrong! I do care about Yasuko. I do miss her and worry about her," Chiharu spat back, her temper rising. Hiromi stood up.

"Fair enough, but you didn't deny the rest, Chiharu. You care more for that damn traitor you know nothing about than you do my sister who you have know your entire life!" Hiromi glare was scary.

Chiharu didn't know what to say. She probably should deny it, but her throat stopped her from doing so. Instead she started feebly, "She's not a tra--"

"You didn't hear did you?" Hiromi cut her off. "Chaowei here lost to her on the battlefield. She's working for them now."

"W-what?!" Chiharu was shocked. She looked at Chaowei and he nodded once in confirmation. She looked back at Hiromi who was now right in front of her.

"No, that's wrong. She was always working for them. She was their spy. She was just here to discover our secrets, steal one of or knightmares, and sell everything back to her beloved homeland," Hiromi grinned caustically, nothing but hate in her eyes. She laughed. "It was always suspicious how she never killed any of the big players she ran into. I think we all know why now. That someone so low could mean anything to you is--"

Hiromi was cut off. It was sudden and it left silence in the room. Everyone looked at the two of them with shocked eyes. Chiharu looked down at her stinging palm and then at Hiromi's red face. It was easy to connect what she had done even if it had been a reflex. Megami's drive to fight by her side despite never wanting to take someone's life was something Chiharu had found beautiful, to hear it mocked in such a way, she just couldn't bear it.

She looked at Hiromi. She was looking down. Chiharu couldn't gauge what she was going to do. Tentatively she began, "Hiromi--"

But that was as far as she got. Next thing she knew, she was on the floor and there was an intense pain at her jaw. Hiromi's fist was closed. Chiharu had offered a hard slap, but this pain was a full strength punch to the jaw. Hiromi showed no signs of letting it be the end either. She was about to deliver a painful follow up. Luckily she was restrained.

"Stop! Don't fight each other!" Miya shouted, unable to take it. Her and Amelia were holding Hiromi back. Chiharu returned to her feet.

"Punching an officer who outranks you by three ranks is a serious offense, Lieutenant," Chiharu said coldly, angry but wanting to avoid a full out fight. She made for the door and left. Hiromi didn't call out to her.

In only a short time the high of victory had dissipated so completely.

---

Hu Xuemei wore a distant expression as she entered the private quarters of Xianglin aboard the _Huoyun_. It had been two whole weeks now since her embarrassing loss to the Knight of Three. She couldn't get over it. All the small skirmishes since then had proved troublesome for her. She had volunteered to be moved back east to fulfill a defensive role the Chinese Federation. She hated leaving the front, but she needed to set things right in her mind. She was scared, but she needed to come to an understanding, or else she wouldn't be the same.

"Good to see you, Xuemei. Have you been well?" asked Xianglin with a smile as she stared at the girl she had raised from infancy.

"I-I…" Xuemei struggled to answer the simplest of questions. She didn't want to lie to the woman who was almost like a mother to her, but she didn't want to press her troubles onto this woman so readily either.

"I'm surprised you returned here. You usually dive right into the most difficult fight you can find. It isn't like you to abandon the clear front," said Xianglin in a sighed voice.

"I am the blade of the Tianzi. Isn't my ultimate role to protect her then?" started Xuemei uneasily.

"A sword is a weapon, Xuemei. Its ultimate goal is always to cut the enemies of the one who wields it. It serves little other purpose," said Xianglin in a stern voice. Xuemei frowned.

"Maybe I'm not fit to be a sword then…" started Xuemei, her tone distracted.

"That's a surprise!" Xianglin laughed. "Ever since the first time I let you wield one, you've been sharpening your skill for that purpose and that purpose alone. Could this recent loss have really has such an affect on you?"

"It's not this loss, miss Xianglin. This sword has yet to find a true cut this whole fight," Xuemei said, ashamed of herself.

"That Knight of Six. You fought her once to a draw and once you defeated her but only with outside assistance. You're despondent because you've yet to truly win a fight on your own," Xianglin read the other perfectly. She gave a soft frown.

"It was always said I had natural talent, that I was the best there was, that I was worthy to wield this sword that once belonged to a hero. Yet all I've done so far is fail," Xuemei said, trying to hold back emotion. She was an emotional girl; she always had been. Over her nineteen years of life within those lonely palace walls she had systematically learned to cut it all off, but it was still inside her.

"So what are you going to do, throw away that sword and give up?" Xianglin challenged while looking the other in the eye. Xuemei gulped.

"No. I can't do that… I know… but I just want to know…" Xuemei started, feeling fear, the very emotion she had become the best at restraining.

"What is it you want to know?" asked Xianglin, not following.

"Who am I? Where did I come from?" Xuemei asked in a tentative voice.

"Xuemei, what's gotten to you?! I've told you the story hundreds of times now. You were found abandoned on the palace grounds during a snow storm. We took you in and the Tianzi in her great mercy deemed we could raise you behind the palace walls. Nothing more about it is known," said Xianglin, shaking her head in confusion.

"The Knight of Six seemed to know something about me. She said some things that left me unsettled," said Xuemei in a low voice.

"The Knight of--? Xuemei, what could a Britannian possibly know about you that we don't? That's absurd," Xianglin tilted her head.

"When she looked at me and said these things there was something in her eyes, something unnatural. It was like she was looking through me and into me, into parts of myself I myself can't even see," said Xuemei in a fragile voice. Xianglin continued to peer at her.

"What did she say exactly?" started Xianglin with slight apprehension.

"That woman stopped the fight at random to and said she knew my past, my lineage. She said she knew something that would question the integrity of the Tianzi, that would betray everything she is supposed to stand for," said Xuemei, remembering the scene vividly. Xianglin's eyes widened. She then smirked.

"Very peculiar. That would be very odd as a bluff. It's likely Hildegarde Waldstein uses that power called Geass," she said after a few moments.

"I arrived at the same conclusion. But what power is that? How does that woman extract things from me that I don't even know myself?" asked Xuemei softly.

"Maybe she can see your deepest fears. Maybe those statements were an attempt to inflame them," Xianglin concluded with a full nod, seemingly convinced.

"The man who wielded this sword for the Tianzi before me, when did he die?" asked Xuemei out of nowhere. Xianglin's eyes widened again.

"Over half a year before you were found," said Xianglin.

"Was it sudden?" asked the girl, looking at her beloved mentor.

"No. He tried to hide it, but by the time he passed everyone had known for months that he didn't have long," said Xianglin, looking down somberly.

"The Tianzi knew?" asked Xuemei.

"Yes. Of course. She did everything in her power to make his final months of life beautiful," sad the woman, tearing up slightly, smiling.

"I see," Xuemei said with a nod. "I think I'd like to ask the Tianzi herself more about this man when I have the time."

"Xuemei, please! Will pursuing this prove anything?!" started Xianglin.

"Perhaps not. I just want to know," the girl spoke, closing her eyes.

"I see there's no stopping this then. But you'll have to return to the palace on your own time. You're needed as a soldier here," said Xianglin.

"Right, I understand, Miss Xianglin," Xuemei nodded firmly. She knew she had recovered enough confidence to lift her sword once more, even if the looming truth still haunted her.

---

A twisted smile existed on the countenance of Regina Granville. A little over three weeks had passed since her body enhancement work had been initiated. She had been released that morning. She felt great. She felt lighter. She felt quicker. She felt stronger. She felt more complete. She felt capable of far more destruction than before.

To go along with her new body, Regina had been granted a new machine. _Bedivere Godhand _was a Knight Giga Fortress as opposed to a Knightmare Frame. It shared the same purple and green color scheme as the original _Bedivere, _which still existed at its core, but it was something very distinct. Large and heavy, but not cumbersome, the _Godhand _was framed by a massive hadron cannon on either side. Two giant swords extended out from arm like extensions just at the inside of the cannons; these were shot off using harken boosters to great effect. At the center, the head of the _Godhand _swept up into a point which contained a fine beam weapon. At the back, energy wing particles flew out as a fine mist, which made the _Godhand _seem to glow. The destructive power of the machine is beyond anything Regina had seen before.

And that's just what it was about to do as Regina flew through a clear blue Britannian sky, destroy. Below the said sky was the City of Arturia, a city which had officially pledged support to Absolution. She had received her "orders from the Empress" to do as she saw fit upon these traitors. Even if she knew that woman was weak and helpless and couldn't possibly have been the one who gave such an order, she didn't care. She would do what Richter Novak wanted, because it was what she wanted too. She wanted to see this peaceful city burn to ash.

She began. The cannons fired and the precision beam blazed. The damage was immediate. The town lit up. Fire, explosions, death; that was what there was below her. Soon the blue sky over the city of Arturia was an ominous red. But Regina didn't stop. Blast after blast came from her devastating cannons each one destroying more and more; killing more and more. Building after building went up in blaze. She didn't discriminate. Everything, houses, factories, schools, stores, hospitals, was set aflame until nothing that could be distinguished was left.

Inevitably the knightmares in charge of defending the city came flying toward her. Around twenty-five _Vincent_swere dispatched in less than a minute. _Bedivere Godhand'_ssword arms shot off and swung wide cleaving most of them in one motion. The rest were handled just as effortlessly and the destruction of the city below began anew.

Regina continued to smile as she imagined the faces of the people she was killing, finding themselves dead and not knowing why, not seeing it coming. It was beautiful. She began to laugh as the City of Arturia crumbled into smoldering ash.

---

Chiharu gave a soft smirk as she approached the familiar hospital door. She knocked twice and called out. "Hello."

"Please come in, Chiharu," a sweet voice spoke to her. Chiharu nodded and opened the door.

"Hey, how are you, Astrid?" she asked as she entered. Astrid Weinberg was sitting in a chair reading a book. She smiled as she looked up at Chiharu.

Chiharu had become good friends with this girl. She wasn't entirely sure why. Astrid was her enemy. Despite this, she wasn't bad. Maybe it was that fact that made her so interesting. Regardless, Chiharu met with the girl constantly. Amelia Gottwald did the same. Sometimes they would even visit the girl at the same time. After a while, Chiharu no longer thought of Astrid as an enemy but rather nothing more than a trusted friend.

"Oh, I'm doing good," Astrid replied in a mild voice. Chiharu nodded.

Physically, Astrid was almost back to her top form. It had been a full month now since the battle for Japan, so the girl had had plenty of time to heal. She still had a cast on her arm, but that was to come off any day now. She was kind of sad about this. Once Astrid was perfectly healthy, there would be no excuse to keep her in this comfortable room and she'd be moved to prisoner's quarters.

"Well, that's good," started Chiharu with a nod.

"How about you?" the girl asked softly. Chiharu smiled.

Things were in an odd place for Chiharu. Immediately after returning to Britannia from Japan, her good spirits crashed after a falling out with her best friend Hiromi. The two of them had avoided each other the previous month. On top of that, her optimism about the war was gone. The third week after Japan was liberated, Britannia unveiled two new super weapons, _Bedivere Godhand _and _Dagonet Foresight. _These two monsters were unstoppable. Chiharu had yet to engage one, but Chaowei, Miya and even the Pink Mask of Absolution had and all were lucky to still be alive. Absolution didn't seem to have a defense against these two save maybe _Guren _and any secret weapon they were hiding. This was horrible, as _Bedivere Godhand _killed indiscriminately, leveling whole towns that sided with Absolution. While _Dagonet Foresight _mostly went after military targets, the damages it had caused to their effort could also hardly be measured.

"Eh… I'm fine…" the troubled girl lied.

"Oh, I see," Astrid said. She gave a long depressed sigh. Chiharu supposed she wasn't the only one feeling some heaviness.

"Hey, what's that about? I know you miss her, but you usually don't sigh like that so quickly after to see me," Chiharu expressed concern as she looked at the girl.

"I'm sorry… Amelia left some newspapers this morning… I-I can't believe…" Astrid started in a very thin voice, struggling to get the word out.

"You read about the merciless destruction Britannia's dishing out, didn't you?" Chiharu spoke heavily, closing her eyes.

"I don't understand it. Why would the Empress do such a thing?" asked Astrid, there were tears in her eyes. She was more beat up by this than Chiharu would have imagined possible.

"It's natural, really. I actually feared something like this might happen. We got carried away in Japan. We killed their crown princess when we didn't have to. They have right to withhold nothing now. They can make this battle as bloody as they want and their supporters won't lose faith in them," started Chiharu with her own sigh.

"But that doesn't make sense!" shouted Astrid. "She wouldn't go so far even then. She would never condone this. Something so cruel… something so wrong..."

Chiharu smiled infirmly. She looked at the girl a moment longer. "If you can't find it in you to condone what's happening in Britannia, Absolution would be happy to have your support, Astrid."

"I'm sorry, Chiharu, but I can't do that… not without at least talking to her… not without at least trying to understand this," said Astrid closing her eyes.

"Talk to who? The Empress?" Chiharu tilted her head, something not connecting.

"Yes. I want to go home. I want to talk with her. I want to sort all of this out," spoke the blonde girl, shaking slightly. Chiharu found something in this statement peculiar.

"Well, even if she would listen to you, we can't just let you go for nothing, Astrid. You're a valuable prisoner," said Chiharu, hating the words.

"Well, what if it wasn't for nothing?" started Astrid in a somber voice.

"You mean a prisoner exchange?" Chiharu nodded.

"Yeah," the other replied.

"There isn't a pressing deal to be made. They don't have anyone worth as much as you and were not on terms to where we would make a deal right now," spoke the silver-haired girl through a sigh.

"But, what if it was for everything?" started Astrid in an infirm voice.

"What are you saying, Astrid?" Chiharu was confused.

"If it was me for every prisoner of yours the Britannians have at the moment, would the deal then be attractive enough to take?" asked Astrid, shivering.

"Well obviously, Astrid, but that's crazy. Why would the Empress give up so much for one soldier?" started Chiharu, shaking her head.

"Because Ava said she loved me," said Astrid in a very weak voice. Chiharu's mind stopped.

"What was that?!" she started with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, Chiharu. I never told you, but it wasn't because I meant to hide it," said Astrid in a soft but intense voice.

"Tell me what, Astrid?" Chiharu prompted, wanting it spelled out for her.

"The one I love, the one I've talked to you about many times for many hours, her name is Ava li Britannia. She is the same girl you once told me you had sworn to kill," Astrid said in a soft voice, closing her eyes.

"But that's--!" Chiharu was stunned. It was impossible. Astrid was the Empress' lover? That's crazy. But Astrid didn't seem the type to lie.

"I know what you think of her. I know that knowing this, you may not be able to think about me the same as before, but at least trust me," said Astrid in a meek voice. "I know Ava better than anyone. I know this isn't like her. I know that something's wrong."

"It's okay, Astrid. I'm shocked, obviously, but my impression of you isn't any different," started Chiharu in an even voice, still finding it hard to comprehend.

"I'm glad. You're a good friend. I know you can never approve of the one I love, but I'm glad you don't hate me for her," started Astrid in a soft voice.

"Even if it is me who takes your life some day Astrid, please understand it is not because I hate you," said Chiharu.

"Of course," the girl smiled back at her.

"I still can't believe it," Chiharu spoke, shaking her head.

"Despite all this, she's just a girl with her own conflicted feelings and troubles. She's not a monster. There is a lot of love in her heart," Astrid spoke, smiling as she thought of the person she loved with all her heart. Chiharu shook her head.

"That's not the hard part to believe," Chiharu laughed.

"What do you--?" Astrid started, narrowing her eyes and looking at the other.

"The most powerful woman in the world is in a relationship with another girl," Chiharu said, giving a quiet laugh. Astrid gasped.

"Y-you won't say anything about it, will you?! I-I… if it gets out she might lose support…" Astrid spoke with fear and sadness behind her eyes.

"Come now, Astrid, you know I'm better than that. Even if she's my biggest enemy, I'm not going to say anything that would cause someone to be judged on something like that," Chiharu spoke with a smile.

"Thanks," Astrid smiled back.

"I'll propose your prisoner exchange to the higher ups. As a Lieutenant Colonel they may listen to me. I'll do everything I can to convince them," said Chiharu nodding.

"You're a great friend, Chiharu," Astrid spoke in a gentle voice.

"I'm just doing my job. Your love may be the only thing that can stop this merciless destruction," Astrid smiled back.

"Even so, you've shown me nothing but kindness," Astrid smiled fully. "Thank you."

Chiharu smiled back at her friend.

---

Jacquelyn mi Britannia wore a deep frown as she sat upon her cousin's vacant throne. Her expression changed when her beloved fiancé, Richter Novak, entered the room. The young man was smiling and shaking his head as he looked at some documents.

"Richter, what's happened?" Jackie asked, looking at the man.

"Nothing but amusing things, Jackie," Richter gave a short laugh. He was in a suspiciously good mood.

"Explain yourself please, dear," she prompted, eager to hear what he had to say.

"Granville succeeded in crushing the last open center of Absolution support aside from their stronghold. In just two weeks that woman has created a deathly fear that will keep the supporters of our enemies well within the shadows," Richter tightened his fist with excitement.

"I see. That is good news. And because of the media's coverage of mother's death, our supporters generally see this wave as justified retribution," Jackie said, sighing inward, and looking down. She was surprised that she missed that woman at all.

"Yes. Quite right," Richter spoke, not wanting to dwell on the issue obviously.

"What of the other super weapon?" asked Regina, changing the subject.

"He's destroying whole unit after unit before anyone has the time to react. We're so dominant now. Thanks to this technology this whole war will soon be nothing more than a bad joke," Richter gave another uncharacteristic joke.

"Ha, yes. It is rather amusing," Jackie smiled as she looked at her future husband with a smile.

"Speaking of bad jokes, I just caught wind of the most amusing one yet," Richter smirked in a decidedly pleased way.

"Oh? Yes," Jackie started, surprised. Richter certainly wasn't the type to tell jokes.

"A diplomat representing our enemy met with me just now. She proposed something amazing for me to obtain the Empress' opinion on," Richter started, his amusement unnatural.

"Richter please, just say it. What did this woman propose?" started Jackie, fed up with Richter's vaguely creepy smile.

"A prisoner exchange," Richter said while nodding.

"They must be desperate for personnel suggesting such a thing at a time like this," Jackie laughed. It really was something ridiculous.

"That's not the greatest part though," Richter continued to smile.

"Oh? Then what?" asked Jackie.

"The terms. They want every prisoner we have for a single one of theirs," Richter spoke with a rigid nod.

"What?! But that's stupid?! What one person could be worth so much that that would even be remotely sane?" Jackie challenged, blown away by the ludicrous things Richter was saying.

"If Ava Li Britannia were still Empress and not a broken down puppet living in the past, what one person might she trade away anything for?" asked Richter smirking.

"Come now, you're not saying that disgusting little girl is alive," Jackie snarled at the thought.

"Well it wouldn't be a deal worth suggesting if she were a corpse," said Richter in a light voice.

"Fair enough," spoke Jackie. She sighed loudly. "I don't know whether to be angry that that disgusting little creep still exists in this world or filled with joyous laugher that my idiot cousin has been destroying herself for absolutely nothing."

"It is rather ironic that that girl would be revealed alive after all this." Richter continued to smile.

"So, you decided how you are going to refuse this idiotic deal yet?" asked Jackie, smirking with amusement.

"Refuse? Oh, but I was going to tell them yes…" Richter said with quiet laugh.

"Richter, what the hell are you saying?! My cousin knowing that girl is alive is the one thing that could destroy everything we have made so far!" Jackie was angry. How could Richter even think about accepting such a stupid plan?

Richter laughed. "Calm down, calm down. Ava li Britannia won't know Astrid Weinberg is alive. No, after this 'deal' is through it will be irrelevant. Astrid Weinberg won't be alive in the first place."

Jackie's eyes widened and she smiled. "I was right to pick you," was all she could say.

---

Hildegarde Waldstein wore a heavy expression as she approached the door to the familiar castle tower room. She entered quietly. Yasuko was there as always. She smiled and stood at sight of Hildegarde. She approached quickly and placed a soft kiss at the woman's cheek.

"It's been a while since you last visited me. I missed you," said Yasuko in a heavy voice.

"I'm sorry," Hildegarde said, feeling slightly nauseous.

It had been six weeks now since Hildegarde's fight against this girl's sister. It had been six weeks since she lost the man who was like a second father to her. Her spirits were torn. She loved Yasuko, but it was hard to be around her. She was confused and unsure about so much in her life. She was lost and so she stuck to herself, visiting this girl who made her smile only so often and doing so with a guilty heart. In this particular visit, the tumult in her heart was even worse.

"It's okay. I understand. It's a hard time for you, you want to be alone," Yasuko sighed but continued to smile.

"No. No one else visits you. I should come every day," said Hildegarde, looking down.

"Actually, you're not the only one who comes. Megami has started visiting me quite a bit," Yasuko spoke with a smile.

"That mercenary woman?" started Hildegarde, surprised.

"Yeah. I knew her when she was working for Japan," said Yasuko, still smiling peacefully. "I used to hate her, but I think I just didn't understand her. I kind of understand why Chiharu always liked to be around her so much now."

"Oh, well I'm happy you have another friend to keep you company," Hildegarde said with a nod.

"Well, it's still your visits that I look forward to the most," said Yasuko with a soft blush.

"Yasuko, I'm going to say something, and I want you to listen to it," Hildegarde said in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, what's that?" asked Yasuko in a tentative fashion.

"I've been thinking about it for a long time now, ever since I fought with your sister, but I want you to leave this place. I want you to return home. I want you to return to your friends," started Hildegarde in a serious voice.

"I-I… but for you.. I'd… I--" Yasuko started shakily. Hildegarde looked at her.

"You'd stay here indefinitely for me, I know," said Hildegarde with a serious expression. "But that's a mistake, Yasuko. You have people who care about you, who love you. You have an entire life you're avoiding right now, and it makes me sad that it's all because of me. I want you to return to your family, Yasuko."

"I know… but I love you Miss Hildegarde… I'd miss you so much," said Yasuko sadly.

"I'd miss you too… but it's for the best," said Hildegarde, on the verge of tears as she looked at the other. "It was never going to work out between us, I think we both knew this."

"No. It has to work," Yasuko shook her head vehemently. "Even if I do go back, I don't want us to be through."

"Then what?" the knight questioned, looking at the girl with troubled eyes.

"I'll go back, but only if we promise that it isn't the end. That we'll live through everything and meet again when this war is through, that no matter how long it lasts, we'll be together some day," Yasuko said with a fragile expression. Hildegarde smiled at her.

"Okay. Yasuko. I can promise that," Hildegarde spoke, somehow filled with a certain joy and relief. The girl soon was embracing her.

"But how will I return? You can't just let me go?" started Yasuko, looking up at the one she loved with vulnerable eyes.

"I don't know the details, but a mass prisoner exchange has been arranged to be carried out next week," Hildegarde started, holding her beloved tightly.

"A week is all we have left together then?" Yasuko sighed.

"I'm afraid so," Hildegarde gave her own sigh.

"Please stay with me as much as you can," Yasuko cooed.

"Okay," Hildegarde whispered. Yasuko looked up at her. Her lips looked so inviting. She took them, much to the girl's surprise. The girl's surprise didn't last long. She began to kiss Hildegarde back intently, her arms moving up to the woman's shoulders.

"I love you," Yasuko whispered as their lips split part.

"And I you," Hildegarde replied just as quietly.

"P-please… I want to... with you…" Yasuko shyly stuttered, inflaming her beloved's desire.

"I understand. I want that as well," said Hildegarde with a slight blush, her mind revisiting things that that witch had taught her.

"Kiss me," Yasuko commanded weakly. Hildegarde followed the command.

Their lips joined just as softly as before, but the passion grew exponentially with time. Eventually, it was Yasuko who found the courage to open her mouth and let out her tongue. Hildegarde freed hers to meet it. They kissed, their open mouths joined, their tongues brushing against each other, for a long stretch of time. It was beautiful. Hildegarde didn't want it to end. It wasn't the same as when that witch kissed her. The passion behind it was like nothing else.

The two led each other silently, probably subconsciously, toward the bed while still kissing furiously. Hildegarde was eager. If she was going to pledge her life to this woman, if this was the one she had truly chosen and the two of them might not see each other again for years, she wanted to see and feel every inch of her, enjoy every sensation. She wanted this beautiful memory of the one she loved. That in mind, she laid the beautiful girl gently on the bed and climbed on after her.

Hildegarde kissed her lover a while longer before letting their mouths split, a line of saliva still connecting her to Yasuko's tongue. She moved downward and began to line the girl's neck with kisses. Yasuko moaned loudly, her face turning red. She was so beautiful, so pure. Hildegarde wanted to see more. Her hands went to the back of Yasuko's dress. She looked the girl in the eyes. She nodded.

Hildegarde untied the garment. Yasuko helped pull the sleeves of the dress down her arms and then the dress itself up over her head. The cloth garment was then tossed aside, revealing the slight body of the beautiful young girl. Her skin was so pure and smooth and beautiful. Hildegarde couldn't stop herself from touching it, her hand moving quietly across the girl's stomach, causing her to coo and giggle. Hildegarde found herself kissing the girl again, as if to reward her for letting her see such a beautiful sight.

When the kiss ended, Hildegarde was reminded that there were even more beautiful things to see. Her hands moved tentatively to Yasuko's back, finding the clasp of the bra she still wore. Yasuko blushed profusely as Hildegarde undid it and removed the garment. Yasuko's chest was substantially smaller than the witch, but somehow even more beautiful in Hildegarde's eyes. Her smallish breasts and cute perky nipples were captivating. Hildegarde's left hand went to cup one. The girl cooed at the touch. Hildegarde smiled and hen bent forward.

She deliberately extended her tongue and continued downward. She made a quick lick at one of Yasuko's erect nipples. She wriggled around and gave a short moan at the feel. Hildegarde smiled and made a few more licks to similar effect. She then took the sensitive nub in between her lips and began to lick it more rapidly, lust taking over. Her fingers visited a similar sensation on the other breast. After a few moments of quick licking and soft sucking, Hildegarde briefly changed to the other breast, showering it with affection, wetting it with saliva.

The knight then lifted her head and kissed her lover at the lips again. Yasuko moaned into her mouth as their tongue entangled inside their collective mouth. While they kissed with fiery passion, Hildegarde let her hand slip down across her beloved's chest and stomach, down to her inner thigh. The eyes Hildegarde was peering into widened as her hand drew closer to the girl's moist core. They relaxed and let out a coo as Hildegarde finally touched her through her damp panties.

Intrigued by the wetness, Hildegarde ended the long kiss. She straddled the girl downward, lacing more kisses at her chest and stomach before finding her way between the girl's legs. Yasuko shook and blushed, but didn't fight it as her lover's hands went for the hem of her panties and pulled them down her legs. Hildegarde could see easily how wet she had made the girl. Juices were seeping out from the girl's tender sex. Her hands went to Yasuko's thighs as she shyly spread them. She moved in closer.

Her finger moved to touch the girl. She was so slick and so warm. Her fingers moved with ease through her. It was enticing. It was inviting. Hildegarde found her mouth gravitating toward it. Yasuko was shivering with anticipation as Hildegarde approached. Hildegarde's tongue moved deliberately leaving her mouth and brushing softly into her lover's moist, hot slit. Yasuko's legs kicked and she gave a high moan. Hildegarde's tongue moved again. Then it moved again. Soon it was moving without stopping.

Yasuko moaned again and again with each sensation. Hildegarde didn't slow down. Yasuko's taste, her scent, it was intoxicating. Hildegarde couldn't get enough. Her tongue moved rapidly, lapping up her lover's warm fluid, bringing her pleasure. Yasuko wrapped her legs around her needfully. Hildegarde just intensified her efforts, pleasing the girl with her entire mouth, darting her tongue across every inch of the tender sex.

Then Hildegarde pulled up. Her hand went back to the girl's slit. She ran some fingers across it a few times before letting two of them slip into her lover's moist depths. Yasuko gave a sharp cry at the sensation, throwing her head back. She thrust her fingers in deeper and the girl's high moans steadied. Hildegarde let her tongue press against the girl's exposed clit a while longer before puling herself back again.

Hildegarde straddled back up, leaving her hand and fingers in place. Her mouth found one of Yasuko's breasts and kissed it lovingly while her hand continued to jerk and thrust. Yasuko's arms wrapped around her and held her tightly. It was so warm. She moved even further up and found Yasuko's lips.

They kissed passionately for a moment before Yasuko broke it to moan frantically under Hildegarde hot touch. Hildegarde began to kiss at her lover's neck while her hand pulsed again and again. Yasuko's moans built with each second. She held Hildegarde to her like she never wanted to let go. Hildegarde's hand continued to move expertly, just as she had learned in her encounters with the witch. Yasuko was loving it. Her moaning and panting was frantic.

Then it all ended with a final high cry and a full body shake. The heat and wetness surrounding the two fingers inside Yasuko intensified in that instant. Hildegarde removed them slowly. Yasuko embraced her snugly. They kissed lovingly, beautifully, for a long time.

"I love you," Yasuko said again. Yasuko said these words more then most people, probably, but Hildegarde didn't mind. She savored their sound off the other girl's lips.

"I'm glad," Hildegarde smiled at her. "I'm happy I pleased you."

"Can I make you feel good now, Miss Hildegarde?" asked Yasuko tentatively. Hildegarde's hand stroked her soft cheek.

"Umm, yeah. I'd like that," she spoke somewhat shyly. Despite this she was eager.

Hildegarde stood up and started to remove her clothing. She, or maybe Yasuko, had removed her sword from her belt earlier without her noticing, but the rest had to go. Her jacket came off quickly, followed by her shirt and her belt. Her shoes and pants came off with little effort and soon she was dressed in nothing but undergarments, presenting Yasuko with a sight few had seen. She then, with slight hesitation and a blush on her face, removed the last pieces of cloth.

"So beautiful..." sighed the younger girl. Hildegarde blushed. She had never though of herself as beautiful. She had trained her body to be adept at wielding a sword. She was more muscular than most women. Yasuko was just a couple inches shorter than Hildegarde, but her figure was so much slighter and more elegant. Still, being praised by the one she loved felt wonderful.

"I'm happy you think so," she said as she sat back down next to her lover. Yasuko kissed her. It deepened and became passionate.

Yasuko's hands shyly moved up to Hildegarde's breasts, cupping both. Though small in comparison to the witch, Hildegarde's chest was large in comparison to her lover's. Yasuko seemed to enjoy squeezing and kneading the soft flesh. Yasuko broke the kiss to look at the two shapely mounds. Hildegarde blushed as she moved closer to them. She kissed one of Hildegarde's erect nipples lightly and then took it into her mouth. Hildegarde let out a low coo as her lover sucked and licked the sensitive nub.

Less than shyly, Yasuko's hand went down to Hildegarde's thigh. She rubbed it teasingly, exciting the older woman. Her mouth switched its efforts to the other breast. She licked this one more wildly and intently, causing a soft moan to leave Hildegarde's lips. Yasuko's fingers at her sex caused yet another moan. She could feel the wetness beginning to seep out of her.

Yasuko pulled off and squeezed either of Hildegarde's breasts playfully again. She then kissed the woman fully on the mouth before moving down. Her hands went to Hildegarde's thighs. Hildegarde spread her legs shyly. Yasuko didn't wait. She just dove in face first. Hildegarde gasped as she felt the girl's tongue shoot through her.

The feel was electric. In many of their encounters, that witch had done this to her, but it never felt this amazing. Yasuko's tongue seemed to reach so much further inside of her, down to her very core. She was so skilled. It was surprising, since Hildegarde was sure this girl had never done this before. Maybe it was just knowing it was Yasuko, knowing it was the girl she loved who was doing this with her, that made every little motion so incredible.

It felt so wet and warm between Hildegarde's legs. Her sexual juices had been seeping out of her for a long time now. Pleasing Yasuko had left her so hot and wet that she was surprised and ashamed when she had undressed herself. The indecent sound Yasuko's tongue made as it clicked against her well-lubricated flesh was maddening. Yasuko's tongue felt so warm and intense inside of her, darting through her sensitive flesh. Her moans were heated, her breaths were heavy.

Yasuko's tongue found Hildegarde's clit and began to shower it with quick, pleasing licks. This felt almost too good. Hildegarde felt like losing herself and screaming out in bliss. She tried to suppress the intense pleasure, but that just made it well inside of her and encompass every inch of her body. But Yasuko didn't stop or even slow down. Instead her licks became even more maddeningly hot.

Hildegarde could feel her heart pound in her chest as her lover continued to deliver her a most incredible pleasure onto her. She couldn't take it any more. It exploded inside of her. She moaned loudly and her body shook through a sort of spasm. She could feel a very short spurt of fluid shoot out of her onto her lover's tongue as her mind went numb. Simple orgasms were never this intense.

Hildegarde closed her eyes and panted. After a few moments, she felt a sensation on her lips and opened her eyes to find Yasuko kissing her. She opened her mouth invitingly and let the girl's tongue slip in. It tasted of Hildegarde's own taste. She didn't mind this and kissed the girl with all the energy she had, holding her tightly.

They embraced each other lovingly a while longer, trying to not think of how this beautiful feeling would soon be at an end.

---

Astrid wore a smile. She was going to be seeing Ava again. The prisoner exchange Chiharu had proposed had been offered to Ava and she had took the deal. Soon she would be able to set everything right. She'd be there to keep Ava from slipping into darkness. She'd be there to continue as Ava's knight.

"You ready?" asked Amelia, smiling. She would be escorting Astrid to the military base where the exchange was to occur in a few hours. An aerial transport ship would be transferring the enemy prisoners from Vortigern to New Pendragon. Once they were unloaded this ship would return with Astrid.

"Yeah," Astrid spoke with a smile.

"I'll miss you, you know," said Amelia. "I know you love her and I'm just a friend, but it's still hard for me to see you go."

"I won't forget you, Amy. You're a treasured friend," said Astrid with a full smile.

"Thanks," said Amelia, returning the smile. "I'm not like Chiharu, if we meet on the battlefield I won't be able to fight you. Please take it easy on me."

"Okay," Astrid said with a smirk.

"Thanks," the younger girl said again. Astrid nodded.

The two fell silent. It had been a hard two and a half months away from Ava. Astrid was scared about what was going to happen next. Ava had become cruel without her. Britannia wasn't acting like a Britannia Ava would lead. This scared her. Ava was doing this trade for her, but what if Ava wasn't the same anymore? What if she was different from the girl Astrid loved? Astrid didn't want to think such things, but she couldn't help it. So long without Ava made her heart waver in unusual ways.

Still, seeing Ava again would be sure to set everything right.

---

Yasuko's heart felt heavy as Hildegarde escorted her through the Britannian base. The prisoner exchange was to be conducted shortly. Yasuko would be leaving Vortigern. She would be leaving Hildegarde. After one beautiful week filled with love, the two would be separating for so long as this war would last. These thoughts pulled at Yasuko's heart. She wished she could stay, even if she knew that this was impossible and that Hildegarde would protest anyway.

Yasuko sighed as the hangar that held the transport that would be taking her away from her beloved came into sight. She looked over at Hildegarde. She grabbed her by the hand and led her into a corridor out of plain sight.

"Yasuko, what are you doing?" asked Hildegarde.

"I just wanted a chance to say good bye one more time," said Yasuko smiling briskly.

"Yes, I see," Hildegarde smiled back to her and placed a hand at her cheek.

"I really love you. I really mean it when I say I'm coming back when this has died down," said Yasuko in a soft voice.

"I'm glad. I mean it as well, when I say there will always be a place for you at my side," said Hildegarde in a warm voice.

"Yeah?" Yasuko's lips quivered. Hildegarde bent forward and placed a long kiss on them.

"I love you, Yasuko. I won't ever stop thinking about you until you are right here by my side again," the knight spoke in a beautiful voice that made Yasuko's heart almost melt.

"And I'll never forget you, H-Hildegarde. Never. That's a promise," Yasuko whispered softly but gently.

Hildegarde was soon kissing her again. The kiss was filled with so much love and passion. Yasuko didn't want it to end.

"Good bye, Yasuko. Please try to enjoy your time without me," Hildegarde spoke in a heavy voice.

"I'll try my best. You do the same," Yasuko nodded.

"Of course," Hildegarde forced a smile.

"Bye," Yasuko said. She turned around quickly, trying to hide the tears forming in her eyes. Hildegarde stepped forward and embraced her from behind, a hand moving to wipe them away.

"Good bye," Hildegarde said through a sigh. Yasuko gave a faint nod and Hildegarde let go.

She didn't look back after that. She couldn't. She knew that if she saw whatever expression was on her lover's face she wouldn't be able to move forward. Instead she walked ahead, each step heavier and more impossible than the last, until she was right in front of the hangar.

"This is prisoner 4708-1 from special holding inside the castle, here for the mass exchange," Hildegarde, standing behind Yasuko still, spoke to the guard, her voice devoid of emotion.

"Right," the man nodded and opened the door. Yasuko stepped forward, still unable to look back.

She went inside and was escorted into a long line. The line was full of young men and women. Unlike her, who was still wearing clothes from the castle, they were all dressed in prisoner's clothes. Unlike her, it was relief and not sadness filling their eyes. Seeing them all made Yasuko conscious of how unusual her story was. She felt nervous as she was assimilated into the line.

"Heh, nice dresses they give out in the special holding cells within the castle," a cold voice spoke from behind her. She turned to see a young Britannian man with eyes like a beast leering at her. She turned back around and took several steps forward to distance herself from him, but the fact that they were in a line made this hard.

"I saw you over there in the hallway, you know," this man, most likely a captured Absolution regular, laughed, his voice containing amusement and disgust. "Kinda funny you got to play lesbian love games with that knight while the rest of us were being beat and tortured for weeks or months."

It was a good thing he was speaking low, just to Yasuko, or she wouldn't have been able to take it. This was the kind of person who would cause a scene if Yasuko ignored him. She stood calm and in a low voice she spoke.

"I'm sorry. I know what you've been through must be hard. I did not choose to get treated as I did," she said in low, serious voice. With that she stared rigidly ahead and waited for her turn to be cleared to enter the transport ship.

Onboard she found a room near the back and center. No one was talking to her. They seemed to glare when she passed. She felt alone. She knew she had to get used to this. Things were only going to get worse when she returned to Hiromi and the others.

She let out a sigh. The man from before was there and he was glaring at her. She tried to ignore him. She moved to a window and looked out it for a long while. Eventually the transport began to move. It took off into the sky. Yasuko sighed again. This was really happening. She was really leaving.

Looking down on the City of Vortigern, the words left her lips, "Good bye, Miss Hildegarde."

---

The evening sky was tranquil over New Pendragon. The hum of the large transport ship, carrying on it over one-hundred of Britannia's enemies, due south to the City of Hope could not yet be heard. The city itself looked peaceful enough. No one paying mind to the approaching vessel.

That said, it goes without saying that no one saw her waiting there in the sky. No one took note of the tiny dot sitting in the clouds waiting. New Pendragon didn't notice, the prisoners didn't notice. Everything continued on course as it would if she weren't there hiding and biding her time until the moment was right.

In time the ship passed her by. Still she waited. It continued on. It was only when the massive vessel began its descent that she moved. She got in positions. Her hands found the levers controlling her knightmare's weapons. She aimed them with upmost precision. She had to do this right. There was only one chance. A sadistic smile appeared on her face as she waited with her machines arms outstretched for the right moment.

Then it came. The transport was just low enough to where it was too late for the unsuspecting pilot to be a hero. She fired both of her ultra fine converger beams off at once, swiping them upward at just the right angle, clipping both wings and main engines fully from the vessel. She then moved quickly back to the side and sliced off the back thrust engines as well.

There was no stopping the transport at its current angle. It's descent became rapid. Halfway down, prisoners began jumping to their deaths from the doors on the side. There was no saving anyone. That large passenger vessel came crashing down right into a densely populated section of the city. Fire ignited immediately, engulfing much of the pristine view, spreading quickly to only further the devastation.

"Mission accomplished," she spoke into her intercom, her voice cold and confident. "All went according to plan."

"Good work, Knight of Ten. This will teach those fools to make me such a ridiculous offer," a young man's voice reached her, a smug laugh on the end of it. The woman sighed. It wasn't this boy's place to be giving orders. Destroying one-hundred unsuspecting enemies was something that was sure to bring a smile to her face, so Callista Blackwell didn't mind in this case.

"Yes, sir," she spoke.

"Return immediately. They'll have custom units ready. Cross will block your escape route," the boy spoke to her.

"Understood," Callista said calmly and turned around, the devastation she had created burning brightly behind her.

A/N: End chapter. This one seemed to move fast. I guess that's because there was pretty much a one week time-skip between every scene. Well, I think it turned out a decent enough chapter. We had what I'd call the first full sex scene, which I think is fairly sweet. The Hiromi-Chiharu falling out I think turned out nicely as well. Most of the rest was interesting as well. Xuemei starting to look for answers was only mildly amusing, but I thought the Astrid and the Richter scenes worked well enough. Poor Refrain junkie Ava; she's the main character but this is the second chapter in a row we don't get to see her. Eh, well, next week will be the glorious and angst-filled end of her absence. Look forward to it.

Anyway, I made the executive decision to only do one extra again. I would have done two, but I got tired and having had no computer last week has made me eager to get back to some other things I do on it (such as play though the third route of the Fate/Stay Night visual novel). I'll force two out next week for sure.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Bedivere Godhand

The City of Arturia


	25. Turn 24: Aftermath

A/N: So here is the next installment. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: Naida: "CrazyNinjaPenguin doesn't own Code Geass. he does own his own characters. Got that? Cool."

Ava li Britannia rest in her bed. Her body felt heavy and she lacked all energy. What good was waking up when it would just be to force memories into her veins? She was pathetic. She was hopeless. How had she fallen so far? She asked herself that question every day. She asked it but never answered it, and always made the same pathetic mistake.

It was disgusting. She was a wreck, spending days, weeks, months-- she didn't even know anymore-- shut away in this room. Visitors were rare. Richter came weekly to give her updates as she had once told him to. But they were very brief and she could tell he was sparing any details that mattered. Megami came infrequently as well and stayed and talked. Ava found herself very attached to this woman. She wished she came more often. It was only in those few moments they spent together that Ava forgot about her addiction.

Yes, Ava could admit she was addicted. It wasn't refrain her body required though. She always held that distinction in her mind. She didn't need refrain. She hated refrain. It disgusted her. The thing she couldn't live without was Astrid; her smile. The refrain was just a means to see this. It was unfortunate, but it was the only means Ava had. As such, she couldn't stop.

Ava rolled over and tried not to think. It was over if she thought. She needed to sleep more. Sleep was good. Sleep let her fulfill her addiction without resorting to refrain. It was unfortunate that she had always been a light sleeper and that it was physically impossible for her to sleep more than a set few hours daily. Once that was through, the bleak, despaired hours set in and she was left with no other options but to rely on what she despised but was the only thing that could satisfy her cravings.

Ava buried her head in her pillow. She already knew it would be futile. She didn't feel tired anymore. Sleep wouldn't come no matter how hard she tried. It never came when she wanted it to. Nothing went her way. Nothing. She had learned that over the years. She had lost everything she cared about. She lost Mother to shadows she didn't understand. She lost Father to the same substance she now found herself dependent on. Now, things finally poised to take a turn around, she was delivered what had been the most horrible loss of all, Astrid.

Ava shook. She had thought about her, pictured her face. She had pictured her face, in pain, burning up, melting off and falling cold. Her eyes clouded with tears as her body tensed up. She didn't want to imagine such things, but she couldn't help it. The images just occurred to her. Now they wouldn't leave her. She sat up. Her body felt cold. She shivered. She stared at the small vial at her desk. Her eyes narrowed. She hated it, but there was no other way.

She stood slowly. Her legs barely had the strength to support herself. She felt weak. She was weak. That was the problem. She grabbed the vial, and placed it in her applicator. Vials were always in her room. She wasn't sure why or how. Someone knew about her habit; likely Richter. As one who had always coveted power, he surely sought to keep Ava living in her head as long as possible. Ava understood this. She knew she was being used. She knew it, but she wasn't strong enough to fight it. So she fell further and further.

It was just as she was about to fill her veins with the familiar drug that a small knock sounded at her door. Her eyes widened. It was morning and Megami always came at night. It had only been a weeks since Richter's last visit if her sense of time was truly and completely warped, as it had seemed like just a day now. Hurriedly she hid the refrain below a pillow and grabbed a long, fancy coat from her closet and dressed herself in it. She then turned to the door.

"Yes, who is it?" she asked in a weak voice, hoping the one who had knocked hadn't left in the time it had taken her to ready herself.

"The Knight of One," the strong voice came. Ava's eyes widened. This was Astrid's father. She gulped. Facing him was more frightening than about any other. Still, in her solitude, any visitor was a welcome one. Gino Weinberg understood and shared in her suffering.

"Please come in, Lord Weinberg," Ava said in a more confident voice.

The door opened. The man entered. His face was cold and stern but his eyes surprisingly did not contain the hate they should have.

"It's a pleasure to see you after so long, Lord Weinberg. What business do you have to discuss with me?" asked the girl, looking up at the man. She actually smiled hopefully as she then added, "Have you decided finally to leave your station and become my enemy?"

"Heh, that notion sure is inviting at this point. Especially today," the knight spoke in a dark voice, though his eyes withheld hostility.

"What do you mean today? What's happened?" asked Ava, not following.

"That you don't know is your crime," said Gino in a low voice. "It's perhaps best that you remain oblivious to the deeds Richter Novak has been attributing to your name the past two months."

Ava closed her eyes and felt even more shame. She had lost herself and there was suffering. She had made so many critical mistakes. It left her heart in pain.

"Did you come just to reprimand me over such things?" Ava said looking down.

"I may not have any work these days, but do you honestly think I have the time or energy to come all this way for just that?" Gino spoke quietly.

"I suppose not…" Ava spoke, looking down.

"It's likely you don't even remember, but you gave some special, non-combat, tasks to me as, the leader of the knights, to hand to men I could trust to complete them," the Knight of One explained.

"So one of these tasks is completed then? Wouldn't going to Richter make more sense?" Ava started, uninterested.

"Perhaps, but your orders were specific that this particular task would be reported to you and you only," spoke the man, with a nod.

"What is it then?" asked Ava, now slightly curious.

"The most unusual and time-consuming of tasks you placed into my hands. Searching through records for evidence of a child that the old administration had wanted erased entirely from record. Using that evidence to track and locate her," Weinberg spoke, smirking quietly.

"Lady Blackwell's child? I had forgotten about that. Still, you could have gone to the woman herself," Ava said, her usual frown evening out.

"You told me to come to you and you only when the men I had assigned the task were through. You said telling her yourself would be something that would bring you joy," said the man, still smirking.

"I see. Well I'm sorry to say my opinion has now changed. I no longer know joy," said the Empress in a quiet voice. The man frowned.

"So bringing a smile to one's face won't be any solace for you at all?" Gino questioned, his eyes narrowing.

"I-I… I don't know." Ava shook. "I-I'm… I…"

"You're scared aren't you. You're afraid of going outside this room and being judged," the Knight of One said with piercing eyes.

"I…" Ava failed to deny this. She looked down in shame.

"Well. There's nothing to be done the. I'll leave these details here. It's up to you when you want to give that woman the news she waits every day for," Gino said, putting a folder on Ava's desk and turning to leave.

"B-but… Lord Weinberg… I think you--" Astrid started to speak as the man left. She cut herself off. He was already gone.

She sat down. She stared at the file that had been placed on her desk. She then stared at the pillow that concealed the vial of refrain. It took all of what little courage remained inside of her, but she stood again. She grabbed the file in her hand and walked outside hurriedly. Why shouldn't she? She had been given a chance to do something, one small thing, which wouldn't bring her shame. Shouldn't she do it then?

She moved quickly through the castle. The guards were shocked to see her pass. Everyone she passed was shocked. She didn't stop. She pressed ahead, everything around her hardly feeling real. Then amazing luck found her. On route to the room belonging to Callista Blackwell, her path crossed with that very woman. She approached her with a mix of excitement and apprehension.

"E-Empress?" the woman started, her eyes widened, clearly shocked. "It's been far too long."

Ava nodded. "Right. It has."

"So, how have you been of late? Word is you've been ill…" Callista spoke in a heavy, placed voice. Ava could tell the woman knew this was a lie.

"Yes… I'm not well… but I hope to recover soon…." Ava said in a distant voice. "More importantly, I have news for you."

"News for me…?" the woman started, looking at the girl with her head tilted. Her eyes then suddenly went wide. "It couldn't be--!"

"This… is for you…" Ava said deliberately, handing the other the folder in her hands. Callista took it and opened it.

"They found her…" she said, a soft, pleasant smile gracing her face.

"It took a while, but I kept my promise, even if I had little to do with the process personally," Ava said, her breath heavy.

"Thank you. It's only because of you that I may finally get to see her," the woman thanked her in a genuine voice.

"I'm glad I could help make such a thing possible," said Ava turning to leave, unsure where she'd go. "Seeing you has done a lot to restore my spirit, Lady Blackwell."

"I'm glad I could help you as well then," said the Knight of Ten in a pleasing voice.

Ava stepped away. She took several steps down the corridor, a smile actually on her face. She took several steps more. Then she heard a shout.

"You!" the voice came. "Explain yourself!"

Ava turned around. Her eyes were filled with the sight of Hildegarde Waldstein holding a sword to the chest of the very woman she had just spoken with.

"C-calm yourself, Knight of Four… I'm not sure what this is about… but…" Callista spoke, her voice filled with fear.

"Your actions last night! Why did you do such a thing?!" the fierce knight screamed, not lowering her blade.

"It was a simple order. You should realize that. Why would we hand over all our prisoners when we could just as efficiently kill them and damage the enemy base of operations at the same time?" the woman said with a snide laugh, backing away from the blade.

"Why did no one tell me this was a trap?! Why was that information withheld?!" the other demanded, clearly distraught.

"Surely, this sort of thing is best kept confidential. A secret maneuver like this is more sure the fewer who know of it," said Callista in a calm voice.

"Damn it!" Hildegarde cried, sheathing her sword. "This order has no logic! Won't the enemy now just kill their prisoners in retribution. Something like this only brings more and more death."

Ava listened, unsure what to think. She didn't want to hear this. She knew when she gave him power that Richter Nova would do things she never would have, but hearing it now, made her feel ill. She could hardly take it and yet she wanted to know. She wanted to understand her sins.

"Excuse me… what is this all about?" she asked tentatively as she approached. Callista shook her head as if Ava had made a mistake. Hildegarde's eyes narrowed in disgust as she stared upon her.

"You have a lot of nerve asking that question…" she spoke, her voice trembling with hostile intensity.

"I'm…sorr--" Ava began feebly.

"Don't you realize that your name is on every order?! Don't you understand that?!" the woman shouted at her. She was the Empress and yet a mere knight was shouting at her in rage.

"I know… still… I-I…" Ava couldn't come up with an adequate reply. She was scared. She should have run away.

"I respected you. I admired you. I swore my sword to your cause, to your vision. I was willing to give my life to you and your Britannia…" Hildegarde spat in a low, emotional voice. "Looking at what you've become now, I feel nothing but anger and betrayal!"

Hildegarde looked ready to slap her. She should have. She deserved it. She welcomed it. But it didn't come. Ava looked at her feet and mumbled. "I'm sorry."

"Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. I thought you were strong but you're broken," Hildegarde spoke coldly. Ava continued to shake in fear.

"I know… I know…" Ava said, under her breath, unable to look at the other.

"You think you have an excuse because of your grief, because you lost your beloved one, do you?" the knight snarled at her. "Well you killed mine last night. Over the last two months thousands could probably say the same."

Ava's mind froze. Her muscles tightened. Tears entered her eyes. She didn't want to hear that. She didn't want to realize such things. She didn't want this. She didn't want any of this. She was shaking frantically. She felt faint. Her breathing became heavy.

"I'm sorry," she said one more time, in a stronger voice, looking the knight in the eyes, her own eyes full of tears. She then turned around and ran, not waiting for anything else, not wanting to hear anything else.

She ran all the way back to her room. It was a long distance, but it seemed to only take a second. The second she was back, she fell to her knees upon the floor. She cried. She cried hard. She couldn't stop the tears. She went to her pillow and pulled out the refrain. She wanted it to go away. She held the refrain to her arm. Then she screamed. She couldn't do this. She couldn't run away. She had to face this. She breathed hard several times and then threw the vial hard against her wall. The glass broke into thousands of pieces. Ava stood. She didn't know what to do. She was lost. She had let herself be trapped. She had led herself into a hole with no way out.

She continued to pant. She regretted everything. She regretted Richter. She regretted her negligence. She regretted smashing the refrain, her only reprieve from the ugly truth upon the wall. She didn't know what to do but cry there and hope it went away. She knew it wouldn't. Ava li Britannia was naïve maybe, but not stupid. She stood up. Her body felt heavy. She felt so weak. She turned around. She screamed. She wasn't alone.

"What are you doing here?!" she shouted as she looked at the woman who was watching her at her most vulnerable. It was the Knight of Eight. It was Regina Granville. She stared ahead with cold eyes.

"Richter Novak told me to visit you if ever you make such sounds," the woman spoke in a low voice.

"What are you--? What are you doing?" Ava started, angry. "Richter Novak is not the Empress, I am! His orders are meaningless to you!"

"He said that if I wanted to continue spreading the darkness I should listen to him ahead of you," the girl said unfeelingly.

"That's treason, knight!" Ava shouted.

"I do not care what it is," the knight said. She pulled something from her jacket. It was a vial of refrain.

"Stop! Get away from me with that!" Ava shouted, running back. The cyborg was behind her before she finished running. The refrain applicator was at her neck. Soon the substance was in her bloodstream. Soon she was at her knees. Soon she was watching Astrid smile.

---

Astrid Weinberg wore an expression of deep distress and confusion as she awoke the morning after her hopes were crushed. She was in a prison cell. A damp and cold prison cell. Everything seemed damp and cold. She understood none of it. She wanted to understand it. She wanted it to make sense to her. But she couldn't piece it together. She hadn't slept that night. She had just thought. Despite it all she couldn't arrive at a conclusion.

Then, that morning, Chiharu Ohgi appeared before her. She opened the cell and stepped inside. She took a seat in the one chair while Astrid sat on the bed. They looked at each other for a while before either spoke.

"What were the damages?" Astrid began in a low voice.

"They're still trying to place names to bodies. I wouldn't expect many survivors though. Estimates place the total dead at around 170 between the prisoners and the unfortunate civilians."

"How unforgivable…" Astrid spoke, looking down.

"You understand what this means, don't you?" asked Chiharu in a heavy voice.

"Ava…" Astrid murmured, tears entering her eyes.

"She's abandoned you. In the cruelest way imaginable, she has just made it obvious that she doesn't care if we kill you," said Chiharu, her voice dark and somber. "I hate saying it Astrid, but she lied to you."

Astrid shook. She hated this conclusion. She hated it. It couldn't be true. It couldn't. Ava loved her. She had said so with honest eyes. Astrid could feel the love in their all too brief kiss. But what else was there? Ava had thrown away what was to be exchanged for her. Ava had turned her back on her. Was there any other explanation?

"What's going to happen now?" she asked, shaking miserably.

"This action isn't forgivable. Simply put, you'll be executed if you remain loyal to her," Chiharu spoke, clearly hating her role.

"I don't want to lose faith in her. I can't. She saved me six years ago. I lost myself. I lost myself to darkness and she built me back up. She put so much time and love into caring for me… I can't believe that now she has forgotten all that," Astrid spoke in an all too solemn voice. "And yet there's nothing but evidence proving that is so. It's like you say. I have no option but to face reality."

"Does that mean we have your loyalty?" asked Chiharu in a low voice.

"For now. Until I find the truth to be different from what it appears to be, until I get a reason, until I get an explanation, until I get an apology I will fight against the Empire she represents," said Astrid in a sorrowful voice, not sure if this was even possible for her.

"Understood. You'll be given clearance to walk around freely soon then," said Chiharu, standing. "Even then you will likely still have to be watched."

"Very well," Astrid nodded begrudgingly.

"I'm sorry Astrid. Really, I am," the girl spoke in a soft voice as she turned.

"It's alright," said Astrid, looking down. Nothing was Chiharu's fault; that much was certain.

She gave a heavy sigh as the woman left her in the cell. Even if she had said otherwise, she knew her loyalty would always remain with Ava.

---

Chiharu Ohgi had a distinct heaviness to her heart as she entered the dark room at the center of the Absolution base. The man in the Orange mask appeared in front of her. He was alone. The others weren't present.

"I must apologize. I suggested this plan to you. What has happened is entirely my fault," Chiharu spoke somberly as she sat down and looked at the leader of Absolution.

"You know that is not true, Lieutenant Colonel Ohgi. What has happened is because we did not consider the situation deeply enough," Orange spoke in a deep voice.

"It should have been obvious to us that the Empress wouldn't trade all her prisoners for a single girl," said Chiharu, sighing.

"I wouldn't have approved the motion if I thought it was obvious. The testimony of you and Amelia presented a clear picture to me that the Empress cared enough for this girl for this to be a intelligent decision," Orange spoke in a grave voice.

"But it seems we were mistaken. Astrid Weinberg was lied to," Chiharu spoke, her heart uneasy.

"Not necessarily," the man in the mask spoke, looking at the other.

"What do you mean? That much should be obvious," said Chiharu, narrowing her eyes.

"Haven't you found it off, Lieutenant Colonel? Ava li Britannia hasn't made any sort of public appearance in over two months," the man started.

"Yes, now that you mentioned it, that is strange…" said Chiharu, tilting her head. "But even so, what could that mean?"

"Ava li Britannia could be seriously ill. She could have even been assassinated by an unconnected enemy. Either way, she may not be in direct control of her empire," Orange started. At first the idea sounded ludicrous, but Chiharu quickly began to accept it as possible.

"But, provided she's not dead, wouldn't she have heard about Astrid?" started the girl. "My mother went and conducted negotiations in person. The plan held the Empress' signature."

"It was a signature stamp. Your mother never talked to anyone but a single Imperial advisor," Orange said in a steady voice.

"But, the Empress wouldn't just give someone the authority to place her name to their decisions," started Chiharu in a low voice. "Wouldn't that limit the possibility to her being dead?"

"That is perhaps more likely," said the leader of Absolution.

"But why would they hide her death?" asked Chiharu. "it's rather obvious they can't hide it forever."

"It could be fear that her death would cause her Empire to split apart. Arienette mi Britannia was a fairly popular figure within the nobility and unknown out of it, but her daughters are both known to say inopportune things in public. With them as successors, Empress Nunnally might look more appealing even to her staunchest supporters," said Orange in a steady voice.

"I see," Chiharu said with a nod.

"But I doubt the woman would be dead without us knowing any of it. We would know of it if it were our assassin or one of our allies. A small group unconnected to us, would be quick to make claims," said the Orange masked man.

"But then, how could decisions like this be made without her approval?" asked Chiharu, not connecting anything.

"My thoughts are that she has willingly given away her power to someone else. She is oblivious to the decisions that have been made. Her behavior changed entirely after a certain point in the war. It became more precise but also more bloody," Orange spoke wisely.

Chiharu thought a moment. "You mean with the advent of the _Bedivere Godhand _and _Dagonet Foresight_?"

"No. It was before then. The invasion of Japan was bloody, but in the early fights against Absolution care was made to minimize civilian casualties. No such effort has been made in any battle following our conquest of this city," the man explained. Chiharu's eyes widened.

"But that's the battle where--!" she started.

"Where Astrid Weinberg fell from her side," the man finished. Chiharu's heart fell. She felt miserable.

"So her trusted decision maker kept the fact that Astrid is alive from her and did this then?" Chiharu spoke in a low voice.

"The man with whom your mother spoke was rather adamant about the condition that no details of the transaction be made public to anyone but the involved parties." Orange said in a steady voice. "We thought this a simple manner of protecting national pride. Thinking about it now, it's not impossible that they were withholding the information from people within their own administration."

"So, what do we do from here?" asked the girl.

"Astrid Weinberg, what did she say to you?" asked the masked man.

"I told her what I thought was the only truth. She said she'd help us so long as she could believe it was the truth," said the girl, looking down.

"Excellent. Then Astrid Weinberg shall be executed," the man said with what sounded like a quick laugh.

"Wait?! What?! Why!? She said she'd helped us?!" Chiharu demanded, furiously.

"Yes. But for this she must be executed," Orange spoke. Chiharu was about to protest again when the man added. "But do not worry. Astrid Weinberg will not die."

"What are you saying?" Chiharu asked, shaking her head.

"I think it's worth taking a gamble on this hypothesis to create chaos within our enemy's castle and hopefully force a naïve move from an empress without rational thought," the man spoke in a strong voice. Chiharu nodded.

"Understood," she said.

"Is that all you wanted to discuss with me, Lieutenant Colonel?" asked the man.

"Yes sir," the girl replied and stood. "Thanks for agreeing to meet with me like this,"

"Any time, Lieutenant Colonel Ohgi. You are a top value member of our enterprise," said the man in a steady voice.

Chiharu left, everything a lot less set in her mind than it had been before. She felt sorry for Astrid. If this was indeed the truth, the girl had not been betrayed but was rather loved so deeply that…. It was a sad thought, but perhaps it was better that way. Astrid was her friend. She deserved to be loved.

---

Richter Novak wore a slight smirk as he looked at the woman he was to marry. She was wearing a stern frown as she sat in the throne belonging to her cousin. She was unhappy. Despite the wondrous way the plan had turned out the previous night, something had occurred that left this girl distraught. Jackie was far more attached to her family than she let on.

"Weren't you expecting this?" asked Richter, looking at her.

"I was. Still, to have it actually happen… it comes as a shock," started Jackie, looking down.

That morning word had arrived that this girl's older sister, Adelaide, and her husband were killed by revolutionary assassins in Area 10, which was subsequently liberated by Chinese Federation forces.

"Should we relieve your brother of his duties then?" asked the young man, staring at the girl.

"It might be for the best. There's no reason for Aeolus to die as well," said the princess, sighing.

"You do realize that you are now the legitimate heir to the throne, Jackie?" Richter started in a low voice.

"Yes, and I am pleased with that fact," the girl nodded, still seeming down.

"Your sister's death won't go to waste. Though her public image wasn't as strong, and her killers were mostly of the local sort, like your mother, her loss will only help further rally our supporters," the man spoke in a cold matter of fact fashion.

"I realize that losing Ada is nothing but a plus for us on paper." Jackie grumbled. "But shouldn't there be direct retaliation at some point. It almost seems like your letting the Asian Areas be taken at this point and yet you've let to challenge them.'

"I'm just picking my opponents, Jackie. It's only natural we stomp out the enemy at home before looking over seas once more, lest we leave ourselves vulnerable," spoke Richter. "But you needn't worry. When Absolution is through, Granville and Cross will be deployed east."

"Yes, I understand. You're very right, dear," said Jackie giving a long sigh. "There is still one thing I'm curious about though."

"What me and the Knight of Eight discussed moments ago?" Richter surmised while looking at his future wife.

"Yes. I'm curious," the woman started.

"For some reason, your cousin left her room this morning," started Richter.

"You don't say? What happened?" Jackie asked, head titled.

"Guard reports indicate the Knight of Four delivered some harsh words to her that affected her deeply. She was left in a highly emotional state. Granville had to step in and administer some refrain to sedate her," Richter spoke, closing his eyes.

"That woman sure is loyal to you," Jackie spoke, a tinge of jealousy in her voice.

"Ava li Britannia wouldn't condone the massacres that bring her so much pleasure. She just realizes this and wishes to keep me in control," Richter said in a stern voice.

"But Waldstein? She is less quick to approve?" Jackie asked, her head titled.

"My impression of Hildegarde Waldstein has always been that of the most unquestionably dedicated knight. I never saw her as the type to bat an eye at cruelty, but rather the sort able to accept anything as necessary if she agrees with the overall goal," Richter spoke in a ready tone.

"Then why?" asked the other.

"Because reports indicate that, for whatever reason, Hildegarde Waldstein formed an emotional connection with one of the prisoners killed yesterday," Richter said in a low voice.

"An emotional connection with a prisoner?" Jackie looked at him in disbelief.

"It was the young girl being held in the castle tower. Reports indicate she visited her constantly, sometimes more than once on the same day," said the young man, nodding.

"That's nothing short of abnormal," said Jackie. "You don't think that woman is some sort of abnormal freak like my disgusting little cousin?"

"I don't honestly know or care to know, Jackie. The fact of the matter is that this girl's death has led the Knight of Four to lash out at the Empress, Callista Blackwell and me," spoke Richter.

"She confronted you?!" Jackie shouted, surprised.

"She did," said Richter solemnly. "She said quite forwardly that she wanted to kill me. She pulled her sword too."

"H-how… How did you get away from that?" asked the girl, her mouth hanging open.

"It occurred while Granville and I were speaking, so quite naturally I was protected," explained Richter.

"I see. But should she try something again...?" started Jackie, concerned.

"I had her detained for it," said Richter. "If she points a sword at me and presents words that shake your cousin from her current state, she is a threat. I don't plan to release her until I deem she is one no longer."

"That seems wise," said Jackie in a cool voice.

"That leaves the only problem we have as the Empress herself. I don't know how much power over her actions she currently has, but today proves that she is not entirely lost. She may start to show some resistance if we don't keep a more clear watch on her," Richter started in a matter-of-fact fashion.

"Right. Of course," Jackie nodded.

"But in my estimate, so long as she remains ignorant of that girl being alive, she should not change from her course," said Richter.

"But that issue will be resolved. As retribution for last night. That freak will surely be executed by the enemy. That was the plan, wasn't it?" started Jackie.

"Yes. Of course. Astrid Weinberg should be dead soon," said Richter. "But there are still variables."

"R-right," said Jackie with an unsteady voice.

---

Hiromi Tohdoh wore an angry expression as she left the investigators behind. Her head was spinning. It had been almost a full day now since that nightmare had occurred. She still didn't have a straight answer. All she did have was anger and disgust. Passing Chiharu Ohgi in the hall didn't help this.

"Certainly was a great plan you presented to the higher ups, Chiharu," she started in a caustically sarcastic tone, glaring hatefully at her former friend. These were the first words she had spoken to the girl in two months,

"Hiromi…" Chiharu said in a low, depressed voice, looking downward. "I--"

"You what?! What do you have that you can possibly say to me in this situation?!" Hiromi yelled, stepping toward the other, wanting very much to relieve some stress.

"I'm sorry this happened. It shouldn't have happened," said Chiharu in a somber voice.

"You're sorry?! It shouldn't have happened?! Do you honestly think that's good enough?! So many people are dead because of your stupid idea!" Hiromi continued to attack the silver-haired girl with words. Chiharu stared ahead without flinching.

"It was my proposal, but Amelia backed the plan and the Masks all approved it," said Chiharu averting her eyes. "And it was the enemy prisoner who came up with the original idea."

"You think you can hide behind others, Chiharu?! I don't care what part you had in this, I just know you had a part! You let these people die, Chiharu!" HIromi challenged.

"They shouldn't have died. They wouldn't have died, if things were as they should be…" Chiharu said in a quiet voice.

"Stop talking so vaguely! Don't you realize that Yasuko is probably dead?!" Hiromi screamed, seriously annoyed. Chiharu looked at her, finding something in the words peculiar.

"Probably?" she started in a tentative voice. "Isn't she… isn't Yasuko gone for sure this time…"

"The team investigating the crash site found no corpse within or anywhere outside the wreckage which could be positively identified as Yasuko," said Hiromi giving a long sigh.

"But that means--!" Chiharu started, her eyes wide.

"She was either in one of the high danger areas and got burnt to a form that could not be recognized or she stayed with that woman again," said Hiromi, scowling.

"Hiromi…" Chiharu smiled. Like an idiot who didn't understand anything, she smiled.

"Don't you understand?! Yasuko is either a pile of ash or a true traitor through and through! Neither is something to smile about. Either way I've lost her completely now," Hiromi said with a dark glare. Chiharu's smile imploded instantly.

"I'm sorry, Hiromi," said Chiharu in a low, honest voice. "It's difficult for me too, thinking she's gone because of this."

"Don't say things like that, Chiharu," said Hiromi in a tired voice. "Please, just leave me alone before I decide I want to hit you again."

"As you wish," said Chiharu with a short smirk as she walked past the other.

Hiromi continued ahead, unsure where she was going.

---

Lucrecia Harrison had ready smile on her face as her beloved mistress combed her hair and embraced her. She let out a little coo and smiled. She loved this. She loved it all. She loved her mistress. She loved her life. She loved everything about it.

"There. You look lovely, my precious child," said Mistress, stroking Lucrecia's cheek softly with her hand. Lucrecia blushed and smiled.

"Thank you, Mistress!" Lucrecia cheered in her high, girlish voice and turned around. Her mistress lovingly embraced her small, child's body and placed a short kiss on her lips. Lucrecia blushed and gave a short giggle.

Mistress was so beautiful. She was the most beautiful woman ever. She had long blonde hair, roughly as long as Lucrecia's silver hair, but it seemed shorter since the adult woman was so much taller. The two of them both had green eyes, but Lucrecia's were deep, sharp and dark and Mistress's were a soft, inviting color. And of course Mistress had a body exceeding any woman anywhere ever, while Lucrecia had a body more suitable her twelve years of age.

A knock sounded at the door. Mistress glared at it. She spoke. "Yes, what is it?"

"It's Naida, milady. The Sage has requested a word with you," the voice of agent Naida Fiametta sounded. Lucrecia began to glare at the door as well.

Mistress loosened her grip on Lucrecia and allowed the child to stand. She then said, "Very well, come in, Naida."

The door opened and a stranger entered. Lucrecia was used to this. Naida always took the form of a stranger.

"Hmmph, this had better be important, Ms. Fiametta!" Lucrecia demanded in a cold voice, making her angry face at the older woman who had interrupted her and Mistress' private time.

"Chill, Lucy. I said it was the Sage who sent me. You know how that old man gets," Naida said shaking her head.

"Whatever," Lucrecia huffed, crossing her arms and nodding her head. Mistress, who had stood, patted her on the head.

"I'm eager to hear what old Eldridge has for me today," said the beautiful woman walking forward. "What do you know of it, Naida?"

"I don't know. It has to do with something Phil, Laz and Signa recovered," said the woman in a warm voice. She began to walk as well. Lucrecia followed behind them.

"I see. And what of your task?" asked Mistress.

"I've just been back an hour now. Early this morning I successfully assassinated another Britannian princess, just as you ordered," the shape-changing woman spoke, tilting her head.

"Good work then," said Mistress, smiling and placing a soft kiss at Naida's cheek, causing her to blush. Lucrecia glared at the scene with impossible anger.

"Am I to kill the First Prince now?" asked Naida, laughing her blush off.

"Doing so would be pointless. The situation is right as it is now," said Mistress, giving a steady nod.

"Why is Naida killing princesses, Mistress? I thought we were on Britannia's side," started Lucrecia in a sugary voice as she picked up her step to walk beside her mistress.

"You should know that, Lucrecia. We're on our own side, independent from this war. Our current goal is to see Ava li Britannia defeat Absolution but it is far from our final goal," said Mistress. "Besides, the deaths of these useless princesses helps the Britannian cause more than it hurts it in the end."

"Oh, I see. That makes perfect sense now," Lucrecia lied with an enthusiastic smile and nod.

"Then why spare any extras, milady?" asked Naida.

"Because Jacquelyn mi Britannia is a character that spawns conflict. Aeolus mi Britannia is a meaningless existence. Neither of them is worth destroying at the moment," said Mistress simply. Naida didn't seem satisfied. Why'd she have to pester Mistress like this? It was annoying.

"I see…" Naida spoke. "The sage told me to bring you here." She motioned to a rather large room within the abandoned castle Mistress used as her hideout.

"Please, join us, Naida," Mistress said, shaking her head and entering the door. Naida showed hesitation.

"If it's okay…" she muttered. Naida was regarded as the lowest ranked member of their group. Mistress of course loved Lucrecia best and she had know the Sage for a very long time. Philip and Signa she regarded as special projects that she watched closely, though it was clear she favored the latter. And Lazarus she regarded as her strongest and most devout supporter. Naida she had easily the least attachment to and rarely treated with kindness, especially since her best friend Ashlynn went away.

"Of course, I insist," Mistress nodded. The woman smiled and followed her inside. Lucrecia followed too.

The large hall was mostly empty. At the center of it was a long table. On top of that table were three corpses. They were bloodied and burnt and looked really icky. Lucrecia tried not to look at them. Naida was averting her eyes too and looked ready to throw up.

"Hmm, now what do we have here, Eldridge?" Mistress asked as she approached the corpses with a smile on her face. "Where did all this death come from?"

"Mr. Cain retrieved these forms with the aid of the other two. Despite appearances, they still cling to life," said the old man hovering over the disturbing figures, peering a them.

"I don't understand. I gave no order for Lazarus to bring me bodies clinging to the ends of life. Those three were to keep a strict watch over Absolution's leaders in that city. Nothing more," Mistress said in a baffled voice, her eyes narrowing.

"Lazarus Cain is a misanthrope who labels everyone he meets a sinner. Despite this, he still calls himself a priest and he has a peculiar fascination with death. I'm not sure anyone but he understands his decision in this case, but those two did aid him in retrieving these souls from the center of hell," said the man most there called the Sage. Only Mistress used his given name, Eldridge Delaney, and only when she was in certain moods.

"Hmm, so these are from that scene then? These are victims of Ava li Britannia's negligence who fate has yet to abandon?" said Mistress smirking.

"As with anyone who has narrowly escaped certain death, I see incredible things in their eyes," said the Sage in a rough voice.

"Very well, let me have a look at them," said Mistress, taking several steps toward the figures lying atop the table. She didn't want to, but Lucrecia stepped up to look at them as well.

The first one was a young man, very strongly built. He was Britannian, meaning Absolution in this case. He wore what was barely discernible as prison garbs and seemed angry in his painful sleep. His frame had been bandaged, but you could tell that the burns were all over his body. The second thing which resembled a corpse was a smaller Britannian youth. He was half-conscious and gritting his teeth in intense pain, though he didn't make a sound. His eyes, which were open but didn't seem to see, looked somehow beast-like.

The third figure on the table was easily the worst off. It was a young girl. She was of Asian descent and had had soft, delicate features. The left side of her body was wounded severely, much of the flesh having been burnt deep. Her left hand was missing. Her left leg looked entirely too thin. Her face, had hardly been spared damage either; it was hard for Lucrecia to look at. Most peculiarly, the girl was wearing a rag that looked like it might have actually been something nice instead of a prison garb. Looking at her, it was almost impossible to believe that the girl was alive.

"Hmm, interesting things that have been laid in my lap. I trust you've already sent for Alfred," Mistress spoke, while staring at the girl struggling against death.

"Aye, of course, Ms. Amarantha," said Old Grandpa with a steady nod.

"Then saving these three should be hardly an issue," said Mistress with confidence in her smirk.

"Wait! I need an explanation of all this! How are these people alive?!" Naida started in a loud voice.

"Naida please, quiet. You'll distress them. Losing them now would be an unfortunate thing," cautioned Mistress.

"Eh, sorry…" Naida spoke in a low voice.

"Those three are the sharpest blades in my obsession, but saving a life or two is well within their capacity," said the beautiful woman, smiling.

"Well, I don't see it. I can't imagine any of them being able to do anything for anyone," Naida spoke in a resolute voice.

"Signa's ability isn't just for amplifying pain, you know. She can be made to nullify it as well," said Mistress, nodding.

"Ah, yeah, of course, but…" Naida continued to question Mistress. Lucrecia glared at her.

"And despite his dementia, Philip has an incredible ability to retain technical knowledge. He's read medical books and there is a full wealth of emergency medication and suplies onboard my planes," said Mistress.

"I see… I guess that's true. It's just a little hard to see him calming down long enough to treat anyone. And it's been almost a day since that incident…." Naida spoke, looking at the bodies in disbelief.

"For what it's worth, Lazarus has the light of God on his side. Perhaps that's the root of your miracle," Mistress said with an amused laugh.

"I'd doubt that…" spoke Naida with a sigh.

"I doubt they had perfect success anyway," said Mistress. She turned to the old man. "How many corpses were discarded, Eldridge?"

"Five," the old man replied with a solemn nod.

"So there were five more who survived hell only to die during treatment onboard the flight. A shame," Mistress gave a heavy sigh. "Oh well, three will be enough. These will make nice pets."

"But, milady, these… You can't honestly think that from this state… that these people will recover?" Naida added another challenge. Lucrecia snarled. This woman had too much doubt in Mistress. It was annoying.

"Lazarus calls me an agent of God, Belisario a full fledged Goddess. You've seen what I can do; do you honestly think this is impossible, even for 'divinity'?" asked Mistress, amused once more. "Besides, you have no reason to doubt the genius of Alfred Selwyn."

"I'm not sure I've ever heard that name," said Naida, after some thought.

"Alfred is a man, much like Belisario and Eldridge here, with whom I have deep ties. He is a Britannian expatriate living here in the EU. He is a brilliant mind, with a wealth of knowledge regarding the human mind and body," said Mistress. She smirked, "He's Lucrecia's father."

"Her father?" Naida was surprised. After a pause she added, "You don't mean her actual father, do you? You mean, he's the one who--!"

Mistress smiled. "You're quite right." She have a steady nod. "It will not be an easy task, but these three will be built back up better than they were soon enough. They will be my precious pets, especially this darling child."

Mistress confirmed what Lucrecia had suspected. The beautiful woman had taken a special interest in the lone female. Lucrecia was jealous of the girl even though she wasn't conscious of any of this and was hanging onto her life by a thread.

"You said your eyes could see strong fates for all of them?" asked Mistress, turning to the old man.

"Aye," the Sage replied. "The strength of their fate is actually ordered as they are laid out on the table. The female child is especially strong with it."

"I see. How wonderful," said Mistress in a soft voice.

"But.. .doesn't the Sage's power only work if they--" Naida started again, Mistress shook her head and that was enough to cut her off.

"It won't matter very soon, Naida. Our plan is nearing its next stage. The air is saturated with chaos. All it will take now is a strong enough spark and everything will explode. Then our dearest friend, Ashlynn will return to us," Mistress nodded, sure of herself.

"You really still think she's coming back?" asked Naida with a frown and sigh.

"I wouldn't hinge my entire plan on it if I was anything but sure, Naida," Mistress gave an amused laugh.

"She has no reason to come back here," said Naida, sure of it.

"You doubt what Eldridge has seen, Naida?" asked Mistress, smiling.

"I don't. No," said the woman with some hesitance. "I just don't see why that woman would ever return to us."

"A Goddess is sought in the darkest hours, Naida. Ashlynn Alvara knows only one Goddess," Mistress said in an easy, confident voice.

"I guess…" the other hardly seemed convinced.

"But this is not a matter needing discussion, not now at least," said Mistress. Her eyes returned to the table. "I'm more interested in what I have in front of me." She tilted her head and looked at the pale, bloodied girl. "Do we know their names?" she asked.

"Prisoner numbers were recovered for the two males. We could obtain names rather easily by investigating Britannian records. No identification was present on the girl. She is a complete unknown," said the old man in a rough voice.

"I see. Unfortunate. Surely this one had a pretty name. It's a shame me and Alfred will probably lose it," said Mistress in a regretful voice, sighing. After a pause, she spoke some more. "I do hope Alfred arrives soon. It would be a shame to lose these three now."

"He's on his way," the Sage assured.

"Right, well then. Nothing I can do now," said Mistress. "Those other three, Eldridge? After disobeying my orders and returning here, where have they headed now?"

"They're awaiting new orders in the main hall," the old man spoke.

"I see. But that can wait. I need to be with these three right now," said Mistress. "Naida, please play with Lucrecia for a while."

"What?! But Mistress, can't I stay with you?" asked Lucrecia pleadingly, tugging at the older woman's coat.

"Now, now child, when Dr. Selwyn comes, this room might become something scary for such a delicate girl," said Mistress stroking Lucrecia's cheek affectionately again, bringing out another blush. "It's best the two of you hurry along."

"Hmmph, fine!" Lucrecia pouted, curling her lip and stomping her foot. She stomped out of the room. "Come on, let's go!" she called to Naida coldly, without turning around.

"Eh, right…" said, Naida, hurrying to catch up as Lucrecia paced swiftly down the hall. "Please slow down, Lucy. There's no need to--"

And with that Lucrecia tripped on her own feet and fell forward. She had caught herself with her arms so it wasn't a particularly painful fall, especially compared to some of the many others, but her skirt had flipped up, giving Naida full view of her childish pink, strawberry pattern panties. Lucrecia collected herself immediately and stood. She blushed intently.

"Don't stare at me!" she demanded in an intense voice, with a little huff. She began walking again, this time at a more casual pace.

"Uh okay," Naida snickered and followed along.

---

Lilia Weinberg gave a sigh as she sat down upon her plush leather couch. Her husband was cooking dinner in her stead. He did this a lot. He saw it as an obligation. He was home more often than she was these days. It was honestly vaguely frustrating having him home all the time.

She wasn't sure she understood that man, even if she had married him and birthed his child. After losing his daughter to terrorists, the man takes a reprieve from his duties, and not necessarily to grieve. Lilia was still rather shaken up about Astrid. Every day was still a little uncomfortable, even when she put the poor child out of mind, but her husband, he hardly seemed ay different from before these days. Not around her at least.

He seemed of a perfectly suitable mood, and yet he continued to neglect his duties and laze around the house. Lilia knew he had his differences of opinions with the Empress, even if she had been Astrid's dearest friend, and she respected that, but still, she felt he should at least be doing something. But, alas, he was still getting paid. She couldn't rightly complain.

Sighing again, Lilia turned on the television and stared at it blankly. Milly Ashford was reading the evening news with a professional smile as usual. It was more details about the recent mass execution and attack on the enemy that had been disguised as a prisoner exchange. It had been the biggest story anywhere since it happened two nights ago.

It was a rather gruesome thing. The Empress had really gotten violent ever since losing Astrid. Lilia supposed this was one way grief manifested. With the way her husband kept to himself with his own sorrow, maybe it was his incompatibility with such a thing that had driven him from the castle? It was a little unsettling even for Lilia. But when you considered the other top news story, "Princess Adelaide mi Britannia Killed at 21", Lilia was able to be a little more forgiving.

Things had certainly gotten a lot more complicated since the Empress made her big move. The first few months after that had been tense. Lilia's husband and her child had a serious difference of opinions, and she found herself caught between them more often than not. Things had eventually calmed down for Lilia by the time Astrid was lost, but the world was still a mess. But that made this news program a lot more interesting, she supposed.

She sighed yet again and turned her focus back to Milly Ashford. She found, to her surprise, that the woman wasn't there. Something had changed. The station had been hijacked. The strange, Orange masked-man was on the screen again, the camera focused squarely on his mask. He had done this before. He was the terrorist leader, or one of them at least. Lilia turned up the volume.

"Britannia! My message for you today is simple! Your Empress has offended us! The brutal manner in which the negotiations of two nights ago were handled is inexcusable! Absolution is not an organization that prides itself in violence and killing, but the massacres your Empress has allowed, this recent event being only one example, have left us with little choice!" the man spoke in a strong, bold voice, filled with brilliant intensity. The camera panned out, revealing than he was surrounded by many young men and women, most in chains. "Retribution is called for! For the sake of the lives thrown away in that gruesome disaster, Absolution shall see all of our Britannian prisoners executed!"

Lilia stared at the TV, transfixed. The camera began to cycle past the faces of the prisoners. It stopped when it reached the Orange-masked man again, but it was still panned out and a single prisoner was clearly displayed in the shot to his right. Lilia could feel her heart stop.

"G-Gino, d-dear, come here now!" she insisted in a wobbly voice, standing, blinking several times and staring endlessly at the screen.

"Coming," the man spoke as her meandered into the room. "What's happened?"

"Please, dear, tell me I'm not seeing things," said Lilia, staring ahead.

"Remember these faces, Britannia! These our your loyal countrymen who will face judgement three days from now as a result of your Empress' reign of murder!" the masked man further condemned the prisoners. No matter how the camera panned, one figure never left the shot. It wasn't the masked man either.

"Astrid--" Gino spoke, holding his breath, his eyes wide.

"B-but how?! She was pronounced dead… There was no other way about it. We had a service and everything… said Lilia, trembling, her brain barely rational.

"It seems, my dear, we were premature. Our daughter survived somehow," the man spoke, still staring at the screen, spellbound.

"My Astrid…" Lilia cried, emotion overtaking her. "But she'll still die soon anyway…"

"I'll go to the Empress. I'll offer my sword to save our child. I'll do everything I can," said Gino with a firm nod.

"Please do! I can't bear to lose her a second time!" Lilia stammered, shaking her head.

"I'll go at once. Please take care of the dinner I was preparing," said Gino.

"Yes, of course," said Lilia.

And then the man left. He returned an hour later with news that made her heart sink. Gino Weinberg, the Knight of One, had been revoked his clearance into the Imperial castle indefinitely.

A/N: End chapter 24. A very focused chapter. The last chapter had that one outlying Xuemei scene thrown in, but was pretty much focused on the buildup to the Prisoner exchange. I wanted this to be the flip-side of that one, focusing entirely on the aftermath of the incident (hence the rather simple chapter title).But don't worry, I know Kallen and kids, Cynthia and Miya, Megami and whoever else hasn't been focused in a while, but they should mostly all be worked into the next chapter.

Anyway, for being focused on the aftermath, a lot of little things happened. Callista's character arc is poised to finally progress, with her child having been located. Ava's beginning to piece herself back together, bit by bit, with some help from an emotional Hildegarde. Jeremiah's coming to understand the truth of what's happening in Britannia and Astrid's loyalties are made questionable. Jackie's older sister was killed off randomly with no character development, making her heir to the throne. And of course, Yasuko is really alive. Just barely. But she's in the hands of the dark mysterious evil villain character. I took a hint from the similar situation with Astrid and waited a chapter before the reveal. I bet a lot of you thought she was actually done. She certainly does have worse luck than Astrid though… That scene did provide some more insight into the world of Deifilia Amarantha and the characters within that world. As I said before, daiki-kasho designed Lucrecia Harrison; he deserves all the credit for her awesomeness.

And I have to apologize. I promised two, but only managed one extra again. Doing another would have postponed the whole thing by a day, and it just didn't seem worth it to me. Hopefully you don't mind. The extra this week is significantly longer than most anyway.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Lucrecia Harrison

Eldridge Delaney

Lilia Weinberg


	26. Turn 25: Parent and Child

A/N: Heh, this should be a fun little chapter. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: Cynthia: "CrazyNinjaPenguin does not hold legal right to the anime Code Geass and its characters and elements. The elements and characters of his creation, do, however, belong to him."

Ava li Britannia's eyes opened suddenly. She looked around frantically, paranoia setting in immediately. She shook. She felt ill. It had been four days now. It had been four days since the control of her life that she had thrown away was outright ripped from her hands all together. After two months of misery, four days of horror were hardly welcome.

She sat up and looked around the room. The window revealed it was still dark out. Inside the room, Regina Granville with her refrain applicator, ready to give Ava her next regular dose was nowhere in sight. Ava sighed in relief. She still had time. She still had time before she was forced into submission once more.

Having the refrain forced upon her was good for Ava's mental state in a way. It provided a crystal clear reminder that the substance was something to be despised, not relied on. She had always hated it, but now she viewed it with intense loathing and anger. She cursed herself for injecting it into herself voluntarily. Ava may have been weak, but she hated being forced to do something. She resisted it. As a result, she was more prepared to leave refrain behind and move forward than ever.

It's just that doing that was impossible at this point. Richter Novak had told the guards some lie, likely about her health or something and as such they were refusing to let her venture from her room. That damned Knight of Eight would just be behind the corner anyway. There was no getting past that woman. It was hopeless. Ava was a prisoner within her own castle. There was no way out. She had lost hope.

"I wonder if it's fate that it's come to this… Ava sighed aloud. "Perhaps this is what I deserve."

"Come now, it's too early to just give up," said a bright voice from out of nowhere. Ava looked around; she found no one.

"So you're here, Megami Subarashii?" Ava asked with a laugh.

"Sure am. But keep your voice down. Your buddy Richter Novak would have me killed if he found out I made it in here," the invisible woman whispered.

"Is that so? I'm being barred from the outside entirely then?" Ava started.

"Yeah. The patrol is so seamless, I've been trying to figure out how to get in here for two days now. In all my years as a thief it never took me so long to break into a room…" the woman sighed.

"Is that so? This seems very cautious, even for that man. Even if I showed a desire to regain myself, it doesn't seem so reasonable to go so far," said Ava, looking down.

"Yeah, well there's more to it than that…" said Megami in a low voice.

"What do you mean?" asked the other.

"I'm going to show you something, Ava. It will shock you, make you cry and make you probably hate yourself, but you still need to see it," said Megami in a weak voice.

Ava gave a hard laugh. "You've certainly piqued my curiosity with those words, Megami."

"Pleas look at this," said Megami. Something materialized out of nowhere. It was a small stack of papers with pictures printed on them. They floated over to Ava. She grabbed them and began to study them.

Her eyes widened in shock.

"W-what is this?" she started as she stared down at the pictures. In all of them there was a familiar girl. She had blonde hair and fine features. She was tied to a wall and dressed in prisoner garbs.

"She's alive, Ava…" said Megami in a low voice. Tears began to flow from Ava's eyes.

"H-how…?" was all she could choke out. It didn't make sense. This couldn't be Astrid Weinberg. Astrid Weinberg was dead. She was killed in battle. She had ran into the most powerful weapon the enemy had and it had destroyed her unit entirely. Multiple reports indicated that survival would be impossible. A funeral had been held in which an empty box had been laid in the earth. Ava still had nightmares about that scene. But denying that the one in the picture was Astrid was impossible.

"I'm sorry, Ava, you were wrong… she survived…" said Megami in a quiet voice.

"But then--!" fear set in. Ava began to shake. What had she done?! How could she have fallen so far? How could she have destroyed everything she had built up just like that if her love wasn't really gone? Her sins were numerous and inexcusable. To learn they were the result of a mistake tore at her heart. The last part of Megami's prediction was readily fulfilled.

"Fate certainly plays with us in strange ways. It can be all too cruel some times. In some cases, I guess fate is just an outright bitch," Megami said with a quiver. "but for all the trouble this surely leaves your heart in, at least knowing she alive is worth a smile, right?"

"Y-yeah..." said Ava, a very subtle smirk entering the corner of her mouth.

"But you probably already know there's more to the story. With pictures like this there has to be more attached, right?' Megami spoke in a very dark, somber voice.

Ava looked at some more of the pictures. Astrid was pictured behind the man in the Orange mask in most of them. The pictures were clearly taken from some sort of speech. "What's going to happen to Astrid?" Ava gulped. She already knew the likeliest answer.

"She's to be executed." It was still hard to hear it.

"When?" asked Ava, her hands shaking uncontrollably.

"Tomorrow," said Megami in a very low voice. Ava's eyes widened.

"Richter didn't want me to know of this. He's to let Astrid die. He thinks she's the only thing that could bring me back now…" Ava said, closing her eyes.

"Yeah. That seems about right," said Megami quietly.

"You should have wakened me as soon as you snuck in here," said Ava looking down.

"This is going to be a long day for you. I thought you'd need your rest," said Megami in a low voice.

"But I… I don't…" Ava started, somehow, everything still seemed hopeless.

"You should realize it, right? All you can do now is save her," said Megami in a light voice.

"But how do I do that? I-I'm…" Ava struggled with the words.

"You're scared. That's understandable. It's going to be hard to find your feet and walk outside that door once more. You've done things, you've let things happen for which you may never forgive yourself, but the simple fact remains that the girl you love will die tomorrow if you don't call forth that tiny bit of strength that still remains inside of you," said Megami in a piercing voice. Ava's continued to shake.

"You certainly have a way with words, Megami Subarashii," Ava said, smirking quietly. "But even if I want to call on that strength, it won't be enough to get past Richter Novak. It wont' be enough to get past Regina Granville."

"Richter may have that woman's support but there are people on your side too," said Megami in a ready voice.

"I abandoned them. I failed them. I betrayed them. Even if they don't pledge loyalty to Richter, surely I'm forsaken," said Ava, remembering her encounter with Hildegarde Waldstein, cursing herself as she did.

"Maybe so. I don't know. All I know is that, when it comes down to it, you at least have me," said Megami in a light voice.

"Richter Novak is the one paying you," Ava reminded the other.

"My loyalty isn't something that can be bought," said Megami.

"But why? What did I do to deserve your loyalty?" asked Ava. "I've been a miserable wreck so long as you've known me. You've visited me frequently since then and I'm not really sure why."

"It's because you're not the only one with darkness in her past, Empress. I want to help you. Because I want to find solace from some of my own sins. Sins from six years ago," said Megami, her voice heavy.

Ava's eyes widened. What was this woman saying? It couldn't be--! "What are you talking about? Who are you?" Ava started, shaking.

"I was there that day six years ago… that day you surely will always remember," Megami admitted in a low tone.

Ava felt cold. She could hardly comprehend the words the woman was speaking. In a weak voice, she managed to mutter,"Who are you? What did you do with her… with mother…?"

"I left those people that day. I betrayed them. I couldn't take it anymore. I had relied on them, I had abandoned myself to their darkness, but that day, in seeing the two of you in torment I managed to break through the walls that had kept me trapped. You were knocked out at the time, but I saved your life and Astrid's. I kept my former allies busy until your mother arrived," said Megami, her voice very quiet. "I cant say what happened to your mother. They wanted her dead. Her goals ran contradictory to theirs."

"I do remember you!" said Ava, her eyes wide as she pieced some great mystery together. "You knocked the sword from that priest's hands."

"Yeah," Megami laughed. "You have a good memory."

"Thank you," said Ava.

"I obviously didn't know you'd be Empress one day. I didn't do it to get in your favor. I did it for my own reasons. But even so… that day is proof that our fates are linked. That's enough to get me to lend you my support," said Megami, her voice low.

"Could you tell me about them? My mother's enemies?" Ava started, her eyes narrowing.

"I probably should. No, I definitely should. But not now," said Megami. "Astrid comes first. She was there that day anyway. She deserves to hear the full story too."

"Right," Ava nodded, smirking.

"So, you ready?" asked Megami.

"If I wait until I'm ready Astrid will be dead one-hundred times over," said Ava harshly. "Let's go."

She stood. She dressed herself quickly in her imperial garb. She then opened the door and walked outside. The guards approached her, ready to confront her.

"Stand down! Ignore whatever it is that man has told you! That's an order!" she demanded in a harsh, intense voice.

Most of the men backed down and let her pass. She glared at the rest and they backed off. She pressed onward through the corridor, not looking back.

"Where do you think you're going, Empress?" an emotionless voice reached Ava's ears. She was there, Regina Granville, emerging from the shadows of the corridor as if she had been expecting Ava.

"Stand down, Knight! You have no place defying me!" Ava shouted out.

Granville said nothing. Instead, she removed a familiar object from her pocket. It was a refrain applicator. She approached steadily. Ava tried to tun past her. That's when she was reminded how impossible this was. She was on the floor, the woman on top of her, the vial of refrain held to her neck. There was no overpowering the cybernetically enhanced woman.

Just as Ava's efforts were to be rendered useless there in that corridor, the vial of refrain was suddenly ripped from the applicator and tossed against a wall, where it shattered. This changed things. In a split second, Regina Granville was no longer on top of Ava. Now she was on top of Megami, who readily became visible. The barrel of a gun emerged from out of the flesh of her arm and pointed at the side of Megami's head.

"Stop this!" Ava shouted, scared. "Someone stop her!"

"Cool. Got it," a lightly amused voice said from behind her. All too swiftly a wide swipe was made at Regina Granville. She jumped up, off the woman, in order to protect her life.

It was Ulric Cross. It was the Knight of Twelve. It was the only person who possibly could have stood against Granville. Ava couldn't even contemplate how it could have been that he was right there watching and willing to listen to her. She pulled herself to her feet and saw Megami do much the same.

"Why do you interfere? Don't you wish to continue spreading our destruction?" asked Granville, unable to comprehend, as she backed away from the repeated slashes from a blade which had emerged from Ulric's hand.

"Fuck no! I'm a fighter, not a killer. I've had enough of that shit!" Cross stated as he darted out of the path of a shot from the woman's gun arm. "Besides, it's this chick I pledged to serve in that fucking prison, not that cocky, upstart little bastard."

Ava's eyes widened. She had always ridiculed and looked down at this man, yet here he had remained loyal to her. It left her feeling strange.

"Then I will simply have to eliminate you if you chose to stand in the way," said Granville coldly. A short blade appeared from her left hand. She rushed forward. Cross met her blade with his. She aimed her gun arm at his head. Before she could fire, Cross moved his left fist. It didn't transform into anything. Instead, it just moved forward and found Granville's jaw. The force behind the punch must have been incredible, for the powerful cyborg was thrown backwards.

"I don't like hitting a chick like that, but I ain't about to back down from any fight," said Cross. "Try again if you want; it won't be any different. You may have had the same shit done to your body as I had, but you were never on my level as a fighter to begin with."

Regina Granville did just that. She leapt to her feet and made a desperate charge with her hand blade. Ulric jumped to the side and pounded her head with his fist from behind. She fell to the ground again. This time she didn't get back up.

"That should be done now," Cross said in a low voice.

"Thank you, sir," Ava said, smiling at the man.

"Back in that prison I said I was your loyal dog," Ulric reminded with a light smirk. "I've always been a man of my word." His smirk became more full. If Ava was in a better mood she might have reminded him how her Geass had caught him in a lie twice during their first meeting. "Now you got shit you have to do, right? I'll stay here in case this little bitch wakes up."

Ava nodded at the man, having a newfound respect for him. She turned and looked at the mercenary woman. "Megami, let's go."

"As you wish, Empress," the woman replied. The two continued all the way to the throne room without issue. Of course there would be issue when Ava entered it. She was ready for this. She smiled as she entered the place she had been avoiding.

Jacquelyn mi Britannia was sitting in her throne. Richter Novak was at the side of it. Both looked up at the sound of the approaching footsteps. They looked at Ava, surprise entering Richter's eyes and hate entering Jackie's.

"My, my, what rare pleasure is this to see you here, Empress?" Richter started with a smirk, approaching her.

"Cut the crap, Richter. Don't think you even deserve to look at me after the last few days," said Ava curtly, glaring in contempt at the man.

"What the hell is this?! Wasn't Granville supposed to prevent this from happening at all costs?!" Jackie screeched, shaking in anger.

"Guess things didn't go as you guys planned, huh?" Megami chuckled casually.

"So this was your work, huh?" Richter looked at the mercenary. "I have to know, what sort of obligation could a woman without loyalties have to this broken empress?"

"It's pretty simple. The two of us are bound by fate," said Megami. "That, and pricks like you really piss me off."

"I suppose hiring you was my ultimate mistake," Richter said in a low groan. He turned to Ava. "You know the truth then, Empress?"

"You intend to let Astrid die tomorrow," Ava said with a hateful glare.

"I suppose the plan will be different now, won't it?" Richter laughed, knowing he was up against a wall.

"You are to leave here immediately! Get out of here and don't let me see your face again!" Ava shouted, hellish anger in her voice.

"I never disobeyed you. You gave me the authority to do what I thought was best for Britannia. I've done that the whole way through," said Richter with a smirk.

"I realize that, but there's no need for you here any more. And the methods you've used the last four days alone are something I can never forgive," Ava said in a definite voice.

"You won't be rid of him! I'm your heir and he's going to be my husband!" Jackie screeched out with intense hate.

"You're my heir?" Ava started, cocking her eyebrow.

"Yes. Mother and Ada were both killed while you destroyed yourself for the sake of your disgusting little girlfriend," Jackie snarled maliciously.

"I didn't hear of that," said Ava. "It's a shame. Even so you are not my heir, Jackie."

"What the hell do you mean?! Since Aunt Nunnally defected to the other side, I'm the oldest child of royal blood!" Jackie shouted.

"I don't want to spoil it. You'll have to learn on your own accord," Ava laughed softly. "Now then, both of you, please leave and don't come back."

"It's hopeless, you know. Astrid Weinberg is a trap. No matter what you send her way to rescue her, the enemy will only be prepared for it. The losses will be extreme. You were better off forgetting about her," said Richter straightforwardly.

"Go home, pizza boy," Ava spat with contempt. Richter, for the first time, showed anger in his eyes but he suppressed it.

"As you wish, Ava li Britannia," the young man said. "Let's go, Jackie."

"But Richter--!" the woman started, but received only glares. She stammered and gave a huff before following her fiancé out of the room.

"Is it okay, just letting those two go?" asked Megami, head cocked.

"Richter Novak was right in what he said. All the sins he committed were only committed because I gave him the authority. They are my sins as much as they are his. I can't see a man to his death for my own sins, no matter how much contempt I have for him," said Ava in a heavy voice.

"Right. Guess that makes sense," said Megami with a shrug.

"Now we have a lot of work to do an and a very short time to do it. We should call the Rounds for a strategy meeting," said Ava. "Do you know of their locations?"

"Gino Weinberg was barred entry from the castle after Astrid was shown. Hildegarde Waldstein is locked away in the castle tower. Callista Blackwell went somewhere. No one's seen her since yesterday. Claudio Darlton, Rowena Winfield, Nonette Enneagram and Niles Moore should all be around somewhere," started Megami, with some nods.

"And Lord Marsh?" asked Ava.

"Damian Marsh fell in battle several weeks ago," said Megami in a sigh.

"I see. I didn't hear," Ava said, feeling a short chill run across her.

"So, what do you want me to do?" asked Megami.

"Go release Waldstein and bring everyone else to the meeting room. I'll make a phone call to the Weinberg house," said Ava in a light voice.

"Got it," said Megami with enthusiasm. "Oh, and Regina Granville?"

"Will be doing her part as a Knight of the Rounds whether she likes it or not," said Ava with contempt lining her voice. "As infuriated as I am with her, we have need of her strength."

"Awesome!" Megami laughed. "I'm on it!"

With that the mercenary woman left. Ava went to find a phone.

---

The girl wore a forced smile on her face as children half her age ran around her. She felt like sighing but kept face. It was her job to help take care of these children who were like her. Like her, they were children with no place in the world, children with no parents, no families. Like her, this small town orphanage was the only home they had ever known.

"Come on, Ellie! Let's play!" a young girl, Mary, called, tugging at her shirt. The girl couldn't hold her sigh any longer.

Ellie wasn't the girl's name even if it was the one she most often heard. Her name was the only piece she had of her true identity. It was Eilith Grey. Of the name, the surname likely wasn't true either. One of her most striking features was her intense blue-gray eyes; it stood to reason that name was invented when she was left here. Her given name on the other hand, was unusual. It was the name of a noble's child. It stood out horribly in a simple orphanage. Growing up, most of the children even had trouble pronouncing it, and were wary of her when she used it. The name thus fell out of favor even if Eilith herself found it a beautiful name.

Eilith couldn't help but wonder about it all, about why she had been left here. If she was from a noble family, awarded a beautiful name, why was she discarded? It depressed her. Her best guess was that she was illegitimate. Still, even that reason seemed somehow empty to her. She had always wanted desperately to find the truth but knew not where to even begin.

At 20 years of age, Eilith was a girl of simple beauty. She cut her auburn hair fairly short, and her body was trim and toned from regular workouts. She had very fine features and a womanly figure that exceeded most of the adult women working at the orphanage. She clearly had good genes, which only enforced her nobility theory. She stood out in this place even if she tried her best to look normal.

She was currently a student at a local college with hopes of entering law enforcement when she graduated. She worked for the Orphanage she had always lived at to pay for school. They paid her decently for watching over these children. It wasn't a hard job, even if Eilith wasn't exactly good with kids. It wasn't a hard life really. There wasn't much joy in it, and it had always felt like something was missing, but it wasn't difficult. She was still eager to leave this place behind.

"Okay, Mary, fine," Eilith said, obliging the young girl.

"Yay! Let's go!" the child said, before dragging the woman along by the wrist. The other children began to cheer as she was brought to join their game.

Eilith came to a halt even though the child was still pulling at her arm. Something strange was happening. A woman was talking to the old priest who ran the orphanage. This woman was wholly unsuited to this place. She'd stand out anywhere, but amongst the dullness of the simple orphanage, the effect was only amplified.

The woman was, in a word, beautiful. She seemed to glow. Her crimson hair had a shimmer to it. Her skin was pure white and silken and she was built similarly to Eilith, though a little smaller and thinner. She was dressed in beautiful, expensive clothing that would seem garish on anyone else but suited her so well. Eilith stared at her transfixed, her heart jumping from her chest. This woman, this beautiful woman, just looking at her, Eilith felt like she already knew her.

"Eh, now what were you wanting, miss?" the priest, a man hardly better educated than most people in the rural out of the way town Eilith had called home for so long, said.

"I spelled it out simply. I'm looking for a child," said the woman in an intense voice.

"Adoption, eh? We have plenty of little ones for you to pick from," the old man started, smiling.

"No! I'm looking for a particular child, a girl who was left here twenty years ago. I want to know if you know where she ended up," the woman spoke in a harsh voice.

"Well if she was left here twenty years ago, she wouldn't exactly be a child anymore, would she?" started the priest with a jovial laugh.

The woman glared at him in a scary way. He stopped.

"I'm looking for the child in this file. A girl named Eilith Grey," the woman started. Eilith eyes went wide. This woman was looking for her. The kids still tugged at her, but she brushed them off and stared at the woman.

"Sounds familiar. Name like that certainly stands out here… I can't really recall where I--" the old man started deliberately, stuck on the name.

"So you've forgotten my true name now, Father?" Eilith spoke, stepping forward, past the kids and toward the alluring woman.

"Huh? Ellie? What was--!" the old man started, startled by the girl's outburst. It then came together for him. "That's right, that'd be you, wouldn't it?"

"I am called Eilith Grey," Eilith spoke to the woman, staring at her still, transfixed by her.

"Y-you are? I wasn't expecting to find you still here…" the woman stuttered, emotion in her clear blue eyes.

"I stand out too much in a town like this, and always have. No one ever adopted me. The priest here is kind enough to give me work and a room here still." Eilith spoke, her body feeling light.

"E-Eilith, I-I'd like a word with you in private," the woman started in a shaky, emotional voice. "Will you come with me a moment?"

"Yeah, sure." Eilith smiled. The beautiful woman led her slowly outside. After a pause, Eilith asked the first question. "So, who are you exactly?"

"My name is Callista Blackwell," the woman said, the words hard in her throat. She shook as if she was scared. She looked at the girl and then away. "I'm your mother."

Eilith's eyes welled with tears at the simple utterance of that one phrase. She looked at the woman, her world having stopped. The woman, her mother, Callista Blackwell, started to cry as well, unable to hold the emotion in any longer.

"Please tell me… why… Why did you--?" Now Eilith was the one choking on her words.

"I never wanted to be apart from you, Eilith. You were my blessing, my treasure. I longed to be together with you always, but you were taken from me before I could even know you," said Callista in a shaky voice. Eilith stared at her in disbelief.

"I was taken from you?" Eilith started, her eyes wide. "Why?"

"You need to understand this before you come to know me, Eilith, but I am not a kind person. I've done things. I've been judged for these things. There are numerous people in this world who would call me their enemy. Just months before you were born, one of those enemies captured me. You were taken from me shortly after birth, shortly after I could name you," Callista said in a soft voice.

"M-mother…" Eilith choked. She stared at the woman who had given her her name, barely contemplating her words.

"I was locked in a prison cell the last twenty years by those enemies but I never once lost hope that one day I would come to know you, my precious child," the woman spoke in a weak voice, tears streaming down her voice.

Eilith stepped forward then and embraced the woman, her mother. She didn't care if this woman said she wasn't kind, that she had done something to someone that had her locked away for twenty years. This woman didn't even know her, yet had nothing but love for her. That very thought felt so beautiful to the girl.

"Well that day's finally come, mother. I'm here," Eilith whispered as she embraced the older woman warmly. "I always hoped I could meet you someday too."

"Eilith, I want you to come with me," said the woman suddenly.

"Come with you? Where?" asked the girl in a soft voice.

"To the Capital. I want you to stay with me. I want to make up for the fact that I couldn't be there for you all this time," said Callista, in a warm voice.

"Wow, thats kind of…" Eilith started, breaking the embrace to look at the woman. "It's real sudden… I don't know if I can just leave it all behind like that…"

"This is no place for you, my child," said Callista. "No, your father's blood makes it impossible for you to stay here."

"My father?" Eilith started, looking at the other.

"Your father was a proud and powerful man. The enemy who threw me in my cell took his life shortly before that," said Callista in a low voice.

"Oh… I see…" Eilith said, looking down, finding no sorrow for a man she didn't know, even if he was her father. "But what did you mean? Why can't I stay here?"

"Your father's name was Charles zi Britannia," Callista said in a low voice.

Eilith eyes narrowed. She thought she was hearing things. "Eh, what was that?" she started.

"Your true name is Eilith vol Britannia. You, my daughter, are a true-born princess of Britannia," the woman said in a crisp voice.

These words were simply stupefying. They were almost incomprehensible. Eilith felt like her head was going to explode. She had thought all those little things; her name was that of a noble, she had noble features, she didn't fit in here. She had always felt like she belonged somewhere else. Even so this was… This was impossible.

"Eilith vol Britannia," Eilith repeated the name, shaking at the sound of it off her lips. She found she liked the sound.

"Yes," said Callista. "I trust you understand now."

"Allow me a moment to pack my things and say my goodbyes," said Eilith, still shocked that her life could have changed so entirely in but a matter of minutes.

"Of course, child," Callista said with a nod. "I'll wait right here."

EIlith walked back inside the orphanage as if in a daze. She wouldn't take long. She was a simple girl with little to her name and few friends. She was ready to leave this old life behind.

---

Hu Xuemei felt a deep rooted anxiety with every step. The familiar palace, the Vermillion City. It felt cold to her, distant. Each step was heavy. Xuemei had been anticipating this day for so long. Xianglin had kept her busy constantly the last two months. It was battle after battle against the EU. Though the collective efforts of the Federation had amounted to what was essentially a stalemate, Xuemei had won most of the battles she was given charge of and had thus been promoted a rank.

It wasn't until now, when Xianglin had been called away for a sudden strategy meeting with their allies, that Xuemei was given the freedom to return to her home. She walked slowly to the heart of the palace, her mind almost blank. She was scared of the truth she was about to confirm. She continued forward through the palace. Then she was right in front of the Tianzi's throne room. She entered it calmly.

"Xuemei…" the soft, pleasant voice of the woman Xuemei had sworn to always protect spoke her name as she approached. Xuemei looked up at her; she was smiling. It was a beautiful smile that graced the ultra-fine features so similar to Xuemei's own.

"Tianzi, I wanted a word with you," she started in a low voice.

"Of course, Xuemei. I'd be happy to speak with you," the woman replied softly.

"I want to ask you about this sword that was left in my hands," said Xuemei with intense eyes.

"I see…" Tianzi closed her eyes and sighed. "That sword belonged to a great man."

"It's the sword of the fallen hero, Li Xingke," said Xuemei in a low voice. "I've heard this much from Miss Xianglin."

"I understand. Y-you have things to ask me then, do you?" asked Tianzi, her voice quivering slightly.

"I just want to know the truth. What did the holder of this sword, what did the man Li Xingke mean to you?" asked Xuemei, her voice holding a subtle intensity.

"When I was but a young child, I spared his life. When I was older, but still a child, he saved mine," Tianzi spoke, closing her eyes. "He was my hope."

"And that's the end of it?" asked Xuemei quietly.

"He was also the first person I ever loved," the woman spoke, her voice soft and gentle.

"Did he love you as well?" asked Xuemei solemnly.

"He shouldn't have. I was a child and he was a man living every day fearful the next would be his last," said the older woman, in a light voice.

"I wasn't an abandoned child, left at the palace gates, was I?" asked Xuemei, shaking more than a little.

The Tianzi stood up at these words. She stepped toward the girl. Xuemei waited in anticipation. The Empress of the Chinese Federation then took her into a deep embrace.

"I'm sorry… I wish it could have been different," the Tianzi wept. Tears began to come from Xuemei's eyes as well.

"I can't blame you. You had no choice. I can see that as clearly as anyone else," Xuemei said, overcome with emotion. "Even if… Miss Xianglin never held me like this…"

"I should have told you. I should have been closer to you. I wanted to be, you know, but it just…" Tianzi trailed off to just enjoy the other's embrace.

"It's okay. It wasn't something for me to know," said Xuemei in a low whisper.

"I was very happy Xuemei. Watching you grow up has been the joy of my life. You'll never understand how I regretted only being able to watch," said Tianzi in a warm voice.

"I'm happy that you were watching. I really am," said Xuemei in a fragile voice.

"It scared me when Xianglin asked me to give that sword to you," said Tianzi, breaking the long embrace and looking at the girl's sword. "But at the same time, I knew you were the only one he would want wielding it."

"You really think so?" asked Xuemei.

"It was hard to hear you were following his path so closely, but beautiful at the same time," said Tianzi, her words holding a certain heaviness.

"Li Xingke wielded this sword for one he loved with all his heart. I intend to forever use it for the same purpose," said Xuemei with a warm smile.

The Tianzi began to cry once more. She took the girl into another embrace. "Please let me hold you for a while" she whispered.

"Okay," Xuemei cooed softly and melted into her mother's warmth.

---

Miya had a grin on her face as she held the phone to her ear. Her mother Nina was on the other end, giving her something of a lecture. It was a regular occurrence on those days prior to when the heavy stuff might flare up. It was pretty much the same lecture too.

"… and please, no matter what happens, be careful, Miya. Provided the operation goes as we think it will, things could get really dangerous tomorrow. Don't do anything reckless and please, no matter what, make sure you come home safe," the woman finally concluded. Miya rolled her eyes.

"Sure thing, mom! Got it!" she chirped back.

"Good. I love you, dear. Both of us do," said Nina. Her voice warm and gentle.

"Love ya too, mom!" Miya replied. She gave a short laugh. "Talk to you later."

"Bye," the other said. Miya hung up and stowed her cellphone away. She sighed.

"Your parents really do worry about you," Cynthia, who sat in the room nearby said.

"Tch, yeah, they can be a little overbearing," Miya said with a shrug. Her eyes then went wide as she realized her mistake. "Though I know I'm very luck to have them," she said, her voice becoming sad and quiet.

"I still have wonderful memories of my parents. There's no need to talk so carefully with me, Miya," said Cynthia in an easy voice.

"You have those memories of both of them?" Miya started, a little surprised.

"Of course. I was their only child. I was showered with affection by both of them and had nothing but undying love to give in return," said Cynthia, her voice soft and casual.

"But your father…" Miya looked down, suddenly feeling despondent, remembering her now distant encounter with Niles Moore.

"My father and I were very close. He was nothing but an excellent father. He was kind and passionate, strong and knowledgeable. I admired him greatly," said Cynthia in a quiet voice. Miya was surprised to hear these words. They depressed her.

"Why did he do it, Cynthia? Why did he kill her?" asked Miya, her voice weak and brittle.

"Miya, what was that?" Cynthia seemed surprised.

"I'm sorry, Cynthia. I kept it secret from you," said Miya, her voice low. "In one of our battles, I fought your father. I asked him for answers and he told me he killed her, your mother," Miya admitted, averting her eyes.

"Why did you keep such a thing from me?" asked Cynthia, staring at her friend.

"I thought you'd be upset, either for challenging him, challenging him without you, or prying into your personal life when it's entirely independent of my own goals," said Miya giving a weak smile.

"I'd have only been upset over such a thing if you had died, Miya. You're a dear friend. If you want to know the truth about it then I'll tell you," said Cynthia, smiling readily.

"I'd like to hear," said Miya. "Please tell me."

"It's kind of long. Hope you don't mind," Cynthia said, tilting her head.

"I have time," said Miya in reply.

Cynthia nodded. She smiled and then started her story,"It happened summer, six years ago. I was 17 years old. Things were going well with us. We were happy. Father was well respected among the knights. I had just completed my junior year of High School and was eager to enjoy my summer break. My mother, who worked as a teacher even though she didn't have to, was also on break. Father had promised the two of us a proper vacation that summer. I was excited. I had only rarely left the capital before that.

"We flew out to a distant land. It was a coastal resort in Area 6. It was a peaceful and pleasant place. I rather liked it there. But it didn't last. Halfway though our trip, father was called back to Britannia for discussion of his future. The Empress was considering promoting him into the Knights of the Round as recognition for his service and requested an audience. It would just take a day and then he'd be able to return to us, but it was that day that everything changed.

"Shortly after father left, mother and I were kidnapped. The region in which the resort was located had a fairly successful, tourism-based economy, yet the regional government refused the idea of becoming independent from the empire. This led to the formation of anti-Britannian radical groups. Recognizing us as the family of a Britannian noble, one such group captured the two of us, intent on ransoming us to help fund their agenda. My father was notified in Britannia.

"The men demanded things. Money first most, but they also wanted weapons. Most specifically, a functioning knightmare frame. Father agreed to their demands. He happened to have a _Vincent Ward _he kept in prime condition. He had the thing moved down to that place. All indication was that he was to comply with their demands. He might have, had things been different."

"What do you mean?" interjected Miya, listening attentively.

"While we were kidnapped, some of the kidnappers took interest in me. They looked at me with lust. They wanted to take advantage of me before I was returned to father. Mother sheltered me from, them and in the end they instead decided to take advantage of her. When Mother was presented to my father, her body was bruised thoroughly and her eyes revealed a pained, broken spirit. The sight of her caused father to lose himself.

"He started killing. He went wild. He shot four men in the head with two guns he had concealed before climbing onboard his knightmare and letting go. The kidnappers grabbed me and my mother and ran for their lives. Father gave chase. It was a small village that the kidnapers had brought us to. Father blazed through it and, in an effort to kill them all as they dispersed, razed everything. Soon the entire village was red with both blood and fire.

"Father then cornered the men who had us captive. He disembarked his knightmare frame and shot them both dead with deadly accuracy. A man's head exploded inches from my face as a shot ran through it. I was frightened. I was horrified… but mother was worse. As my father cornered the last living man in that hell, mother ran to him and screamed for him to stop. Father had every reason to listen. This last man, was hardly more than a boy. He was visibly frightened, shaking as father stared him down. There was no reason for father to kill him," Cynthia trailed off from her story, delivered in a soft yet emotive voice that held a soft burning fire.

"He killed him, didn't he?" Miya asked, already knowing the answer.

"Without hesitation. Mother screamed. Madness was in her eyes. She grabbed a handgun one of the dead men had carried and pointed it at him. Father told her to calm down as he stepped toward her. But mother didn't calm. She gave another shriek and held that gun forward with trembling hands. Father continued forward and she fired it. It didn't even come close to hitting, but this made father angry. He screamed at her and told her to stop. He told her to come home with him, and that he had done this for her sake. With these words, mother moved the gun from father. She pointed it at the side of her own head. She called my father a monster before she pulled the trigger and ended her own life," Cynthia delivered the story just as before.

Miya felt a sickness in her stomach. It was a hard thing to hear. Niles Moore hadn't murdered his own wife as he had claimed. He had for her sake, done something so gruesome and horrible that she couldn't live with that she had chosen to end her own life. It was an impossibly sad story, especially so for the girl sitting next to her who had been forced to watch it all.

"This only further inflamed father's madness. Some local law enforcement arrived at this time to investigate the situation. Father killed them all. He couldn't stop killing. Desperate, I grabbed the gun my mother had used to end her life and fired it at him. My aim was far from true. I had wanted to end his life, but instead of his head, all I got was a shoulder. I was shaking horribly and dropped the gun. But the wound I had inflicted was severe enough to bring a halt to my father's madness. He fell to his knee in pain and dropped both his guns. When the next wave of police arrived he was apprehended without issue.

"The case was cleaned up a bit before it was presented to the Britannian masses and a jury. The reports said that the men had killed mother and father had razed that village for revenge. Video I saw from the trial indicated he had started to believe this story as the truth, like he was hiding from what had actually happened. Despite the lies of my father and his lawyers, the jury quickly sentenced him to the death I had failed to grant him that day. He was kept in prison for six years as appeals were made. He was released to the free world by Ava li Britannia just one month prior to the day before he was to ultimately be executed," Cynthia concluded in a heavy voice, closing her eyes.

"Thank you for telling me something so difficult," said Miya, closing her eyes as well.

"It's not difficult for me. It's something that happened in my life. It's as simple as that," said Cynthia quietly.

"As horrible as what he did is, your father… I'm not sure he's evil," said Miya, looking down.

"I never said he was," said Cynthia in a quiet voice.

"Y-you didn't?" Miya started, staring at her friend.

"That day, my father became a monster, lost to darkness, who's only solace is death. I aim to grant him his death, even if he no longer welcomes it," said the blonde girl, smiling.

"You don't think redemption is possible for him?" Miya asked, averting her eyes from the other.

"He may be convinced it is but I know my father. No matter what he does, he will always be haunted by that horrible day. In his current position, a knight engaging in war, killing men on the daily basis his sins will only be more vivid in his mind," said Cynthia, her eyes holding a deep sorrow.

"So it's out of compassion then? You want to free your monster from its cycle of violence," said Miya, smiling.

"I suppose it could be said like that," Cynthia smiled as well.

"I'm kind of relieved. I don't agree with the concept of revenge. I'm happy to learn your intentions are different from that," said Miya, cocking her head.

"Revenge is the furthest thing from my mind," said Cynthia in a quiet voice.

"You're amazing, Cynthia, you know that?" Miya said with a smile.

"I hardly think I am," said the other giving a short laugh.

"Tomorrow, mother says we'll likely see battle. You may get your chance there," said Miya.

"Yes. I hope I get that chance," said Cynthia, closing her eyes.

Miya smiled.

---

Kallen Kozuki gave a nod as she approached the closed door of her daughters' room onboard the _Hitokage. _Orders for the three of them had arrived. She was prepared to give them to the other two. She opened the door slowly and stepped inside. She sighed as she looked at her daughters atop their bed.

Katsumi's arms were wrapped tightly about her sister's waist. Her head was resting at Katsue's bust. Katsue was smiling and giggling as he sister snuggled up against her. Both of them were stripped down to undergarments. Neither took note of their mother's entry.

Kallen fixed this. She gave a short cough that caused them to look up. Katsumi and Katsue had always been "closer" with one another than Kallen would have liked. She couldn't really get used to seeing things like this. She supposed she wasn't quite a failure as a mother though, since on all other accounts they were wonderful children.

"Oh, hey mom. How long have you been there?" asked Katsumi with an innocent smile, letting go of her sister and sitting up.

"Long enough," Kallen replied in a stern voice.

"So what's up? It's pretty late. Training's been done for a few hours now," started Katsue, sitting up as well, adjusting her bra in the process.

Many weeks ago, Katsue and Katsumi had aided Kallen in battle against the Knight of Two. Kallen had had a plan to best that man on her own which she had confidence in, but she still welcomed the assistance. The whole incident was the final straw that tipped Kallen into accepting the girls' decision to fight. The past many weeks, she had personally taken over training them, honing their combat talents to a whole new level.

"A request for further assistance arrived from our allies in Absolution. We're flying out shortly. We'll likely see combat in less than 24 hours," said Kallen with a nod.

"Oh, really?" Katsue smiled. "What's the situation?"

"An enemy I bested, Astrid Weinberg, who was taken as a prisoner has agreed to let herself be used as bait to draw the opponent out. Absolution plans to have a heavy ambush ready and waiting to crush them from all sides," the mother explained.

"Oh, this is about that prisoner thing from the other day…" started Katsue. "What makes Absolution so sure that the Britannian Empress will go all out for this Astrid girl?"

"That I don't know exactly. Reports indicate the two of them are very close," said Kallen giving a soft shrug.

"Is she the Empress's girlfriend?" Katsumi asked in a light voice.

"I honestly can't answer that," Kallen shook her head.

"She probably is," said Katsue with a snicker.

"The nature of their relationship isn't what's important here, you two. If all goes well this will be a shot to severely wound the enemy force," said Kallen with a rigid nod.

"But what if the empress doesn't try to save her girlfriend?" asked Katsumi with her head tilted.

"That'd be kind of sad," Katsue said with a small giggle.

"Then the operation will simply be aborted. And we'll have a new weapon on our side," said Kallen with a resolute voice. "Astrid Weinberg has said plainly she will fight for Absolution if the Empress puts forth no effort to rescue her."

"And she's a Knight of the Rounds. That's definitely worth something," said Katsue, smirking.

"That girl's father, the Knight of One, he is a very decent man. I'm confident that if he were notified his daughter had defected, he would switch sides in an instant as well," Kallen spoke, giving a solemn nod.

"So I guess it's a win-win situation for us, huh?" Katsumi said with an energetic smile.

"Well, if there is a fight, we have to win it sis. They're leaving themselves open; losing this fight would mean losing everything for Absolution," said Katsue in a low voice.

"That's right. We're still taking a risk. We're confident we know our opponent's strength, but there are still a lot of variables. Japan may be able to stand on its own again thanks to Absolution, but a loss here would be crippling, to say the least," said Kallen, with a slight heaviness.

"Then we just have to win, right?!" Katsumi cheered.

"Yeah. That's what it comes down to," Katsue sighed.

"We're leaving immediately. Prepare yourself," said Kallen in a strict voice. "Don't take forever 'getting dressed' like you like to, either."

"Alright, mom," Katsumi said in a long sigh.

"And if fighting does break out, promise me the two of you will be careful," Kallen insisted.

"We promise," Katsue spoke for them, nodding sincerely.

"Good," the mother smiled.

"You promise too," Katsumi then requested. Kallen was surprised.

"I promise I'll be there for you two," Kallen acquiesced readily, smiling warmly at her dear children.

"Good," Katsue said with a firm nod. Kallen laughed and then made her exit.

She smiled as she thought of both the future and the past.

---

Belisario Nemesio sipped from his glass of wine, savoring the fine taste of the expensive bottle. He looked at the man sitting across from him. Belisario rather disliked the idea of dining out with other men, but it was hard to refuse old acquaintances, especially when they were before him likely on the whim of his Goddess.

This man was kind of hard to look at. He was a year younger than Nemesio, but looked about 30 years older. His skin was dry, cracked, and blotched. He was thin and deathly frail. A large eyepatch covered his right eye and a good portion of his face. He had difficulty walking without aid of the large, heavy cane resting at the side of his chair. But if nothing else was sure, his hands were as they brought his glass to his lips.

"So, I think we've exchanged enough simple pleasantries, Alfred. Is there a reason you popped up here today?" Belisario suddenly started, bored with the prior discussion of days long past.

"Oh but of course, my good friend. Isn't there a reason for everything in this world?" the decrepit doctor, Alfred Selwyn said with a high-pitched laugh, putting down his empty wine glass.

"You've met with her recently, have you not?" asked the president of the Universal Commission, the staunch-fisted leader of the EU.

"You could say I'm staying there right now," the doctor said after a short pause, smiling his twisted smile.

"Is that so? What need could she have of your skill set at this time?" asked Belisario warily.

"Three children were recovered from a massive fire the other day. In her infinite kindness, that fine lady called me over to help her save them," Alfred said in a humored voice, refilling his glass.

"I suppose it is in her nature to save others. That's why the two of us can count ourselves among the living today," said Belisario, smirking quietly.

"Ah, it sure is. That one does seem to stick her neck out for those endangered by Britannian royals," said Alfred in a low grumble.

"That could certainly be said. It was Princess Cornelia who took my life 24 years ago and it was her brother Lelouch who took yours four years later. These are victims of her daughter then?" Belisario started with a nod.

"Indirectly, yes," said the Alfred quietly.

"Ah, so they're from that scene. They come from that fiery ball of death the Empress allowed appear over the skies of New Pendragon," said Belisario with certainty.

"Perceptive as always, my friend," said the doctor, smirking once more.

"How were they? Certainly they looked better than you did when she appeared before you," Belisario prompted giving a laugh at the other's expense.

"Of course. They appeared as standard corpses. Nothing serious. There will hardly be any lasting scars when we are through," the doctor said in a perfectly confident way.

"But that woman wouldn't send you to me just to boast of your ability, Alfred. Surely you have something of importance to tell me," said Belisario with a slight frown.

"You follow the news do you not?" asked the doctor.

"I would think I wouldn't be long for my position if I ignored what is happening in the world," Belisario answered with a calm laugh.

"Then you know that numerous Britannian prisoners will be executed tomorrow," said Selwyn, smirking.

"Of course. When that masked man speaks, everyone catches wind of it," the politician said, giving a nod.

"Ava li Britannia will be trying to stop this from happening," said the doctor.

"Yes? And what of it?" asked Belisario, an eyebrow raised.

"The lady wants the child to succeed," Alfred said in brief. "She wants you to make sure she does."

"Ah, you don't say? I won't pretend to understand how that is to our advantage, but it's not something for me to question if it is her will," said Belisario, smirking.

"And that's all really. It's a simple message. I have to wonder why I had to be the one to deliver it, especially when I'm still needed for those children," the doctor said in a low sigh.

"Ah, well I suppose one such as her will work in mysterious ways," said the politician with a nod.

"You're quite right," the doctor said in a concurrence.

The conversation turned fairly dry once more after that.

---

Ava wore a slight smile on her face as Gino Weinberg entered the strategy room, taking the seat at the round table directly to her right. With him arriving from his manor, everyone that would be there was present. Gino looked generally pleased. Megami Subarashii to Ava's left was beaming. Nonette Enneagram, Margaret, and Claudio all seemed contented by her presence as well. Hildegarde Waldstein avoided eye contact and Rowena Winfield looked bored. Regina Granville's face was entirely blank. Ulric Cross seemed in a good enough mood and Niles Moore looked slightly less troubled than usual. Callista was still away and likely wouldn't return in time.

"I must offer my deepest apologies to you all for the last two months time. I was not in the right mind to lead you. I was not in the right spirit. Quite frankly I had lost hope. I'm not pleased with myself now, but I wish to try moving forward again. I wish to try making everything work once more. I want you to help me," Ava started in a low, sincere voice. Hildegarde gave a bit of a glare but most of them seemed relatively accepting.

"This is about the Knight of Nine, isn't it? Now that you know she's alive, you're determined to save her?" asked Moore with a short, solemn nod.

"I like to think this day would have come for me even without this situation with Astrid. That said, I most certainly intend to rescue her," said Ava quietly.

"That's a pretty selfish thing to say. Don't you mean you intend to send us to die while trying to rescue her?" Rowena said with a sharp laugh.

"I suppose I should rephrase that. I beseech all of you to give me your all in retaking Astrid from our enemies," Astrid said in a very humble fashion. The Empress was making a request of her knights rather than ordering them. Ava supposed that might strike some as strange.

"It's a trap you know," Hildegarde said in a moody voice. "They'll be waiting for you to go after her. Many of us will die for this."

"The Knight of Four is right, this is most certainly a move intended to bait us," said Enneagram. "If killing Astrid were their real aim they would have simply done it, not set a date in the future and no demands."

"But do we have any choice? Astrid's life is a stake. So are a number of others," said Margaret, her voice low.

"Saving everyone likely won't be possible. If we put Astrid as or priority we may have to forsake the others," said Claudio in a dour voice.

"Is that right, Empress?" asked Margaret, concerned.

"Astrid has to be our priority. That much is true. That said, saving everyone is not an impossibility," Ava said with a sigh.

"What do you mean by that, Empress?" asked Nonette tilting her head.

"If we can beat back the enemy's ambush, we may have a clear shot of defeating them or at the very least securing their stronghold," the girl said in a calm voice.

"You intend for a full on bloody battle to the end then? No quick, concise rescue operation?" started Hildegarde, contempt in her voice.

"If recovering Astrid is the primary goal of the operation, putting only limited resources toward that would leave too much to chance. If we want this to be successful, we can't do anything lightly," said Ava her voice heavy.

"I just don't see what gives you the nerve to do all this. You've let countless people die in your negligence the past two months and now suddenly you want us to put such value on this one life?" Hildegarde spoke in a particular jaded fashion. Ava looked down in guilt.

"I agree. Why should we risk our lives for your little friend here when it's rather apparent that you wouldn't do the same for the rest of us," Rowena Winfield scoffed.

"I know. It's a pathetic thing to ask this now. I know I've lost your faith. The Empress is sustained by the acknowledgment of her subjects and yet I abandoned you all. For that, I'll leave this an optional mission," said Ava, her voice low and trembling, knowing she couldn't afford not having one of them. "You do not have to fly for me tomorrow. In fact, allow me to remind you what I told you all at our first meeting, you are free to leave the Knights altogether at any time. I will not keep you here against your will."

"That's a rather magnanimous offer of you, Empress, considering that unless Callista shows we're already down four Knights of the Round already," said Moore in a dark voice.

"I find it is necessary in this case," Ava said sadly. "So, I ask each of you, will you fight for me?" She turned to Gino.

"You shouldn't have to even ask me, Ava. I haven't said anything today because I'm the furthest thing from an objective opinion, but I intend to get my daughter back," Gino Weinberg said in a very strong voice. "I wouldn't be worth anything as a father if I said anything else."

"Understood," Ava nodded as her eyes found Margaret and her mother.

"Astrid's my friend, Empress, just like you. I don't have any intentions but to fight to rescue her," said Margaret pointedly.

"And I have no issue continuing in my current capacity, especially if it was Margaret believes in," the girl's mother nodded in accordance. Ava smiled.

"Thank you both," she said and looked at the smiling mercenary sitting beside her.

"What you just want everyone to hear it? I already said I'm your girl for this, Ava. I wouldn't be much of a friend if I took that back now," Megami said cocking a grin.

Ava smiled and nodded before looking at Ulric.

"I'm not some fucking coward. If it's a fight I'm game. You don't need to ask," Cross said firmly, hand in fist.

"You, Lord Moore?" Ava turned to the Knight of Eleven.

"I haven't lost faith in you yet, Empress. My life remains in your hands," the man said, closing his eyes.

Ava nodded. She looked at the three girl's at the opposite side of the table. The three she knew would be the most resistant. Waldstein, with good cause, hated her; Winfield was just disagreeable in general and Granville was unstable and perhaps still attached to the idea of Richter Novak.

"Lady Winfield, will you lend me your strength?" Ava asked in a fragile voice, staring at the other but making sure she didn't make eye contact. Geass wasn't something to be used for establishing this sort of trust.

"I may hate you and what you'll have me do, but I'm not going to turn my back on my dreams just like that. If there's a battle with glory as the prize, I'm a contender. It's as simple as that," Winfield said in a harsh voice, before relaxing into her chair as if that was all she had to say on the matter.

"I thank you," Ava said with another nod. She looked at Granville, a bit of a scowl appearing on her face. She couldn't look at this woman the same way now. "What about you Lady Granville? Can I trust you after what you put me through?"

"I will disobey no order. I am a sword. Order me to cut down your enemy and I will have no choice but to comply," said Regina without emotion.

"A simple sword should do better to remember it's true master from now on," Ava grumbled contemptuously. She then looked up.

"You want to know if I'll fight for you? If after everything you've taken from me, I'm still going to wield my blade for your name?" Hildegarde Waldstein asked, narrowing her glare.

"Yes. Those are my questions, Hildegarde Waldstein," Ava nodded.

"They shouldn't have to be asked," said Hildegarde curtly. "I'm not like you. I'm not so weak that I'd just give up, that'd I'd just quit because I lost something important to me. I remain firmly committed to my knightly oath. Nothing will change that."

"I-I see…" Ava said, averting her eyes. "Well, I suppose we are all in accordance then. Now, let us plan the operation."

The meeting switched gears. They spent over an hour going over the plan for storming New Pendragon. Inevitably they came to a more or less consensus on a plan. The meeting let out. The Knights filed out. Ava stayed behind. So did Megami.

"I kind of figured you'd use me for the hard part," said Megami in a sigh when they were alone. Ava had alloted this woman the task of breaking into the enemy base and rescuing Astrid.

"If it makes you feel any better, you won't be going in alone," said Ava, smiling softly.

"I won't? That's not what you were saying before," Megami started, puzzled.

"_Onryou, _its cockpit, it could hold more than one?" asked Ava, her voice low.

"Yeah… perhaps--" Megami said suspiciously. "Just what are you getting at?"

"I'll be coming with you tomorrow, Megami," Ava said, smiling quietly.

"Wow, Ava. That has to be the most reckless idea I've ever heard," Megami laughed. "You still don't trust me to do it on my own?"

"It's a selfish thing, but something tells me I need to go. I have this bad feeling that if I don't go, I really will lose Astrid forever this time," said Ava, her voice low and dark.

"Well, I still think it's stupid. The thought of the Empress herself infiltrating the enemy base has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Megami said harshly.

"Even so, I remain adamant. Cross might have been better for breaking in and securing Astrid, but I gave the task to you because I thought you'd object the least to taking me with you," said Ava.

"Well, your the boss. I'm on your payroll," Megami gave a long sigh. "The two of us will just have to see where fate leads us tomorrow then."

"Quite right." Ava nodded firmly and pictured having Astrid back at her side.

A/N: End chapter. I suspect few of you expected so much to be resolved here. A combination of encouraging words from the wonderful Megami Subarashii, resentment of having refrain forced upon her, and the simple knowledge that her beloved is alive helped Ava regain much of her lost strength and courage, though she was left more humbled by the happenings, and is committed to saving Astrid. That was the big news of the chapter. Most of the rest was focused strangely acutely on parent--child relationship scenes (thus the chapter title). Eilith was introduced; she's late in arrival, but will be a rather significant player in the second half. Xuemei and Tianzi got a little closer. Those two scenes were strangely parallel of one another yet also quite different. Then we have the Niles-Cynthia story, which is kind of sad. Followed that up with Kallen and her kids talking (though admittedly that was less about the relationship and more about providing an "other side" perspective before the battle. The Nemesio-Selwyn dialog broke the mold entirely, but provided another perspective.

So, things are on the upward swing for Ava now. Next chapter will be another battle chapter, though it will not lack emotion. A certain two may finally see each other again as well.

And another apology is needed. No extras this week. I was going to do one but I fell behind due to distractions and sleeping too long. Now it's too late. f I seriously need to study for this test I got and probably wouldn't be able to post until Friday if I waited until an extra was done. To make it up to you, next chapter you'll get a Kozuki themed extra of some sort.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Eilith vol Britannia (Ellie Grey)

Alfred Selwyn


	27. Turn 26: Reunions Amidst the Flames

A/N: A day late, but hopefully you don't mind. All right, Turn 26, the first half climax. It's battle-heavy, but hopefully it doesn't drag. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: Regina: "The author of this story does not own Code Geass but does own all the original elements. Should you fail to realize that you will face my fiery judgment."

Ava was shaking with anticipation as she sat cramped at the side of the _Onryou'_s pilot seat. Megami's Geass was active. She could not be seen. She was plugged into the Spirit Synchronizer system and thus _Onryou _could also not be seen from the outside. Interestingly, the insides were still visible.

It was kind of different. Ava had only once been inside a knightmare frame when she rode inside _Viviane _and descended upon that stage, seemingly so long ago. Even with that one prior experience, it was still unsettling. The sensation of riding inside such a compact vessel as it soared through the sky was wholly different from riding in a plane. The speed, the turbulence, it tested Ava's stomach. She could hardly believe Astrid flew one of these on a regular basis.

Astrid. That was what was at the forefront of her mind. She would be seeing Astrid soon. They would be together again. Her beloved whom she was convinced she had lost forever would be in her arms once more soon enough. Those thoughts made her eager.

But she was still also scared. She was ashamed of herself. What if Astrid rejected her? Ava was weak. The past two months had proven that. Astrid surely knew something of her weakness. Ava couldn't shake the horrifying possibility that Astrid may not love her anymore from her mind. If that did happen, Ava really couldn't blame the girl.

"So, how you holding up? You ready for this?" Megami asked in a low, heavy voice.

"Again, it's not something I'll ever be ready for. Still, I don't have any choice but to move forward. I must see Astrid," said Ava in a quiet voice.

"Well, I hope you understand the plan when the time comes at least," said Megami. "It'd be really convenient if I could make you invisible as well, but I can't."

"I know, that's why you got me this outfit," said Ava. Megami had grabbed a standard black Absolution female officer's uniform from the prison wing for Ava to wear to blend in. She wore her hair up in a way she never had before and looked rather unlike herself in Megami's opinion.

"Yes, but it's still best we avoid any and all contact with people inside," said Megami in a forward manner. "Simply put, you will not know how to act in front of them. The longer you spend in front of them, the greater the chance is you'll be discovered. If you're discovered, there's no guarantee I'll be able to right things."

"I understand. I know it's only a hassle for me to tag you putting up with it," said Ava, nodding softly.

"Hey, you're the Empress here. Don't think I could have refused," Megami said, giving a laugh.

"Heh, I guess so," said Ava. She sighed. "It's funny. I really don't feel so powerful of late."

"Well, seeing Astrid is sure to rejuvenate you, right?" started Megami brightly.

"I hope so. I really do," said Ava, sorrow in her voice.

Things went silent after that. Ava's eyes went up to the display monitor and watched as clouds flew by. After several minutes, Megami spoke again.

"We're entering New Pendragon airspace. I can see the facility that was identified from the video as being where the prisoners' are held. I'll take us down. We'll remain still until the fight flares up, then we'll slip inside," Megami conveyed the plan in a quiet voice.

"Understood," said Ava.

The _Onryou _then began its descent. It was rapid and made Ava feel slightly ill. But it was over after just a few minutes. _Onryou _inevitably came to a halt. Ava's heart pounded as she resigned herself to waiting.

---

Kallen Kozuki had a steady expression on her face as she sat comfortably within her _Guren. _Numerous other Knightmares were scattered all about New Pendragon and the surrounding areas in hiding, waiting for the enemy to appear. So far, nothing had entered their sights. It had been many hours since they had gotten into place. The quiet wait had become hard to bear, even for someone as experienced as Kallen.

Then finally something entered the corner of Kallen's sight. At first it was just a shimmer, then it was multiple shimmers, then it was more discernible. It was a massive Britannian fleet of Knightmare frames, headed straight for them. Kallen smirked. It was time for the fight.

"All right units, enemy spotted. Wait for the signal and then attack at once!" Kallen commanded her units through her comm. Several voices sounded in affirmation.

They let a few minutes more pass until the enemy was right where they wanted them. Then a single blast fired out from the from the front of the city, straight at the encroaching force. This was their signal. All at once, a gargantuan swarm of knightmares emerged from out of hiding, charging straight toward the slightly smaller Britannian force.

A familiar unit was clear in Kallen's sights. It was _Tristan Aegis. _She examined the areas around it. Though this was the Knight of One, she knew there were more powerful units than this, she knew that there were fights where her _Guren _was needed more. She knew that with the exception of a certain masked man, she was the only unit that could challenge the infamous _Bedivere Godhand _and not be guaranteed death. Kallen didn't want to fight Gino Weinberg here knowing that, but he spotted her, and doing what perhaps no other pilot who didn't have a death wish would do, engaged her swiftly.

"It's sure been a while, Kallen," Gino spoke in a casual, slightly amused voice.

"I suppose it has, Gino," said Kallen in a staunch, serious voice.

"You've been well?" the man asked in an offhand fashion. Kallen shook her head.

"Well enough," Kallen responded coldly.

"So I've heard. Even in the battles your side has lost, there's been nothing but death and carnage left in your wake," said Gino in a calm voice.

"It's war Gino. You should understand how it is. This is no different from twenty years ago," said Kallen, her voice heavy.

"Even if it turned out to be a lie in the end, I didn't like hearing you had killed my daughter," said Gino in a low voice. Kallen smirked.

"It's only because of my respect for you that that girl is alive, you should realize as much," said Kallen sternly.

"Oh, is that so?" Gino seemed surprised. "You went easy on an opponent, Kallen? I find that hard to believe?"

"I can't approve of your child. Her name is one of the first to be linked with the one who started this mess. I put her at death's edge not caring one way or the other if she lived or died. If you want to fight me for that, Gino, than so be it. I won't hold back," said Kallen in a tense voice, gritting her teeth.

"Confrontational today, are we, Kallen? Don't you want to chat a little longer?" Gino said in a light voice. "You know, catch up?"

"Shouldn't you be taking this more seriously, Gino? Your daughter will die if you take too long," said Kallen, narrowing her eyes. "Or is it your part in the plan to stall me as long as possible?"

"Of course not. Isn't it reasonable that I'd just take an interest in the life of the woman I once loved?" asked Gino. Kallen sighed; was this man trying to fluster her?

"Your wife wouldn't approve of such an interest," Kallen retorted smartly. "Now come, let's do this."

Gino sighed. "As you wish."

With that, _Tristan Aegis _hefted its Excalibur. It made a rapid swing forward. Kallen sent _Guren _into gear. She evaded the swing with blinding speed and fired a full powered blast from her lethal arm. Gino, with near-matching speed darted past the blast and dove forward into a sharp vertical slash. Kallen flew to the side and made for a grab. Gino did a quick dodge and put some distance between them.

Excalibur split in two. The blades fired off on their harken boosters, straight for the _Guren. _Kallen slipped between the two pieces and flew upwards, firing off a long range blast from her arm. Gino redirected the blades as he flew past the blast, keeping them on target. Kallen tried to bat the two blades with her arm. The first was no issue, but the second hit at an off angle and pierced her shields, damaging the powerful arm, causing it to spark.

Kallen grit her teeth. She realized at once that long range blast capabilities had been lost. She looked over at her opponent, his blades had been called back and his energy cannon had emerged and had her in its sights. It fired. Kallen collected herself and sped out of range. She fired her right arm off at the enemy with her harken booster. Gino flew forward, faster than the deadly arm, intent on cutting the thick cable. Kallen advanced readily and drew her fork knife as she pulled her arm back.

As powerful as her fork knife was, Excalibur was a larger, more fearsome weapon. They stayed locked for a few seconds, but Kallen knew it wouldn't last. She tried to get her arm ready for a quick follow up, but Gino wouldn't have it. He launched himself off her sword, fell back just slightly and fired a blast from his readily emerging sword cannon. Kallen couldn't avoid what was a direct hit. It broke partly through her shields and left serious damage to _Guren'_sexterior.

"You've sure gotten better at this, Gino Weinberg," said Kallen as she put a safe distance between the two of them.

"Of course. I wouldn't be Knight of One if I wasn't any good at this, would I?" asked Gino in an almost playful way.

"Don't you think you're wasting your strength on the wrong side of this war?" Kallen asked. "A man of your stature can't abide by what the Empress is doing. You had no trouble turning your back on Britannia before."

"General Zhou told me similar things a while back," said Gino, in a low voice. "But I have to ask you, Kallen, if should our positions be reversed, could you have made any other decision?"

"What are you saying?" asked Kallen, glaring a little.

"I heard you became a mother, Kallen, that you have a family now. My Astrid will always side with her friend and Lilia is deeply rooted in her current life," said Gino solemnly. "Could you turn your back on your family for the sake of some ideal?"

Kallen considered this a moment. Since before she was a Black Knight, since the days she was a common terrorist, the very reason she fought at all had been to protect the things she believed in. She first lifted a weapon with the aims of fulfilling Naoto's ideals. It was everything she had. It was ingrained in everything she did.

But Katsumi and Katsue were her happiness. They were her love. Those two children meant the world to her. If by some chance she found herself on the opposite side of an ideal from them, could she really lift a finger? She didn't know. She couldn't know. It made her sad just thinking about it. That said, there was only one answer for Kallen Kozuki.

"I fight for what I believe in, Gino Weinberg. It's as simple as that. If my girls stood in my way, as impossible as it would be for me, I would have no choice but to force myself past them," said Kallen, her voice low and parsed.

"I'm surprised to hear that answer from you, Kallen. It's definitely the harder choice to make. That you say you'd make it is something worthy of respect," said Gino in a deliberate voice.

"It doesn't feel that way. It's a difficult position you're in. I don't think your choice, standing by the ones you love unconditionally, is any less admirable," said Kallen, her voice dark.

"Well, in that case, there is nothing for us to do but finish this, I suppose," said Gino.

"Yes. Bring it!" called Kallen.

Gino obliged, darting forward and going into a wide horizontal slash with his massive sword. Kallen shot up and over it and fired a quick, wide-area blast at the machine below. She caught _Tristan Aegis _in what was little more than a glancing blow. Then the enemy unit came at her, prepared to run her through with his powerful blade. Kallen fell back and let her missile launchers fire, slowing her opponent down. She then quickly grabbed at the machine.

Again, Gino didn't let her grab him. A powerful jerk to the right saw _Guren'_s claw narrowly miss. Kallen fired her slash harkens at the _Tristan Aegis _for a change up and watched as they were effortlessly deflected. She stared her opponent down as she thought quickly, trying to decide on a plan.

The operation's goal to save his daughter, Gino was obviously on the very top of his game. Kallen couldn't hold anything back. This was a real fight. Just like that man, Damian Marsh, this was someone with a true gift for combat. This wasn't going to be easy, but Kallen had to win. Katsumi and Katsue needed her. She couldn't let them down.

Gino's blade split and the two halves fired off at _Guren._ Her opponent was skilled at guiding these things. Escaping them would be difficult and deflecting them could be damaging. Instead, Kallen flew forward rapidly above the blades, her fork knife held out. She charged rapidly and let its blade find its way into _Tristan Aegis_'s shoulder, cutting downward and then to the side and out.

Finally Kallen had her clear opening. She grabbed the enemy by the right arm and ripped that from the machine with incredible strength, leaving her opponent with one arm and only half a sword. This half, still extended, found its way to the _Guren _and made a vicious unavoidable stab, straight at _Guren's_ right arm. It pierced it fully, rendering all its weapons useless, but smashing much of the sword in the process. Kallen let her fork knife find Gino's wing pack.

"Heh, you said you wouldn't hold back, Kallen," Gino said as he began to lose altitude.

"I didn't. I simply wouldn't feel right killing you when I can avoid it so easily," said Kallen coldly.

"I suppose I thank you then," said Gino. _Tristan Aegis _then transformed into Fortress mode. As a jet, the knightmare could still fly. It must have had some backup engine. Still, without energy wings and a legitimate weapon, it was obvious Gino Weinberg was out of the fight. He took his only option and retreated. Kallen let him go.

"I'm coming, girls. Wait for me," said Kallen before flying off.

---

Zhou Xianglin had a stoic expression on her face as she approached the enemy in front of her. She recognized its distinct shape from the reports. She wondered if she should avoid engaging. Fighting this opponent would raise the chance of her dying today to a rough estimate of 80 percent. Even so, she knew in her heart what he would do. She knew what Xingke's choice would have been. She had always strived to follow his example.

_Bedivere Godhand _would be her opponent today.

"You shall be punished for your evil, Knight of Britannia!" shouted Xianglin, firing one of her Baryon cannons at the Knight of Six. The enemy moved as little as it possibly could to avoid the attack.

"_Shenlong _is the personal unit of Chinese Federation General Zhou Xianglin," a hollow female voice spoke. "Do you think your rank will make you any different from the countless of your allies I've killed?"

"It isn't about rank! It's about spirit! It's about following a true warrior's code until the end!" Xianglin shouted. "A merciless killer like you doesn't deserve the honor of being called a knight!"

With that, Xianglin fired both her cannons. The knight giga fortress couldn't avoid both entirely. It darted up and took a glancing blow to its underside from the right cannon. Regina Granville then fired off her twin hadron cannons. Xianglin widened her eyes at their awesome power, but managed to maneuver up and around them without taking a hit. She fired again.

_Bedivere Godhand's _central laser fired just as the Baryon cannons began to blaze. The thin, white hot beam was not something a radiant-wave surger shield would do anything to absorb. Xianglin knew this. Her cannons still blazing forward at the enemy, she fell to the side. The change in trajectory of her blast gave the _Godhand _a path with which to avoid damage despite its great size.

Then, without warning, the two massive master vibration swords belonging to the _Godhand _were coming at her. Xianglin fell back and fired her cannons yet again. The blasts caught the swords. They were destroyed. Xianglin gave a bit of a sigh. She had actually eliminated two of her opponent's primary weapons without taking on damage. Or that's what she thought until a massive blast surrounded her.

When the said Hadron blast finally cleared, _Shenlong's _sensors indicated severe damage. To make matters worse. _Bedivere Godhand _had closed the gap and was right before her. It was at that moment that Xianglin realized her calculated 80 percent was fallible. With this opponent, she was always going to die today.

"I'm sorry, Xuemei. Please forgive me," Xianglin said in a heavy voice, thinking about the one dearest to her, the one she thought of as her daughter.

Her eyes narrowed on her approaching enemy. Zhou Xianglin was going to die that day but she wasn't going down without a fight. She welcomed death if she could slay Britannia's demon in the process.

"Prepare yourself for the end, woman!" Xianglin shouted with fiery intensity.

She charged forward recklessly. Four giant spike type slash harkens found the body of _Shenlong. _One pierced the cockpit at the front and found Xianglin's stomach. She gritted her at the and the unimaginable pain and pressed on. Just feet from the _Godhand, _her own slash harkens fired out wide. They wrapped around the massive machine. Xianglin gave a desperate laugh as her cannons ignited, hardly an inch between them and the very center of the knight giga fortress. She was already dead, but there was no escaping this for her enemy. She fired. The blasts shot through the _Bedivere Godhand _entirely, blazing out on the other end.

Then they came to an end. Xianglin stared at the damages. Something was wrong with the picture. The inside of the machine didn't look right. It looked strangely hollow, like it was just a shell. Xianglin's eyes widened in shock as she considered what that could mean.

"You wished to die a hero, but in the end all you'll be is a foolish corpse. That is your judgement," a cold voice said from behind her.

Xianglin couldn't see what came next. She couldn't react. She couldn't turn around. She couldn't do anything but feel as the large sword belonging to the knightmare frame _Bedivere_ pierced through her cockpit and her chest from behind and then cut upward, rending her in half. Then she couldn't feel anything at all.

---

Margaret Enneagram was calm as she made her way through the intense swarm of enemy units all around her. _Ywain _was in top form. She was making short work of any unit that approached her. As the enemies thinned, she held onto a confidence today would be a Britannian win.

Cutting through a _Vincent Aether _with relative ease, Margaret turned her machine around. Her keen senses were right; an enemy was fast approaching. She readied her twin swords. These swords soon crossed with two other, shorter MVS blades. Margaret stared at the custom unit. It was a lightweight with a blue and green color scheme.

"You're pretty sharp picking up on my surprise attack like that," a young, bright female voice said. It was a strangely familiar voice; Margaret was sure she knew it.

"Heh, you certainly don't lack speed, yourself," said Margaret in a cold voice. Her opponent gave a hard gasp.

"Oh my God, Margaret? Is that you?" she asked excitably. Though she still couldn't place it, Margaret could at least confirm her suspicions that she knew this voice now.

"I am Margaret Enneagram. You're name?" Margaret started with reservation, placing distance between her and the other.

"It's me, Miya!" the voice simply called. Margaret's eyes went wide. It was a perfect match. It was just her opponent being Miya Ashford didn't make a bit of sense to Margaret.

"M-Miya?! Miya Ashford?!" Margaret exclaimed, shocked.

"Yup! That's right," the girl called back in a high squeal.

"Wait! Why on Earth would Miya Ashford be piloting a Knightmare Frame?!" Margaret shouted, shaking her head in disbelief that it was really her school friend in the other machine.

"Beacuse it's fun piloting _Dinadan_!" Miya called back.

"Miya, this is a battlefield. It isn't a place for games," Margaret said, knowing already the other knew as much.

"I know. And I'm here to fight, Margaret. I'm an agent of Absolution," Miya said in a light voice. Margaret frowned. Miya was her enemy then.

"Why? You and the Empress were always good friends, as different as you are," said Margaret in a low voice.

"I know. I genuinely like her. She's a dear friend to me," said Miya. "But I can't really approve of what's she done, Margaret. It isn't right."

"Your side plans to kill Astrid today? Doesn't that mean anything to you?" said Margaret in a pointed voice.

"Of course it does. I am disappointed in the decision. I've always gotten along well with Astrid. I've visited her a number of times the last two months too, but some people can only find peace through retribution. In the wake of what happened the other day, I can understand why this decision was reached," said Miya in a more mature voice than normal.

"So you're firmly committed to this path then?" asked Margaret.

"Even if every one else on our little student council is my enemy, I am," said Miya in a quiet tone.

"Then fight me, Miya! Show me your strength," called the redhead in a tense voice.

"Okay. Do your best," Miya chirped.

The battled flared up at once. Miya dove in. Her swords made successive swipes at _Ywain. _Margaret moved her swords readily to deflect each attack. Miya's swords lacked the range hers hand, but their speed was more than double the heavy twin broadswords. It was hard keeping up with the _Dinadan _as Miya sent it into a wild barrage.

It was surprising how skilled Miya was. Margaret was on the clear defensive. She fired off her gefjun slash harkens in an attempt to freeze the girl, but Miya had two slash harkens of her own to meet them in the air and send them flying off in the opposite direction. As she collected herself, a small opening was created and one of Miya's swords found it. Luckily most of the attack was absorbed my Margaret's shields.

Margaret grit her teeth and closed her eyes. She needed to use her Geass to fight Miya Ashford? For some reason, that felt kind of embarrassing. Still, Margaret wanted to win. She nodded and opened her eyes wide, Geass now blazing in her right, granting her access to Miya's combat abilities.

Suddenly Margaret's hands were moving with incredible dexterity. It wasn't quite on the level of what Margaret had experienced when performing Amelia Gottwald's abilities, but it was still beyond the hand speed she was capable of on her own. As Miya went back on offense, Margaret found herself keeping up more easily. The speed boost finally gave Margaret an advantage in the fight. Her larger, more powerful swords were able to push the other back and then find a cut. It cut through the shields and broke into some of the plating.

"Wow, Margaret. Suddenly you got really good," said Miya, excitedly.

"What are you talking about? I've always been good. I was just testing you before," Margaret lied in a bit of a huff.

"Oh, I don't know about that. You were kind of clumsy before and now you're fighting like me," Miya perceived very sharply. "You have some sort of trick, don't you?"

"If I did, do you think I would tell my enemy?" Margaret scoffed.

"But were also friends," said Miya in a light chirp. "Amelia mentioned something similar when she fought you."

"What of it?" Margaret stammered.

"Amelia is probably four times as good as me. If you can fight her on equal terms, I shouldn't be an obstacle for you," said Miya, lightly and playfully.

"Shut up! Let's just fight already!" said Margaret, flustered. She hated admitting she relied on Geass to fight.

"You're the same as Ava and Chiharu. You have a Geass, don't you, Margaret?" Miya asked with a laugh.

"You've always had incredible perception, Miya," Margaret sighed. She hated it, but she couldn't deny it, not when Miya said it directly.

"So you can copy my combat abilities for your own use, then?" Miya asked.

"That's right. And they're unaffected by my mental state. So don't you see, fighting me is like fighting yourself at your very best all the way through. You can't win," said Margaret with a quick laugh.

"I disagree. If the abilities you copy can't be affected by your mental state, then they're just hollow copies without any passion behind them. Fighting you is like fighting myself, just going through the most basic emotions that give me my strength," Miya said in a soft voice.

"If that's what you think, prove it!" Margaret shouted in anger, and flew back.

She charged forward and started a fiery barrage of quick sword strikes. This time Miya was on the defensive. Several minutes passed with neither of them showing any sign of slowing down. Geass allowed Margaret to use Miya's prime technique as long as she needed, but the girl herself should tire eventually, regardless of what she said. Miya Ashford was showing no sign of tiring. Margaret knew the girl as one who had always had a lot of energy, but she never knew it went this far.

It was an all out stalemate. Miya was, if anything, becoming more adept at her sword play. It wasn't right. She had no fear, no hesitation. All Miya had was reckless excitement tempering the swords. Margaret wasn't sure the fight would ever end at this rate. She needed to try something different. She launched her slash harkens and fell back a considerable distance. Miya parried the harkens and backed off herself.

Margaret switched to her blasters. She'd use range attacks. It would be harder for the girl to match these, she figured. She aimed her guns and prepared to fire them. Miya fired off some powerful missiles. Margaret used her slash harkens and a few quick blasts from her guns to shoot these down mid air and then aimed through the smoke. She fired four full intensity VARIS blasts, one right after the other from either of her rifles, right at her opponent, sure that, borrowing Miya's technical training, they would hit.

But when the smoke cleared, Margaret was both alarmed and unprepared. An unscathed _Dinadan _emerged and with two precise stabs, found the _Ywain's _head and chest. Part of the blade could be seen in the cockpit.

"How?!" Margaret screamed in frustration.

"It's simple, Margaret. There's another flaw to your Geass that you overlooked," Miya laughed cheerfully. "If you copy my abilities, then your also copying my technical deficiencies. I'm getting a little better, but I'm still anything but a sure shot with a rifle or hand gun."

Margaret's eyes went wide. "Y-you're joking! That's impossible…" she started, in disbelief. She had never even considered this possibility.

"Please eject. You're my friend, so I won't kill you," Miya said in a carefree voice.

Margaret gave out a harsh yell, cursed under her breath and then obeyed, pulling her ejector switch and flying to safety.

---

Hiromi Tohdoh scowled as her radiant wave-surger rifle took down unit after unit of the enemy force. She was getting tired of this. All she was encountering was standard soldiers. She wanted a real fight. She wanted someone powerful to vent her frustration on. Her eyes narrowed when she found just that. Anger seethed out of every pore as she recognized her sworn enemy's unit. It was time for a rematch.

"Hildegarde Waldstein, prepare to die!" she shouted as she flew toward the _Galahad Renascence_, her gun blazing at full power.

"Hiromi Tohdoh…" Waldstein said in a low voice of recognition.

"Will you fight me, knight, and not hold back?!" Hiromi called out furiously.

"You are my enemy. What reason do I have to hold back?" said Waldstein in a low, somber way.

"I won't lose so easily this time," said Hiromi. "I've thought about our last meeting constantly and am sure that this time I will be nothing but victorious," said Hiromi coldly.

"Very well. Show me how far you've come," Waldstein said somewhat bitingly, raising her sword before her.

"Before we start, I just want to hear it from you," Hiromi started, not wanting to ask the question on her mind to this woman, but knowing she needed the answer. "Do you still have her?"

"What's that?" asked Waldstein, failing to understand.

"My sister! Did she stay with you?! Is she still with you?!" Hiromi shouted, angered.

"Yasuko was onboard that transport." Waldstein said, her voice shaky. "S-shouldn't you know as much?" Hiromi's heart froze. She hated hearing as much, even if she had always expected as much. Her sister was dead. It was as simple as that.

"No remains were found within the wreckage that could be identified as her," Hiromi revealed the information she had.

"I'm sorry to destroy the last hope you had. I watched her board that ship," said Waldstein.

Hiromi's eyes narrowed. "It's your fault," she said simply. "If she hadn't stayed for you then, if she had never met you, my sister would still be alive!"

"I know I've played a part in her demise. I must live every day reminded of this fact, but don't think I'm the only one to blame," said Waldstein in a deliberate voice.

"Then I'll kill them all. I'll kill that woman who pulled the trigger, I'll kill everyone who planned the scheme, I'll kill the Empress herself. But first I'm going to kill you, Hildegarde Waldstein, because, right now, you're the one I despise most," said Hiromi, bitterly.

"I suppose you have the right. Yasuko's blood is certainly on my hands, but it has not loosened my grip on this sword. If you plan on killing me then just try. I will not make it easy for you," said Waldstein simply, with finality.

"Heh, I accept that challenge, knight!" Hiromi shouted and fired a powerful blast from her rifle.

Waldstein avoided the blast with a surprisingly quick movement and went in for a a power thrust with her heavy sword. Hiromi stepped aside and fired again. The Knight dodged downward and went into a horizontal sweep with her blade. Hiromi caught it with her heavy shield and fired a proximity shot at _Galahad Renascence's _chest. It barely dented the machine through its shields.

Ten slash harkens fired at _Hokurei _all at once_. _Her shields batted back most of them but at such close range, Hiromi couldn't avoid all of them. Four pierced her machine's back and lower body, stalling her and allowing _Galahad Renascence _to fall back to a distance where it could use its oversized sword.

Hiromi fired her rifle again before that could happen though. Waldstein side stepped it and made a downward vertical slash, followed quickly by a sweep. Hokurei's already damaged right leg was severed from the body entirely. Hiromi only narrowly saved the left. She fell further back and fired another blast to keep her opponent busy as she thought about what to do next.

She cursed loudly. Hildegarde Waldstein was stronger than her. She was a better pilot. She had a better machine. This much was obvious. Even so, Hiromi was sure she could win. She had to win. Losing wasn't an option this time. Hiromi had too much pride. Hiromi had too much anger. For Yasuko's sake, she had to defeat this woman.

That determination in mind, Hiromi decided on her plan. She nodded. This could work. This might kill her, but it might also work. It would have to work. She needed it work. She fired her rifle yet again. Her opponent dodged. She fired again. Another dodge. Hiromi kept it up like that for a while. She fired again and again, keeping her opponent moving back and forth to evade, all the while gradually approaching her. Eventually the gap was closed to the point where Waldstein could follow up a blast with a full strength horizontal slash.

Hiromi had been waiting for this. As soon as _Galahad Renascence'_ssword began to move, so did her shield. She moved _Hokurei'_sarm quickly and the heavy shield flew from that arm. It met the sword dead on and brought it to complete halt for a few seconds. It was in these seconds that Hiromi made her desperate move. Drawing her MVS fork knife quickly, Hiromi made a mad charge. The ultra sharp blade cut deep and heavy into the thick central plating of the _Galahad Renascence _and down into its core unit_, _making it possible for Hiromi to see into the cockpit.

The woman inside was still alive. In fact, her machine wasn't even dead yet. The sword kept moving. It hit _Hokurei _at the side with heavy impact and sent it flying several feet. The left side of the machine was dented in horribly and the sensors indicated Hiromi was in danger. She gave a harsh scream as she pulled the ejection lever, even if she could see through the barely functioning display that her opponent was doing the same.

---

Chaowei was at his usual game. He was flying high above the swarms, letting his guns blaze through the enemy swarms from a safe distance. As he did he kept a count of every unit he destroyed. Even if he knew no one else would keep track, it was good to know his kill stat. It gave him something to brag about after the fight.

"You certainly seem to be having fun up here," said an approaching female voice. Chaowei turned to see a unit approaching from his lower left. It was a gold machine with a very solid, curved look to it.

"Heh, you ready to be today's 38th kill?" Chaowei beckoned with a laugh, pointing his guns at the opponent.

"Thirty-eight? That's all?" the woman in the machine gave a hard laugh. "Let me ask you, sir, are you ready to be 46th kill?"

Chaowei smiled. This woman was keeping track too. How interesting. "I'm not too good at remembering the enemy data they show us. What is your name and unit?"

"I am Rowena Winfield. This is the _Kay. _You are Wu Chaowei and that is the _Dongfeng," _the woman replied curtly, as if to prove she was superior.

"Ah, the Knight of Six," said Chaowei in a sly voice. "Hardly an opponent for one who has already once bested the Knight of Five in combat."

"You really think that the case?" Winfield laughed haughtily. "Claudio Darlton is a washed up old fool, living in the past. He'll be dead soon enough. I, on the other hand, will only continue to get closer to the top."

"You're sure sure of yourself," Chaowei said, shaking his head.

"I have the right to be. I have something of a gift for this," the woman bragged in a fashion Chaowei might have.

"But up against the Ace of the Federation, that natural gift isn't going to be worth anything!" Chaowei said with energy, readying his guns and firing them.

"Oh, an '_ace' _are we? How quaint," said Winfield. "I'm going to enjoy taking you down."

"Just try me!" Chaowei challenged.

Rowena Winfield obliged. She raised her left arm. It fired four large bursts from a built-in gun extension in succession. Chaowei dodged all four and let his own guns blaze rapidly. The woman flew through the gunfire, avoiding half the blasts and letting her shields absorb the other. She closed in and went for a quick stab with her in-built sword hand. Chaowei fell back to avoid it.

Winfield followed it up with a second stab, quicker this time. Again Chaowei pushed back. Rowena repeated, giving her opponent no time to escape entirely. Her attacks were getting faster and lighter too. It was crazy. The power and speed of the sword arm was fluctuating like crazy. It was becoming hard to judge. Chaowei couldn't keep it up. A stab pierced his left shoulder, breaking off some key plates. Then the woman, her blade still inside, aimed her gun arm and let it fire at close proximity, putting a small hole into the underbelly of the machine before Chaowei could shake the other off.

He released his secondary arms and used his four slash harkens to put distance between him and his opponent before he pulled out his third and fourth custom hand guns. His hands moved quickly, firing all four triggers, with just seconds between each other. The _Kay _was placed in a relentless cloud of fire, with no clear escape. Chaowei gave it everything he had. He didn't let up for an instant. Many seconds passed through the relentless, flawless barrage, _Kay _nowhere in sight.

It emerged slowly, with it's shields clearly depleted. The damage was high. _Kay_ was dented all over and sparking. Still, Winfield pressed through the fire with her sword arm held out. She put all her strength and desperation into a final full on charge. Chaowei couldn't avoid it all and keep shooting. He moved to the side but the sword found _Dongfeng's_ undamaged shoulder. It was a forceful blast, ripping the upper right arm from the body entirely, but it was far from fatal.

Chaowei fell to the side and let his remaining three guns go. He could hear a sharp cry of frustration before a cockpit flew free from the heavily damaged _Kay. _He nodded. He couldn't rightly add this to his kill total since the woman had gotten away with her life. But he had, unassisted, defeated a Knight of the Round. That was something to brag about on its own.

"As much promise as you always had, you've always been wholly too reckless, cadet." Chaowei's eyes widened. A familiar voice spoke from behind him. He had won, but he was damaged. He was in no condition for another fight, especially one against this opponent.

He turned around, wanting to confirm it. There it was. It was a down right frightening knightmare. Black and dark purple in color with horned head and massive left claw, it gave off the image of some sort of ancient demon king. It was fearsome knightmare. And it shouldn't have been there.

"Instructor Moreva?!" Chaowei called, a little shaky. "Why would you be here? The EU's focus has always been the Asian conflict. They've yet to provide any support in the fight against Absolution led efforts!"

"Sometimes powerful men have strange whims, cadet. I can't really explain my presence beyond that. I just know that it is my orders to be here," Cesia Moreva, the woman who had served as Chaowei's combat instructor at the Black Knights Academy said in a dark voice, her long, thin black sword pointed forward.

"I'll just have to beat you too, then!" shouted Chaowei, letting his guns roar. Moreva flew up past them.

"You know you could have avoided losing that arm had you been a little more cautious and moved at first sight of your opponent. You lost a quarter of your fighting power all because you wanted a flashier finish," said Moreva. "it's decisions like that which will be your undoing, cadet."

"I'm not some cadet anymore! I'm a lieutenant colonel!" Chaowei roared as his guns searched for his enemy's new position.

"I'm sorry, cadet, but that will never be good enough," Moreva said cruelly, her voice coming from behind. Next thing Chaowei knew, the long, thin black sword in the knightmare _Chernobog's _hand was stabbed cleanly through _Dongfeng's _center. It was to explode when she removed it.

"Killing a smug, whiny brat like you would leave a bad taste in my mouth, cadet. Please escape before I remove this sword," said the woman with a laugh.

Chaowei didn't saying anything. He was ashamed. He pulled the lever and let his cockpit fly out, unable to watch as his _Dongfeng _exploded in the distance.

---

War sirens were blaring through the Absolution base. People were running through the halls rampantly. This made movement easier for Ava li Britannia and Megami Subarashii, even if they still moved cautiously and tried their best to avoid people. After hiding _Onryou _somewhere safe, they had made their way pretty deeply into the base.

They were following a map they had drawn up. The video showing the prisoners had shown much of the room where they were being held. The footage had been reviewed by experts who knew the architecture of this city and used to determine the exact room where the prisoners were likely held. It wouldn't be long before they reached that room now. Neither was very optimistic that they would find what they were looking for there. That would be too easy.

Arriving at the room, Megami slipped inside. She looked around for a while and then returned. She had a distraught look on her face, even if it was invisible to the other.

"Any luck?" asked Ava, already ready for bad news.

"The room is empty," said Megami.

"I figured as much. Why would they keep them the one place where we'd know to look?" Ava sighed.

"Where to now?" asked the phantom thief in a low voice.

"There's a room of similar size in the Northeast corner. It's not far. We could try there," said Ava, with a steady nod.

"Sounds like a plan," the other replied causally.

The two Geass users continued down the corridors a while longer, headed for their new destination. They moved quickly, and for the longest spell of time, ran into no enemy agents. this luck ran out at the end of one hall. Just as they were reaching a door at the end of a long corridor, one of the small side doors opened up. A girl stepped out of it.

One of the two infiltrators knew this girl. The other didn't.

"Come on, we don't have all day. We need to be in place," this girl, Chiharu Ohgi, called back into the room from whence she came. She then looked in front of her. Though she couldn't see Megami, Ava was cleanly in her sights. Recognition wasn't there though.

"Hey. Don't recall seeing you around," Chiharu started, examining the black-haired Empress. "What's your station?"

"I'm on route to watch over the Britannia prisoners," Ava replied in a cool voice. It wasn't necessarily a lie.

"I don't believe you," said Chiharu sharply, her eyes narrowing.

"Why's that?" the other started, nervousness starting to show.

"Because that's my station. I know all the soldiers serving under me," Chiharu declared simply. "So tell me, who are you really?" she asked, glaring.

"Restrain her, Megami!" Ava commanded.

Megami didn't budge. She couldn't. She had been frozen stiff ever since Chiharu had emerged. Her eyes were locked on the silver-haired beauty, and they stayed locked there.

"I'm sorry, I know it was a promise, but fate has taken this one past where I can rightly interfere," Megami said, feeling torn in two.

"M-Megami?! You're here?!" Chiharu stammered, her eyes going wide. During the time when she was stunned, Ava pulled her saber from her belt and pointed it at the silver-haired girl.

"What's going on out here, Chiharu?" a soft voice spoke. A second girl emerged from out of the same room from which Chiharu had come. Everyone knew this girl.

"A-Astrid!" Ava called, her heart leaping in her chest.

Astrid looked up. Unlike Chiharu, she recognized the woman she loved instantly, even through her disguise. "A-Ava..?" she choked out.

Chiharu's wide yes only became wider. "Ava?!" she shouted, staggering back. "This is the Empress?!"

"Knowing my identity won't save you!" Ava shouted, ready to slay the other girl with her jewel-encrusted sword.

"Save me from what exactly?" asked Chiharu. Now Ava's eyes widened. Her opponent had disappeared. No. That wasn't right. Chiharu Ohgi had just moved in a matter of seconds to a completely new spot. She was to Ava's immediate right, between her and Astrid. A hand gun was drawn and pointed rigidly in the direction of Ava's head, about five feet away.

"Geass…" Ava said as she recognized the symbol burning in Chiharu's eye. Her expensive sword was a toy against this opponent.

"I'm sorry. I hate to do this in front of you, Astrid, but I have no other choice. With this, I fulfill my promise!" Chiharu called. Her finger was on the trigger.

A single shot could be heard echoing through those corridors soon after.

---

Anya Alstreim had a downcast expression on her face as she looked at the unit in front of her. This was an old comrade.

"So you survived, Anya? You're the only one who would pilot a unit shaped like that," Nonette Enneagram spoke in a quiet voice from the seat of _Lamorak. _

"I am the Pink Mask of Absolution and no one more," Anya said what she was supposed to say. This was war. Regardless of if it was someone who had fought beside her, the fact was that this woman was now her enemy. The past didn't matter now.

"It's matured a lot, but I know your voice, Anya. You don't have to hide your identity," said Nonette.

"Why do you fight on the side of Ava li Britannia?" asked Anya in a low voice.

"Out of respect for our comrades who were killed for the sake of lies. And because it is my daughter's wish," said Nonette, her voice just as low. "And you, Anya?'

"The last twenty years were the happiness of my life. I cannot abide by one who has forsaken them," said the younger woman, giving a nod inside her machine.

"Then we have incompatible philosophies," said Nonette coldly. "We must fight."

"Of course we must," said Anya, her voice slow and deliberate.

"Twenty years ago, I was the Knight of Nine when you were the Knight of Six. Now I'm the Knight of Three and you haven't been a knight in a long time. I wonder what your strength is," Nonette said, in a placed, somber voice.

"Allow me to show you," said Anya, her voice rigid.

With that, Anya let out a barrage of missiles. _Lamorak _pulled off some impressive midair acrobatics, avoiding a hit. Anya fired her Hadron cannons all at once. Nonette weaved in and out of the four large beams with impressive skill. She made a powerful diving slash with her battle axe. The much slower _Mordred Camlann _could do little to avoid the swift strike. Despite the raw force behind it, the entirety of the attack was absorbed by the machine's shields.

But _Lamorak _did not slow down. The first attack was certainly not the last. The powerful battle axe moved faster than something so large rightly should as it pounded away at the _Mordred Camlann. _Inevitably, even Anya's shields couldn't last. Soon the axe had penetrated them and began to gradually chip away at the armor.

Anya quietly contemplated what to do. _Mordred Camlann_ was slow and had no close range weapons. It relied on its armor. _Lamorak _was fast, had a very powerful close-range weapon as its primary attack and seemed almost specifically designed to break through armor. It was a poor match for Anya. Now that _Lamorak_ was right in front of her, it would be hard for her to get away from it, and its speedy axe showed no signs of stopping until it had cut the machine in two.

It was dangerous at this proximity, but Anya decided to fire some missiles. They hit the _Lamorak_ directly, ripping into it, but the heated shrapnel cut at Anya's own plates as well. Her opponent slowed, _Mordred Camlann _raised its arms and gave a hard push at the _Lamorak. _It then brought down its canons to form the Stark Hadron Cannon.

Anya just had to fire this cannon once. Nonette chose to doge up. This was lucky. _Lamorak's _bottom half was incinerated in an instant. But the cockpit was left undamaged. Nonette Enneagram escaped without a word. Anya smiled at this. She knew this woman, and she knew htis woman was a mother. Killing her wouldn't have felt right.

Anya turned around. Her eyes widened. A second custom unit was right there in front of her. It was yellow in color and bulky in design. It had a large golden hammer in its right hand. It wasn't a machine Anya remembered seeing in the Britannian files.

"It hardly seems right challenging you in a weakened state," a heavy, masculine voice spoke, sounding vaguely frustrated. "But orders are orders, even if they are absurd."

"Who are you?" Anya asked, steadying herself.

"I am Elischa Mayer, Champion of the EU," said the pilot of the machine.

"EU?! But why would--?!" Anya started. "This possibility was nowhere in our plan!"

Anya began to shake. It made no sense. The EU's alliance with Britannia only applied to the overseas fight. The EU's interests was acquiring more territory in Asia. The terrorist group Absolution had never been any concern to them. This man had no reason to be here. But he wouldn't have come here alone. His presence threw their projections off entirely. Anya had to wonder, if this resulting miscalculation wouldn't be fatal for her group.

"I don't want to fight you. I hardly see the point," said Mayer. "But this is how it must be."

With that, Anya re-aimed her Stark hadron Cannon. She'd just kill this opponent before he could make that critical difference. She fired. Mayer was ready for it. Though bulky and weighted down by its armor and weapons, the _Golem _wasn't super large and thus had decent enough speed. It was enough to avoid the massive cannon fire and fly along side it, toward the_ Mordred Camlann. _

The fight was over rather quickly after that. The heavy hammer was slammed against the area in _Mordred Camlann's _armor that _Lamorak_ had throughly ravaged. A giant hole was left in the plate. Mayer than readied his secondary weapon. It turned out to be a flamethrower. Anya pulled her ejection switch just as the flames started to seep into her cockpit.

As she fell to the Earth below, Anya was gripped with a horrible uneasiness.

---

Niles Moore had a staunch, sober look on his face as he slaughtered every man who approached his _Agravain. _The carnage took him back, it made him feel alive. It honestly did, and yet the expression on his face remained sorrowful and full of regret. His eyes were hollow as they watched the death he created. War was both a salvation and a curse for a man such as he.

"It's been a long time," a painfully soft, quiet voice spoke to him from below and to the left. He didn't have to move to know who it was.

"You've come for my life, Cynthia?" Niles spoke, closing his eyes.

"I could see it in your eyes that day. I could see that look in your eyes, that clear frustration that my aim hadn't been true. You wanted me to kill you then, but I failed," said Cynthia, Niles' only daughter, her voice low and somber. "I've trained hard since then. My aim with a gun is second to few now. I won't miss this time."

"Cynthia…" Niles spoke, unsure of what to say.

"Will you allow me to take your life, or must I fight you for the right?" asked the girl.

"I will not forfeit life just yet, Cynthia. I once welcomed death, that much is true, but for once, I finally feel like I may have a chance to be redeemed," Niles spoke in a grave voice.

"Even if you can find redemption on society's eyes, you know that will never be enough for you. Your sins will always stay with you. Only death can free you from them," said Cynthia in a quiet but intense way.

"You're likely right, my child. I still wish to live. Call it a foolish and human flaw, but I still cling to this life. I desire to see the world that is built with this blade," said Niles, watching as Cynthia's unit, an agile curved orange unit with two firearms as its weapons.

"You're deluding yourself," said Cynthia. "But if that's the case, I'll just have to fight you."

"If you must," said Niles in a stark voice, bracing himself for attack.

Cynthia fired a blast from her larger firearm. It proved to be a powerful hadron cannon. Niles fired his own hadrons back. His shield absorbed hers, her speed saw her evade his. She flew up and fired another hadron blast and then aimed her second weapon, which had a large scope. This one, clearly a sniper rifle, was fired at a low angle, straight for the area the hadrons had hit. It pierced the shields but barely dented _Agravain'_s armor.

"You cant beat me like this, Cynthia," Niles spoke in a remorseful tone.

"But I must! I have to win!" Cynthia said, passion in her voice.

She let her hadron cannon roar again, keeping a safe distance. Niles again countered with his own. Just as before, Cynthia flew up to avoid them and fired both her guns. The dent deepened, but remained a dent. The same thing happened again after that. Soon it was a regular cycle. When an actual hole had finally been punched into _Agravain'_sarmor he decided he had had enough.

After Cynthia fired her hadron cannon, instead of countering with his won, Niles sent _Agravain_ into fortress mode. The shift from hulking juggernaut into sleek bomber jet was quick and seamless. Niles now had decent speed. He closed the gap Cynthia had kept the entire fight and let 30 missiles fly at once. There wasn't much Cynthia could do. Her unit was faster, but the blast radius was so far spread out that damage was inevitable.

As the smoke cleared, Cynthia's unit was in a severe state.

"You're not strong enough to kill me, Cynthia. Not yet," said Niles, his voice heavy. This was true. Without speed, range attacks were certainly _Agravain'_s natural enemy; but even with those range attack, even with decent power and speed, Cynthia's unit lacked the ability to quickly and easily score decent strength blows in succession. That was the best way to take down a highly armored unit like _Agravain_. Chiharu Ohgi had had that ability, power, speed and range attacks. That is why she was the only one who had bested him thus far.

"I won't ever give up!" the girl cried.

"Then perhaps its best I put an end to this all," said Niles, closing his eyes. It would haunt him surely, but he'd rather the past remained in the past. His hand went to the lever for a fire blast bomb.

Niles launched the bomb, followed by a single missile. He then flew the jet up rapidly and looked down as countless knightmares, both enemy and ally, were entangled in the world of deadly fire created by _Agravain's_ most powerful weapon, usable only in fortress mode. Everything at the core of the blast was incinerated at once.

But Cynthia escaped the death aimed at her. More correctly, she was rescued. A familiar machine, _Dinadan, _flew straight toward her and pushed her toward the edges of the blast radius. Neither unit escaped entirely. Their units dead and locked together, half gone, both Cynthia and Miya Ashford began a rapid descent to the ground below.

Niles paid this little mind. He transferred _Agravain _back to its original from and began to destroy once more.

---

Valeria Giullare gave a soft sigh as she rode through the Britannian sky. She liked flying. She liked the way _Bellona's_ cold steel felt under her skin as she forced her through the clouds. She liked the recoil sensation crated by her rapid-fire cannon. She liked watching her missiles explode upon contact with the enemy, even if she didn't particularly care for the noise. The overall experience of flying a knightmare frame was brisk and entertaining for her.

The other three of the Four Champions were people with strong emotions. Elischa hated violence, Edouard reveled in it. Cesia obviously enjoyed it, though she would staunchly say the opposite. But Valeria was different. She neither loved or hated war. She was indifferent, she was apathetic. _Bellona _was a lot of fun, but war was loud and chaotic. Valeria preferred things more laid-back and peaceful.

But, again, she didn't mind it. Elischa and Cesia hadn't been happy with the sudden orders President Nemesio had given them. Edouard even thought it a senseless waste of time to have the four of them deploy to provide unrequested support to a Britannian internal conflict. But Valeria didn't care. It was the same for her. No matter who _Bellona'_sguns were aimed at as they fired, it provided the same sensations, it produced the same colors and the same sounds. War was the same no matter the enemy. The others might have been biding their time, and picking their fights carefully, but Valeria was just shooting things. That was her place in this war.

"You there, you've caused a lot of damage. I intend to stop you," a voice said. Valeria's spaced out eyes came to a focus. A custom unit had appeared at the corners of her vision.

Valeria couldn't help but find the enemy unit beautiful. It was a vivid dark blue in color with gold plates and sweeping soft blue wings. Feather-like protrusions poked out of the head, as did a long golden mane of extension cables. Equipped with a heavy lance and a beautiful sword, the machine rather looked like a Valkyrie ready to make a proud charge through the heavens.

"How beautiful," Valeria commented aloud, in a dreamy voice.

"B-beautiful?" the enemy pilot, a young female by voice started, surprised.

"Please tell me, what is her name?" asked Valeria, smiling as she stared at the shimmering machine.

"My knightmare is called _Brunnhilde,_" said the enemy pilot, clearly finding the question strange.

"_Brunnhilde? _That's a pretty name," said Valeria. She then looked down and closed her eyes. "I don't want to fight you," she said.

"And why is that?" asked the enemy.

"Because I don't want to hurt _Brunnhilde,_" said Valeria in a low quiver. Imagining the beautiful machine being marred by her cannon made her feel sad.

"Y-you're insane!" the woman stuttered. "Just who are you?!"

"Valeria," said the girl simply.

"That's all?! Just your given name? That's how you introduce yourself to the enemy?" the enemy stammered, as if this was strange.

"Is that wrong?" Valeria started, tilting her head.

"I am Amelia Gottwald, agent of Absolution, and I shall be your opponent today," the enemy spoke in a strong voice. "Something like that would be more appropriate."

"Really? But I'm not 'Amelia Gottwald, agent of Absolution'," said Valeria, confused by the enemy's words.

The enemy was silent for a moment. "I'm Amelia Gottwald! I was using myself as an example!" the woman shouted, disbelief in her voice. Valeria didn't like shouting.

"I-I'm sorry…" she said. "Please don't shout."

"Y-you're really strange, you know that?" Amelia Gottwald started, shocked.

"I'm not strange. I'm just Valeria," said Valeria in a soft tone.

"I think I've heard enough. Let's start this fight already," said Amelia Gottwald after a heavy sigh.

"But I said I don't want to fight you. Hurting _Brunnhilde _would make me sad," said Valeria, the painful image returning to her.

"Well, I'm sorry, but there's no other way. I can't ignore you any longer," said Amelia Gottwald in a strong voice. _Brunnhilde _aimed her lance at _Bellona._

"Oh," said Valeria in a hollow voice, her eyes downcast. Maybe this is what Elischa felt? Maybe Valeria felt the same way about destroying beautiful machines like _Brunnhilde _as he did about destroying people. If so, she could understand his anger. But Valeria wasn't an angry person, so she felt sad instead.

After that _Brunnhilde _made a charge at _Bellona _with her lance. Valeria had _Bellona _fire three homing missiles from her missile launcher. _Brunnhilde _stopped her charge and tried to shake them. She got two to collide in midair and sacrificed a slash harken to destroy the last at a safe distance. Valeria started up _Bellona's _rapid-fire cannon after that, keeping _Brunnhilde _on the move.

_Brunnhilde _flew around _Bellona'_sincessant blasts, avoiding damage as she tried to loop in and get close to _Bellona. _Managing to get somewhat close, _Brunnhilde _made a powerful jab with her lance at _Bellona. _Valeria used her two slash harkens to deter the lance as she tried to maneuver to safety, but _Brunnhilde _was faster than _Bellona. Brunnhilde'_slance left a small hole in _Bellona'_schest plate.

Valeria pressed _Bellona _back and aimed her rapid-fire cannon forward. She fired some quick blasts to get _Brunnhilde_ to move away. _Brunnhilde _moved, but it was to the side, and into a full sword swing. _Bellona _suffered through a heavy cut to her left shoulder. Again, Valeria tried her best to do get away, and again _Brunnhilde _kept up with the furious proximity attacks.

Soon _Bellona's _figure was marred with ugly wounds. Valeria felt despondent. She needed to bring an end to _Bellona's _pain_. _Quickly she considered how to do just that. She smiled as she fired a missile to her immediate left and the pulled back. _Brunnhilde _had no choice but to brace herself for impact. Valeria used the opportunity to fly _Bellona _to safety.

Valeria then made _Bellona _fire off her two last homing missiles. As _Brunnhilde _struggled to avoid them, she aimed _Bellona'_srapid-fire cannon carefully. She fired just a few shots at just the right moment, hitting both missiles in midair while they were close to _Brunnhilde, _causing them to explode. As the smoke cleared, Valeria was saddened to see the impact had destroyed much of _Brunnhilde'_s beautiful armor.

But Valeria had to take advantage of the situation. _Brunnhilde _had a very beautiful central core, now exposed in its chest. It looked like a target. Valeria knew instantly that hitting there would mean victory. She fired into it, tears entering her eyes as she did.

In preparing herself for the unavoidable quick fire, _Brunnhilde's _core began to glow bright blue. This absorbed much of the impact. Still, a small explosive reaction shook through _Brunnhilde, _going down to her waist. Amelia Gottwald flew to safety as the explosions continued to shake through _Brunnhilde, _tearing it apart. This made Valeria sad. She was leaving _Brunnhilde_ to die alone.

---

_Hiodoshi _was fairly undamaged for having been engaged in combat for so long. All the training Katsue and her sister had received was definitely to their benefit. She was moving the unit with confidence; Katsumi was nothing but able at the weapons controls. Combat was brisk and simple. The powerful _Hiodoshi _made short work of every challenger.

Then the unit began to shake. A heavy impact was received from the back right side. Katsue turned _Hiodoshi _around to examine.

"What was that?" said Katsue as she looked around, not seeing anything.

"Straight ahead, sis. We're going to have to move quickly if we want to get close to that one," said Katsumi with a rigid nod.

"If you say so," Katsue said, trusting her sister, even if her eyes hadn't picked anything up yet. The two had the same eyesight, but Katsumi always had better perception.

Katsue put _Hiodoshi _into gear. It sped ahead.

"To the right, sis," Katsumi said.

"Got it!" Katsue called back and changed her flight angle.

"Take this!" Katsumi shouted before firing the missile launchers at a distant low-flying cloud. Katsue continued forward. Clearing the smoke, Katsue finally spotted the enemy unit.

It looked like a medieval knight, with bulky silver-gray armor, save that that knight was equipped with a giant sniper rifle rather than a more traditional armament. Remembering the data files, Katsue identified it as the _Lionel, _the knightmare belonging to the Knight of Five.

"So, think you're just going to hide back here and take cheap shots at us like that?" Katsue asked, with a cold laugh.

"That was the plan. You're sure sharp for one as young as you sound, girl," the man spoke in a weary voice.

"Oh it wasn't me, but my sister here who saw you," said Katsue in a light voice.

"Yep, and now were going to take you down!" Katsumi cheered.

"There are two of you in there?" the man spoke. "That's unusual. Doesn't that make the machine more difficult to control?"

"Nope! It's easier. This way me and sis control only half the _Hiodoshi. _We're able to do more at once than one person ever could," Katsumi declared brightly.

"For that to work, the two of you would have to be seamlessly in sync with one another," the Knight of Five, Katsue remembered his name as Darlton, or something like that, spoke.

"Of course. Me and my sister are tied closer together than even most identical twin sisters," said Katsue in a casual.

"An intriguing enemy. A red demon piloted by a pair of twins relying on their trust in one another," Darlton spoke. "I wonder how strong it makes you."

"You wanna test it?" asked Katsue with a short laugh.

"Before that, tell me your names. I like to remember the opponents who interest me," the man spoke.

"It's Katsue. Katsue Kozuki," Katsue said in strong voice.

"And Katsumi Kozuki," her sister chirped in.

"Kozuki…" Dalton had a heavy voice as he spoke the name. "You are the children of that woman then?"

"Yup! Our mom's pretty famous, I guess," Katsumi said smilingly.

"I don't plan on losing then. Your mother had a hand in the death of two of my brothers. She is my enemy, as is her progeny," said Darlton in a strict voice.

"Fine, then let's get started," Katsue said with a shrug. "We don't plan on losing either."

Six giant spikes shot as slash harkens from _Lionel's _shoulders. Katsue fell back as Katsumi swept the spikes off their paths with _Hiodoshi's _claws_. _As they worked to beat back all six, Darlton aimed his sniper rifle quickly and let it fire. Katsue swept up, desperate to avoid it, but the blast curved at just the right moment to catch her anyway. The intense beam shot straight through the left knee, rendering the leg below all but useless.

Katsue turned around quickly and her sister was quick to fire off the hand beams. _Lionel _shot up to avoid, but wasn't quick enough. Darlton's machine ended up getting nicked by three of them. Its shields and armor prevented any serious damage. Darlton pulled a small custom hand gun out into his machine's empty left hand and used it to score some quick blows while he readied another shot with his deadly rifle.

This time Katsue started moving immediately. She flew straight up, not looking back. She then did a pin turn to face the opponent. Katsumi readying the claws for some beam attacks. But Darlton's gun was still on her. It fired and there was no avoiding it. Katsue did her best to minimize damage, but it was still a fairly direct hit, just a little to the right of the central core. The sensors indicated danger.

Darlton moved to firing his custom blaster some more. This weapon was of little threat, but it kept _Hiodoshi _busy as it tried to close in for some proximity attacks. Darlton fired off his slash harkens, preventing the approach. Katsumi let out the missiles to take care of them, giving Katsue a gap. She took it and charged in. Katsumi forced _Hiodoshi'_srightclaw into a hard slash. It cut into the machine's thick armor, but not too deeply.

_Lionel's _handgun then pointed rigidly into the hole created by his rifle earlier. Knowing its proximity to _Hiodoshi'_score, Katsue realized this was very bad, she pulled back. Katsumi fired some more missiles to cover their escape. _Lionel'_sarmor was left shredded, but the unit was still whole and functioning normally. Darlton readied his rifle once more and fired it readily. It was a direct hit to the left shoulder, limiting the full range of movement in that arm.

"This isn't good Katsue, we'll lose if this continues!" Katsumi started, worried.

"We still have our secret technique right?" Katsue said, snuggling into her sister's back to comfort her.

"Well, yeah. It's not cool to keep relying on something like that though," Katsumi sighed.

"Well then, we'll just have to be uncool this one time," Katsue giggled.

"I guess," Katsue acquiesced.

"Let's do it!" Katsumi called.

"Right!" Katsue responded.

Katsue sent _Hiodoshi _flying forward. Meanwhile Katsumi flipped around the controls like mad. _Hiodoshi's _claws locked together. The dim orb of red light appeared between them. Darlton wouldn't have time to escape. The blast radius was huge. The orb exploded out into a massive wave. It was a direct hit. When it cleared, _Lionel_ was reduced to its barest form and was sparking uncontrollably.

"This is the end? It feels too soon..." said Darlton in a low voice just as the first explosion hit.

Ten explosions followed. After all of them, _Lionel _was nothing but a flame in the sky. It then began to descend rapidly, disintegrating as it went. They had won. The Knight of Five was dead. They were damaged, but with their ultimate attack they had made quick work of the enemy. It was an impressive effort.

One worthy of applause, it would seem. A low clapping sound could be heard from nearby.

"Bravo, girls! A wonderful effort," an excitable, slightly sarcastic voice called over the clapping. "How beautiful! How marvelous!"

Katsue turned around. Her eyes widened. She knew the unit in front of her. It was their very first opponent. It was the _Roland. _It was Edouard Valentin.

"You?! What are you doing here?!" shouted Katsumi, just as shocked as her sister.

"I don't rightly know. All I know is its my order. We're playing cleanup to the Britannians' little games today. Now that you've destroyed that man, I intend to secure a little easy vengeance," Valentin snickered malevolently.

"We'll just have to beat you again then!" shouted Katsue.

"Oh please, I was waiting for you to use that attack just now. Something like that, I know you can't use ad infinitum. Your machine is shot. You're an easy target for my _Roland's _Durandal," Valentin said in a light voice.

"I don't understand! You and that knight could have beat us together if you attacked sooner! Then he'd still be alive!" Katsumi was angry, as if she found this sick.

"But what would the fun in that be? My vengeance is mine and mine alone, why should I share it with some Britannian dog when I could have it to myself to savor," Valentin said in a smug voice.

"You don't scare us! We beat you before and we'll do it again somehow," Katsue heard herself say, knowing it was a bluff.

"Oho, confidence from the mouth of a little girl about to see Hell. I'll show you that I don't take losing to incompetent children lightly," said Valentin.

And with that, _Roland's _sword opened up to project its gigantic sustained beam weapon. Valentin cackled with mad laughter as he flew forward rapidly. The wrecked _Hidoshi, _could hardly move. The heat generated using its secret weapon, had melted much of the circuitry. Katsue was scared. Her hands went from the controls and she hugged her sister tightly, burying her face in her neck.

When instant death didn't come from the approaching light, Katsue looked up. Someone had flied in to their rescue. It was their mother. _Guren_ was in front of _Roland, _holding off the fearsome beam sword Durandal with just her comparatively tiny fork knife.

"Mom!" Katsue and Katsumi shouted in unison, scared at seeing their mother under the deadly blade.

"Run away girls, I'll take care of this," said Kallen, her voice strained.

Katsumi wanted to refuse this request, but she started to move _Hiodoshi. _It was much slower, but it would still fly with some force. She got clear out of the way of Durandal's path. But then she turned around. She couldn't just leave her mother there. _Guren _was in anything but working order. Most notably, its primary weapon, its right arm, was hanging limply at its side. Mother would die against this opponent.

Knowing this, Katsue spoke. "Let's save mom, Katsumi."

"Of course, sis," the other replied.

Katsumi flew back toward the conflict. She made it just in time. Just as the _Guren's _top quality fork knife was melted clean through and the blade was to cleave the _Guren _beneath it in two, Katsumi was able to move in and give a quick, powerful push, forcing their mother to relative safety. Luckily she managed to fall back a split second later and avoid death herself.

Escape pods flew from _Guren_ and _Hiodoshi _in unison, just before Valentin could adjust his blade and cut through both units in one stroke. Katsue held her sister tight as they fell to safety, their mother doing the same nearby.

---

Ulric wore a grin on his face as he flew in the sky, facing down the unique unit in front of him. He could already tell that this was going to be the best fight of his life thus far. He felt good. He felt alive. He was ready to win. _Dagonet Foresight _was ready to cut through this enemy.

_Dagonet Foresight _was a strange little piece of equipment. It was highly experimental. It was hard to really even call it a knightmare frame. The _Dagonet _had been a really small machine, but _Foresight _was even smaller. It was, essentially, a suit of armor. A heavy pack was at the back which emitted a fine energy mist wing system to allow flight and included a Yggdrasil Drive which powered the battle suit.

The suit augmented Ulric's strength over twenty times. The wing pack gave him blinding, inhuman speed. It was the same design that powered the massive _Bedivere Godhand, _but was equipped on something just barely larger than a man. Even if piercing _Foresight's _armor meant piercing into Ulric himself, this speed made hitting him all but impossible for even the most precise of weaponry. The long hand blades in either of his hands were just as sharp as they had been when they were part of the _Dagonet _too.

But the unit in front of him was clearly something too. A bright orange in color, it's key weapons were obviously the five giant spike shaped slash harkens protruding at various angles out of the somewhat rounded Knight Giga Fortress. Two heavy, black cannons also stuck out of the front, and there was some bulk that looked like missile launchers on the top of the machine. Very thin energy feathers emerged from two large vents protruding from the sides.

"I've heard a lot about you. The unstoppable super man who takes down knightmare frames in just a flying armored suit," a heavy, masculine voice spoke. "It's an amusing machine you've got, certainly. Britannia's scientists have really outdone themselves."

"I ain't here to talk old man," said Ulric. "let's just get this fight started."

"I suppose there's little to be said. Let my _Sieg Genesis_ test your steel, knight," said the man in the orange unit.

"Just try me!" Ulric challenged, and then he dove in.

_Sieg Genesis _fired slash harken after slash harken at Ulric as he made his approach. He weaved in and out of them, and up. When one came straight for him, he slid to the side and hacked effortlessly through the cable with one of his blades. Next, the enemy fired off some powerful missiles to further deter Ulric. He flew down and then away, completely escaping their paths in a few seconds. He then charged back in, having lost only a few seconds.

The harkens were coming at him again, but they wouldn't hit. He was getting used to their speed and force. Avoiding them was hardly a hassle. He swerved around the large machine and jabbed both blades into underbelly of _Sieg Genesis, _cutting down and then up, leaving two massive gashes in the machine's plates.

But then something surprising happened. Five spikes, much smaller than the main five, emerged from out of the armor. Ulric tried to pull his blades out of the machine quickly and fall back, but these smaller, faster slash harkens were already coming at him. Just as he was able to remove the blades, lodged deep into the enemy machine, three of the fucking things impaled him at his left knee, right shoulder, and right side.

These spikes only barely made it through the armor, and thus only barely pierced his flesh, but it was still painful. With his new body, Ulric could survive damage well beyond a human, so even if he had been fully pierced, he'd still live. Barely phased, he threw of the spikes and pulled back, the large spikes coming at him as he did.

Weaving through them effortlessly, finding a safe distance to calculate his next move, the _Sieg Genesis' _two cannons began to glow radiantly. He sped to the side as they fired out intense blasts of light. These beams would never hit them, but he'd die if they did. For that reason, he had to avoid seeing his opponent use them. Ulric smirked as he found a plan.

Quickly, he flew in, the spikes, both large and small coming at them. Rather than approaching the unit, Ulric stayed at distance. One after the other, he targeted the giant spikes. He cleaved cables as he jumped spike attacks and the occasional missiles. Soon, all five large spikes were gone. Soon after that, the five smaller spikes were gone too. _Sieg Genesis _was powerless against Ulric's speed and precision.

His enemy essentially disarmed, Ulric jumped atop the _Sieg Genesis. _With a vicious cross slash motion, he cut deep into the center of the machine. With a second two cuts, he created a giant hole in the front. And then, promptly he was stabbed straight through the stomach by a sword. Then tackled.

A man in the Orange mask with a sword extending from out of his arm was on top of him, pushing him back into the sky. A second sword emerged from his other hand, and using the first to grip, he made a massive swiping cut at Ulric's back. The energy source and wing pack were cleaved from _Dagonet Foresight _with that single motion.

Now the two of them were in free fall. Ulric tried to slash the man off of him, but without the power source, _Dagonet Foresight _was pretty much just bulky armor; it was extra weight. This man was faster. He made three more stabs with his sword, one through the right shoulder, one through the right forearm and another through the stomach before the two finally hit the ground below.

Then they finally did hit the ground. The force, which would have killed anyone who didn't have metal reinforcing their flesh, was incredible, and fucking painful. It shattered most of _Dagonet Foresight. _This was to Ulric's immediate advantage, as he was able to finally, jumping up immediately despite the intense pain, push his assailant off and slash at him using his inbuilt hand blades.

The man in the orange mask jumped back. Their blades met. Then they split. Slash after slash came from either of them. Ulric was soaked in his own blood, and there were four holes in his body, but he wasn't slowed for it. But his opponent was clearly just like him. It was furious and intense. Every cut, jump, and parry had to be so well placed if Ulric wanted to come out on top. Openings were rare. He managed to get a slash in at the man's chest, but it was only at the price of a quick stab to his arm.

As the fight continued it became more bloody. It was less about taking he fewest hits, and more about scoring the most. Blood was flying everywhere from both men as they cut deep into one another with their blades. It was a fucking awesome fight for Ulric at this point, regardless of whether it would end up his last or not.

His opponent made a vicious full slash at him. It cut deep into his left shoulder. To follow up, Ulric made a swipe at the man's head. The enemy pulled back to avoid damage, but his mask was cleaved in two. It fell to the ground in pieces, revealing a distinguished man about twenty years older than Ulric. Ulric smiled. This rejuvenated him. There was no way he was losing to some old man. He fucking had this.

He jabbed a sword into the man's stomach, taking a blade to the leg in the process. Then, with everything he had, Ulric went into a jump. Putting all his strength into his right foot, he kicked at the man's neck. The enemy flew several feet and collapsed on the ground. He didn't get up. Ulric could tell he wasn't dead. It was probably better that way though. It'd be a damn shame killing an opponent like this.

His severe condition starting to catch up to him, Ulric felt faint. He fell to a knee. God, was it fucking painful. He might really die, he thought. As he thought that, he fell forward. He could hear the sounds of a knightmare landing nearby as he lost consciousness.

---

A single shot could be heard echoing through those corridors. This shot wasn't a miss either. No one had jerked the gun from its target at the last minute, no masterful stroke of fate had seen the bullet go astray. A girl was lying unmoving on the floor, her own blood pooling around her quickly.

It wasn't Astrid Weinberg, having jumped in front of Chiharu Ohgi to save her beloved from death. It wasn't Megami Subarashii, jumping into save the Empress she had sworn to help and prevent blood from covering her own love's hands. And it wasn't Ava li Britannia lying there either, having taken the bullet aimed at her. No, Chiharu Ohgi was motionless on the floor, a deep wound at her back.

"I'm sorry, Chiharu," Astrid Weinberg said softly as she lowered the smoking gun in her hand and looked down at the damage it had caused. "But this is what we said. When we were enemies again, neither of us would hesitate to kill the other. Seeing Ava come all the way here again, I now know you are my enemy."

With that, and with sorrow in her eyes, Astrid Weinberg stepped over Chiharu's limp body toward Ava. She held tightly to her gun. Ever since she had said she would tentatively help them for now, Absolution had let her roam fairly free. Trained as a knight, Astrid knew to always be prepared. She had swiped a small hand gun that morning and stowed it away in her pocket.

"Chiharu!" Megami screamed, finally taking in what had happened. She fell to the ground and took the girl's bloodied figure into her arms, quickly becoming visible to the world. She went pale, she cried as she held the girl, just barely alive to her chest, watching as the crimson color she feared and despised poured out of her.

"Come, Ava," Astrid said coldly, grabbing the Empress's hand, not waiting for a response from the stunned girl.

Astrid pulled Ava by the hand through the corridor. They passed five Absolution agents on path to the knightmare hangar. Five Absolution agents died from gunshots to the head. The last got her knightmare key stolen. At the hangar, Astrid matched the key to a _Vincent Aether. _She pulled Ava into it. She started it up. She destroyed the nearest wall and flew out.

Not a word was exchanged on the way back to Vortigern. Despite this, both girls wore expressions of solemn content.

A/N: End chapter. This was another really long battle chapter like Turn 18. Unlike Turn 18, none of the ten battles seemed extraneous to me. In fact I'm quite pleased with all of them. I think I managed to put at least something important in them all. Kallen and Gino reunited for a fight and exchanged some words; not the most important fight, but Kallen's awesome, so it still was compelling. Then we have the first of our two cannon character deaths this chapter with Regina slaying Xianglin fairly easily. The Miya Margaret fight was probably the least important of the chapter, but it was still fun seeing the two interact. Hiromi v Hildegarde wasn't quite as high profile this chapter either, but it was important for both characters. The two in it for the glory, Chaowei and Rowena than had a little match with Chaowei winning only for the first of the four champions arriving to strike him down. A similar situation as two Rounds of twenty years ago, Nonette and Anya fight with the latter ultimately defeated by another champion. Cynthia challenged her father for the first time, only to be thoroughly defeated by the powerful Agravain. Then we had Valeria Giullare get the only one-on-one fight for the EU champions, where she proved that, despite being invisible in her first two scenes, she has probably the most fun personality of the four. Kallen's girls then killed Claudio Darlton. Kallen showed up to stop them from being killed by the last champion, Valentin. And the final fight was some cyborg badassery courtesy of Ulric and Jeremiah. That was probably the least talky fight I've written in this story, but also one of the cooler. Oh, and of course, we had the Ava-Megami-Chiharu-Astrid stuff spliced into it all. Astrid shot Chiharu in the back, Megami stayed with Chiharu and Ava and Astrid escaped together (after enjoying their horribly unromantic reunion). Fun. Well, it was an exciting chapter, but we still have about half a story left.

As we are entering the second half, something has caught my attention. One of the driving forces of this story is the yuri romance. That said, most of the romantic lines aren't going to be all that active in a bit. Ava and Astrid openly love each other and are together again, so that's pretty much done. Chiharu will definitely be poised to see more romance here in the second phase, but I'm thinking I need something fresh. I don't know how many chapters ago, I had a poll asking if you wanted side couples. You did and I invented the Hildegarde/Yasuko plot line, another (probably obvious) side couple, and then something that resembles a yuri "couple" yet I kind of don't want to focus on too much outside of the extras. Hildegarde/Yasuko is going to be at something of a standstill for a while now, at least romantically. Romance for the other couple is a very slow moving thing, and will remain so. As such, I'm wondering if maybe I shouldn't include a new yuri couple.

But I'm not about to invent two new characters for this purpose. We already have so many awesome single girls. I will take your opinion on the issue though (that doest' mean I'm bound to listen to it unconditionally). Basically, what I'm asking is, going into the second half, who needs a girlfriend? The poll choices are Hu Xuemei, Margaret Enneagram, Amelia Gottwald, Rowena Winfield, Regina Granville, Hiromi Tohdoh and Eilith vol Britannia. So, do you want to see someone try to melt Xuemei's icy heart? Do you want to see Margaret become the adorable tsundere she so easily could be? Do you think the badass ninja girl with the valkyrie themed knightmare deserves a hot yuri partner? Do you think I should try and use love to do a complete turn around for the misguided though maybe not as bad as she seems Rowena? Should someone try and reclaim Regina's heart from the pits of dark hell that currently has it captive? Should Hiromi find a nice girl to take her mind of her beloved sister? It's probably not fair to the just introduced EIlith, but I think she came off as likable in her first scene so maybe some of you think she would be cute in some yuri. So yeah, there's a poll. Vote.

Anyway, that's all to say. Thanks for reading.

One new extra this week. It's Kallen-centric. Read and enjoy.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Dagonet Foresight

Sieg Genesis


	28. Turn 27: Passions Rekindled

A/N: This chapter starts the second half of this little story. The "R2", so to speak. The plot will see a certain shift of focus. This chapter has an adult content warning.

Disclaimer: Alfred: "Mr. Penguin does not own Code Geass. He only owns the characters and elements created for this story."

Astrid Weinberg wore a solemn expression as she flied the _Vincent Aether _straight ahead. The weight of her decision still pulsed heavy in her heart. She felt cold and faint. Flying was difficult. It was a lucky thing that the fighting had died down a bit by this point. Allied units would set their sties on her, but after a simple transmission to a nearby soldier of no importance, the word was spread to let her pass. The path to Vortigern was fairly clear after that.

Astrid still couldn't shake it from her mind. Two months had passed since she last saw the pale, trembling girl sitting next to her. Over those two months, she had learned to depend on her gradually building friendship with Chiharu Ohgi. That woman had shown her, her enemy, a strange sort of kindness and laid-back familiarity. Astrid had just shot that precious friend in the back with intent to kill.

She was honestly questioning why at that point. She loved the frazzled girl sitting next to her. Or she did, starting six years ago. She wasn't sure anymore. The last two months had made so much uncertain. At this point, she was far more sure of her friendship with Chiharu than she was of her love with Ava. But Ava had come for her personally. That single sentiment had been the push she needed to make such a horrifying decision. She shot Chiharu, possibly killed her, because Astrid was desperate to talk to the girl sitting next to her.

That said, Astrid couldn't find anything to say. The words were frozen in her throat as she flew the _Vincent Aether. _So she remained silent. She didn't say a word the whole way back. She flew the _Vincent Aether _straight into Vortigern. She didn't head for the military base but for the Imperial castle instead. The knightmare came to a stop just inside the gates. The hatch opened. She jumped down, helping Ava down afterward. The warmth of her hand eased Astrid's tumultuous heart, if only slightly.

The two entered the castle slowly. Apparently, Ava had already told all her personal guards and servants, still at the castle, she would be leaving, for hardly one of them looked at the two of them as Ava led Astrid through the castle. Astrid didn't recognize where the girl was leading her at first. In fact, it didn't hit her at all until she was standing surrounded by beautiful flowers.

"W-why?" asked Astrid simply, choking on the word.

"This is the most private place in the entire castle," said Ava, looking down. Astrid closed her eyes.

"That's not what I want to know, Ava," she said in a low voice.

Ava began to cry. Her eyes teared up and then it just started to pour out. She looked so fragile. "I don't… I don't even know where to start…."

"I want to know everything. I must know everything,' Astrid spoke coldly. "As much as I want to embrace you and say everything is all right, I can't. I can't, Ava, not until I know why."

"I was told you were dead," said Ava. "I know that's hardly an excuse. I know It's a horrible, selfish thing, but I… I-I gave up. I lost hope. Without you… none of it seemed worth it anymore."

"You're right, Ava, that is selfish. You're dreams are bigger than just me," Astrid spoke harshly, causing the other to cry more.

"It's not something I'll ever achieve forgiveness for. From you, from everyone else I let down, from myself. Even so… I want you to know… it is something I regret with all my heart," said Ava in a wrought emotional voice.

Astrid didn't respond for a while. She just stared at the other coldly. Then she spoke. It was in a low, solemn vice, "I want you to tell me everything still, Ava. Don't spare any details. If I honestly mean so much to you, that shouldn't be too much to ask, right?"

Ava closed her eyes. "Of course not. I'll… I'll tell you everything, Astrid. Even if there is nothing in it of which I am proud."

Astrid gave a very short nod and stared ahead, eager to hear the tale.

---

Gino Weinberg wore a content expression as he walked through the enemy base. The battle was over. Absolution had fallen. Their leader, a shadow from the past, Jeremiah Gottwald, had been captured when Cross was recovered. Every one of their custom units had been defeated in combat. Their regular forces had been routinely crushed. New Pendragon had been liberated. Their base had been taken.

Nunnally vi Britannia was apprehended fairly swiftly as well. Anya Alstreim, a woman whom Gino had known all too well had also been taken and identified as a leader of the group. Most of the other custom pilots had escaped capture, but without leadership, a royal heir, a base of operations and a force to command, Absolution was done. All that was left was freeing the prisoners.

"Lord Weinberg," a voice started. Young Margaret Enneagram kneeled in front of him. He smiled and motioned her to stand.

"Yes, Margaret?" he asked.

"Our troops have secured three more of the enemies high officers," said the girl.

"You don't say?" Gino started. "Where are these three?"

"Right here," said Margaret. She then gave a short call. "Bring them in, guys."

Three Britannian soldiers entered the room quietly, each one pushing along a handcuffed woman in front of him. Each of these women was wearing a colored mask.

"You didn't unmask them yourself, Margaret?" Gino started, tilting her head.

"You're the head knight, Lord Weinberg. I thought I'd save you the pleasure," the young girl said with a confident nod.

"Well, I suppose I do like surprises," Gino laughed. He stared down the three bound women. He walked toward the one furthest to the right, wearing a blue mask. "Let's see what's behind mask number one."

With that, Gino saw the first woman unmasked. He recognized her immediately. It was another ghost of the past.

"Of course it'd be you. Who else could simplify Energy Wings for mass production then their inventor herself?" Gino smirked wryly as he looked a weary Cecile Croomy in the eye. She looked shaken and defeated.

"Wasn't he your friend… Suzaku?" the woman asked, her voice a low whisper.

Gino didn't respond to it. He had nothing to say. He moved to the woman in the middle. Her mask was red. It came off just as easily. Again, she was just as easily recognizable, even if Gino hadn't known her quite as well personally.

"I'd honestly have expected more destructive weapons from the inventor of F.L.E.I.J.A.," said Gino as Nina Einstein glared at him hatefully as if he had betrayed them all. Perhaps he had. But as he had told Kallen Kozuki in their fight, this was his place. He couldn't waver. He would fight for his family. It's all he could do, even if he would face judgment for it.

"I have nothing to say to you," the woman said as Gino looked at her. Gino shrugged and move to the final woman, this one wearing a golden mask.

He unmasked her, freeing a familiar mane of golden blonde hair. He frowned. He knew this face too. He was surprised to see it here. He was honestly a little saddened that this woman would get tangled up in this. Her lively spirit deserved the chance to thrive on the outside.

"You've certainly become rather distinguished, Gino," Milly Ashford said with a playful smile despite her situation.

"I'm sorry…" Gino said in a low voice, shaking his head before turning from her. He nodded to the soldiers behind the prisoners, motioning for them to leave with their captives. He looked at Margaret. "Which of the enemy leaders haven't we recovered?"

"Adding these three to Gottwald and Alstreim and subtracting the masks from the lineup known to be dead, we're only missing the woman in the white mask," said Margaret rigidly.

"I see," said Gino, nodding. "With just one leader, Absolution won't continue. Likely that woman and the other remaining members will defect and join up with the Japanese forces."

"Right," said Margaret.

Another knight then entered the room. It was Hildegarde Waldstein. She spoke in a strict voice, kneeling as well. "Lord Weinberg."

"Yes, Hildegarde? What do you have to report?" asked Gino, looking at the girl.

"I have a full report of the battle," said Waldstein. "And news that the prisoners have been secured."

"My daughter?" Gino asked, perhaps selfishly.

"You didn't hear? She's already made it safely back to the castle," said Hildegarde with a nod.

"I'm pleased to hear that," said Gino, smiling. "I heard that we defeated every custom unit and secured two enemy leaders. What are the details beyond that?"

"Victory was not so clear cut as you might think. Defeat of five of our enemies custom units was only possible due to an inexplicable intervention by the EU's Four Champions," said Hildegarde in a solemn voice.

"That is surprising. But unexpected assistance from your allies is never a bad thing, right? The important thing is we won," the Knight of One said, closing his eyes. Knowing that it was more complicated, but ignoring the fact

"Lord Darlton was killed. Cross was severely wounded," said Hildegarde, her voice heavy.

"I see. That is a shame. Claudio was a good soldier and above all decent man. He will be missed," said Gino, giving a low sigh.

"Confirmed dead is one enemy general. A woman of the Chinese Federation, Zhou Xianglin," the Knight of Four added with a nod.

"We're all disappearing to make way for this new generation, it seems…" Gino said under his breath. "I wonder which of us will go first, Kallen…"

"Lord Weinberg?" Hildegarde started, likely not hearing him, but noticing his troubled expression.

"Oh, nothing," he sighed loudly. "Can I count on you two to take care of things here? I have somewhere else I want to be… while I still can." The last bit was said under his breath.

"Understood, sir!" Margaret said in a strong voice, with a beaming smile. "Please, go see Astrid. Give her my regards."

"Thank you, Margaret. I will," the Knight of One said. He turned around and prepared ot make his exit.

---

"I see," Astrid said, her voice parsed and tense. Ava stared at her, shaky and fearful.

She had told Astrid everything. She spared no detail. Whether it was on Richter or refrain, she said only the truth. As she said it, she cried. She cried more that day then she thought was possible. She was guilty. She was a low, horrible person. She didn't deserve this girl's love. Astrid shot that woman, and so many others for her sake. She didn't deserve it. She couldn't help but think that as the girl stared at her with sharp, unblinking eyes.

"As a child still, you snuck aboard a plane to another country with the intent to save your mother. Where did all that strength go, Ava?" asked Astrid, her voice cold and unfeeling.

"Six years ago… you aren't the only one who was changed…" said Ava, her eyes downcast.

"What do you mean?" asked the other.

"I devoted myself entirely to making you better. I needed something to get my mind off mother… and the guilt was so incredible that it felt an obligation. I think from then on, I relied on you. Your smile was my strength. It's light was what kept me from the darkness and pushed me forward," Ava said, shaking a little, but finding a clearer voice.

"You can't go on without me, then?" Astrid asked, closing her eyes.

"I-I… I don't think I can…" Ava admitted, feeling particularly pathetic.

"Fair enough," said Astrid in a crisp voice. "But I can live without you, Ava, You must realize that always."

"Y-yeah," Ava choked, not wanting to hear such a thing be said.

"I can never approve of what you've done without me," said Astrid. "But right now, the girl who, despite being the Empress of Britannia, let herself into the enemy base to save me is beautiful enough for me to still say that I love her and I want to stay by her side."

"Astrid--!" Ava froze up. Her eyes met Astrid's. They widened with surprise as Astrid bent forward and placed a very soft kiss on her lips.

"I love you, Ava. I do. But please don't ever take that for granted," said Astrid as their lips parted. "I'll stay with you, but not unconditionally."

"Astrid! Please, whatever you want," Ava started, her heart beating at rapid. "Just give the word and I will find Richter Novak and see him hanged."

"That man deserves the worst. I've always despised him, since our first meeting. But I know you don't blame him for anything. I know you don't want to see him killed, even after all that's happened. I respect that," said Astrid, closing her eyes.

"Then what--?" Ava started.

"I still want to fight, Ava. Please let me," Astrid said, with cold resolution.

"But Astrid--!" Ava started, not wanting to put the other in danger again.

"Ava," the girl said simply, her eyes doing the talking. Ava closed hers in recognition.

"I understand. You have to fight. You're my knight after all," said Ava in a low voice.

"Please promise me that if I do die, you will remain strong for me. Please swear to me that unbreakable oath. Please give me at least that assurance that this won't happen again," said Astrid, sternly.

Ava didn't say anything for a while. It was a hard thing to promise and truly mean. Ava didn't like lying. If she was going to promise this she wanted to truly mean it. After moments of Astrid's intense stare, she found the courage inside of her. She looked the girl in the eye and spoke. "I promise you, Astrid. Even if I lose you, I will never let this happen again."

"Good," said Astrid. "I also want you to promise that you will never resort to the cruel tactics Richter employed yourself. Massacre, genocide, I don't want the love of someone who sets off such things," the blonde said in a strong voice. "And you can't hide from it like you did with the conquest of Japan either. You know the people you command. You know what they'll do."

"I understand, Astrid. I wish for a clean war, where only those who have chosen to fight for their country meet their end. I cannot promise no one uninvolved will ever die, but I can say I will never order attacks on innocents. Life is precious. I'm not the only one who has someone they love…" said Ava, her thoughts resting with Hildegarde Waldstein and her words of several days past. It was easier for her to make this promise.

"I'm glad," Astrid finally smiled. "But there's one final condition, I must give, Ava."

"Yes, Astrid. Anything," Ava said, shaking.

"If I ever see a vial of refrain slip between your fingers I'm leaving you. No questions asked," Astrid said simply, shaking her head, deadly serious.

"Understood," said Ava with a resolute nod.

"Now. You are not the only one with things she must confess to. There are a few things I want you to understand. Please listen," said Astrid in a quiet voice, still staring the other down.

"Of course," Ava said, smiling, ready to listen to whatever her beloved had to tell her.

---

Sayoko Gottwald wore a heavy expression. Her mask had been discarded. She had no choice. Absolution was done. The battle had been a complete rout. Her husband, Anya, the other three, they had all been taken captive along with Empress Nunnally. She was lucky to have escaped herself. They had only narrowly missed taking her as well. It had taken all of her quick reflexes to get past the enemies as they filled the base.

Now she was in a small hotel room in a town a safe distance from New Pendragon. Three other Absolution survivors were there with her: her own daughter, Amelia, Miya Ashford and Cynthia Moore. No one was physically injured, but the emotional damage looked heavy. That is, unless you were Miya Ashford. That girl still wore a wide smile.

"Hmm, so where do we go from here?" asked Miya, tilting her head.

"We join up with Japan obviously. We already have connections with them," said Amelia, her voice low. "Right, mother?"

"I wonder…" Sayoko spoke. "Together, the four of us make an efficient unit. Operating independently for a while may not prove a poor decision."

"To what aim?" asked Cynthia, head tilted.

"We're going to free father?" asked Amelia, smirking.

"Not exactly," said Sayoko. "The four of us are very well trained at one thing."

"Taking lives," said Cynthia, her voice heavy.

"You want the four of us to infiltrate Vortigern and poise an assassination attempt?" Amelia started, shocked.

"I've always held it as being the most direct way of silencing this matter. Your father is the one who insisted that advancing through war would be more efficient once the first attempt fell through."

"Our names and faces are known to them. We could never get close enough," said Amelia, looking down.

"Names are but labels. Disguising the face is a simple matter. You should know as much, my daughter," said Sayoko in a resolute way. "I once successfully convinced hundreds I was a man for many days. You could easily do the same if you had to."

"Eh, yeah… right. I guess so," said Amelia.

"Yeah. You two are super well trained assassins and everything, but me and Cynthia just have our Absolution training. Where do we fit in?" asked Miya.

"Your stamina and Cynthia's eyes both make you very valuable pieces. If you allow it, I'd like to make use of you two as well," said Sayoko, her voice rigid.

"I'm cool with it, but the Empress and most of her closest friends know me personally. Even with a disguise, I doubt I can get all that close," Miya said, with a half smirk.

"You will provide auxiliary support then," said Sayoko.

"Cool, I can do that! I think…" the girl said brightly.

"And me?" asked Cynthia, her voice low.

"Your skill is as a sniper. It will likely be you who pulls the trigger that takes the Empress' life," said Sayoko, nodding sternly.

"Understood. I will comply," said Cynthia in a soft voice, closing her eyes.

"Then let us begin the planning immediately," said Sayoko, closing her eyes.

"Right!" the other three replied in unison.

---

Astrid cleared her throat. She had just finished telling Ava of the previous two months. She told her she was in on their bait and trap. She told her that she was planning on joining them if anything less than what happened had happened. She told her exactly what Chiharu Ohgi, the girl she had shot, had meant to her. Then she was done talking and just looked ahead.

"I can't blame you for any of that, Astrid. I would have betrayed me sooner," said Ava, her voice low and sad. "Your friend deserves more apology than I could ever hope to receive."

"Even so, it's something you needed to know," said Astrid, closing her eyes.

"Thank you for telling me then," said Ava, smiling very softly. Astrid liked seeing her smile. She wanted the pathetic Ava li Britannia to disappear.

"I love you, Ava. I will keep no secrets from you," said Astrid, her voice soft and sincere.

"And I will strive to always do the same. I love you Astrid, with my entire being," said Ava, her voice delicate. Astrid placed a second kiss on her lips, this one longer, more passionate, less brittle.

"I'm glad. Despite everything… I missed you horribly… I really did…" Finally Astrid let her own fragile emotions show. The icy front she had put up crumbled and her eyes became teary. She let Ava embrace her.

"Starting tomorrow, Astrid. You will no longer be the Knight of Nine," said Ava, her voice low and quiet.

"What? But Ava, you said I could keep fighting," Astrid started, confused by the statement.

"Yes. And I meant it. But you are no longer a Knight of the Rounds. From tomorrow onward, you will have a new position," said Ava, her voice emotional, passionate.

"Ava--" Astrid started, her heart feeling warm. "What is my new position?"

"You will be my personal knight. You will be the sword and shield of Empress Ava li Britannia," said Ava, a warmth and sincerity in her voice.

"A-Ava…" Astrid choked up. "Should you really do that… the implications of such a title are rather obvious. People will start to talk about us."

"I don't care. I'm the Empress. What right do my subjects have to to judge me? Thanks to Richter Novak, a lot of them probably fear me anyway," Ava said in a quiet voice.

"You really know what to say to win back my favor, don't you, Ava?" Astrid said with a light giggle.

"I love you, Astrid. I wish to fulfill that wish you expressed to me just before you left," said Ava, shaking her head.

"Thank you," said Astrid. She kissed Ava fully as the two embraced. It lasted a long time. It felt beautiful. All of Astrid's doubts about whether she could trust Ava, about whether she could love Ava, seemed to disappear in the warmth of her embrace, in the passion behind her lips.

When they split apart, both were silent for a while. They just stared at one another, transfixed in each other's love. Ava eventually spoke. "This isn't fair, is it? Me keeping you to myself, me ignoring the battle I started…"

"We should go to the throne room, then?" Astrid started, head tilted.

"Yeah," Ava said with a smile. The two left the flower garden hand in hand.

---

Richter Novak wore a stern expression on his face as he navigated the streets of Vortigern, not really sure where he was headed. He was currently staying with Jackie in a manor her parents had bought on the edges of town. It was a comfortable house, but life there was stagnant. Richter had felt power and power had been ripped from him. Even in marrying a princess he remained doubtful he would ever achieve that level of power again.

These thoughts stayed with him as he wandered. Jackie was not the heir. That is what Ava li Britannia had said. Richter still didn't understand it, but he didn't question it. There was no clear window for Richter to climb through now. He was stuck. After ruling a country, his previous dreams of having the most powerful pizza empire now seemed juvenile. He had a clear desire but no way to reach it anymore.

"You certainly seem troubled, my good sir," a voice spoke to him. It was high and nasally. Richter turned to see a man beside him. He jumped. The man was fairly normal looking, about thirty, dark hair, glasses, and normal street clothes. He was however holding a large, strange, warped wooden stick.

"Yes, and I'd appreciate being left alone," said Richter, stepping ahead. The man ran ahead and stepped in front of him and pointed his stick at Richter's chest. He smiled creepily. There was something very strange about this man.

"But if I left you alone, how would you be blessed?" asked the strange man, tilting his head.

"Excuse me, please step out of my way, sir," Richter said, not waiting to deal with such a person.

"Power is what you covet is it not? Why should I step away when I offer such power?" asked the man. Richter's eyes widened. What was this?

"Who are you?!" Richter demanded.

"A servant of the immortal stream of time, a humble hunter mystic beasts, Philip Malden Xander" said the man.

"You're insane," Richter said dismissively.

"You're quite right, I've been told so many times at least," said the man, Philip, twirling his warped staff in his hand several times. "But what of it, Richter Novak?"

Richter's eyes widened again. "How do you know me?!"

"I was sent to find you," Philip said. "The one I serve has a deal to make of you."

"Who do you serve?!" Richter demanded.

"The scion of the last unicorn," Philip said with a wide smile. Richter shook his head. He didn't know what to make of this man.

"Fool. If you are going to speak in such terms, I see no reason to listen," said Richter, coldly, irritated.

"Ah, but she has power. She has a means to the very thing you desire. She wishes to speak with you," said Philip, his voice quiet, his stick poking at Richter's chest with each sentence.

"Then why doesn't she speak to me herself? Why must she hide behind some babbling psycho?" asked Richter curtly, glaring, pushing the staff off.

"She is rather busy. Yes, very busy. With the blood of the holy unicorn pulsing through her veins, her power is in short supply. So she sent me, her loyal servant, to find you," said Philip his voice dark and heavy, punctuated by overwrought nods.

"Well, I'm afraid I'm not interested in such things. I don't believe in the power you or this woman have to offer me," said Richter, narrowing his eyes.

"Really now? What reason have you to deny my power? Magic courses through my veins! I am a wizard!" the man declared proudly, thrusting his staff into the air. Richter tried to ignore the passersby staring at them.

"I've had enough of this. Please leave my sight and don't ever app--" Richter started. Mid-sentence something changed. Something strange occurred. The world seemed to slow down to a crawl around Richter. The people passing by were hardly moving. Even the birds in the sky were moving along at a down right deliberate pace. Richter couldn't do anything but move at the same slowed down pace himself. It was surreal.

Philip spoke to him. His lips moved slowly and sounds came out but Richter couldn't make out the words. They were too slow. They were indecipherable. Richter's mind, the one thing working at normal was filled with shock and fear, but even his eyes took time to reflect this.

Then this changed. It changed entirely. Richter thought things had returned to normal at first, but it was soon apparent they hadn't. Philip was talking, but all Richter heard was fast, high pitched jumble of noises. He looked around. His head moved faster than he wanted it to. People were moving like they were running. He could even see the clouds in the sky fly by swiftly and disappear over the horizon.

Then, finally things returned to normal. Richter's eyes focused on the man in front of him. This man was a Geass user.

"How much time has passed, since you first activated your 'magic'?" Richter snorted.

"Twenty one minutes," said Philip with a smile. "Twenty with your world flying past, one with it crawling by slow."

"And yet each phase seemed as long as the other," Richter said, impressed. "Your unicorn lady, she has a power like this too?"

"Oh no, my power is but a simple magic trick next to the sorcery she can weave," Philip said humbly.

"Very well, if that's the case, I'll meet with her," said Richter.

"Of course you will," said Philip, grinning and twirling his staff.

"Where do I go?" asked Richter, not liking the other's tone, but now intrigued.

"To collect your princess. She wishes to meet her as well," said Philip, with a short laugh.

"Very well, I suppose I will comply then," said Richter, closing his eyes.

As he headed back to the manor, the strange man following behind him, he had renewed hope. Geass was a powerful force. If this woman's Geass was as strong as this man claimed, perhaps she was a worthy ally and could get him what he desired. He held onto the hope that he could.

---

Ava wore a soft smile on her face as she retook her throne, Astrid still at her side, their hands intertwined. Noticing her entrance, a servant approached her.

She spoke, "Empress, the Knight of One, just arrived with a full report of the completed battle."

Ava smiled fully and clenched her beloved knight's hand. "Please, let him in," she said.

"Right away," the servant woman responded and left.

Ava let go of Astrid's hand when the man appeared. Astrid's smile widened and she ran forward. Her father opened his arms and took her into an embrace. His eyes teared up as he held her. It was beautiful. Ava smiled as she saw the display of the limitless love between parent and child.

"We thought we had lost you forever, Astrid… You don't know how hard that was for your mother," said Gino, his voice low and broken. It rather obviously hadn't been much easier for him.

"I'm so happy to see you again… I missed you and mom so much…" said Astrid warmly.

Ava continued to watch the tender moment and smile. She didn't dare interrupt. Eventually the scene ended on its own. Astrid pulled back and smiled at her father. She spoke. "Give Ava your report, father. I'm sure she's curious about everything that's happened."

"Of course," said Gino, stepping toward the throne. He looked at Ava. He spoke, "Astrid's return is not the only victory of the day."

"I see. It was but a flash in my memory, but I recall seeing more of our units active on the battle field as we flew through it. I'm not surprised," said Ava, partly under her breath.

"What was that? You flew through the battlefield, Empress?" asked Gino, shocked.

"Ava infiltrated Absolution's base to rescue me, father," said Astrid in a gentle voice. Gino's eyes widened.

"You accompanied that mercenary?" he said with surprise. "Where is she, by the way?"

"Megami Subarashii breached her contract and stayed with the enemy. Astrid and I were able to escape without her," said Ava, looking down.

"You certainly are a reckless Empress, taking things into your own hands," said Gino. "But I suppose I owe you my thanks for that."

"It's Astrid who got us out of there. There's little I did myself," said Ava, humbly.

"Yet my daughter wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for your actions," said Gino. "For that, you deserve my thanks."

"You're very welcome, Lord Weinberg," said Ava, closing her eyes and smiling.

"But anyway, I suppose you'll want the report," said Gino, giving a soft sigh.

"You said it was a victory, but no victory comes without cost," said Ava. "how many of my knights fell in battle?"

"One," said Gino. Ava was surprised by the low number.

"The name?" she asked quietly, somberly.

"It was the Knight of Five, Claudio," said Gino, his voice heavy.

Ava looked down. That man had always spoke of dying for her. The fact that her restored happiness came at the cost of his life, didn't sit well with her even if she knew the man would have wanted it that way himself. Deaths were always hard on her and this was no exception.

"I see. I'm sorry to hear that," said Ava, heaviness in her heart. "But for only one of our Rounds to lose his life in such a fight, it seems hardly feasible."

"Well there is a baffling little detail to this fight that lent to that," said Gino, nodding.

"What is that, sir?" asked Ava.

"We received aid from the EU's champions," said Gino.

"The EU? Odd… I made no request for assistance," said Ava. "I can't see what stake that man would have in this fight, yet he deployed his dogs…"

"Well, as a result we secured a complete victory over Absolution," said Gino. "For that, do we have right to complain?"

"Nemesio is certainly up to something here. We can't ignore that, even if today we enjoy our victory," said Ava, nodding. "So, New Pendragon was retaken?"

"It was. And all but one of the Absolution's masked leaders were secured and taken captive," said the Knight of One in a serious fashion. "As was the former Empress."

"You really meant it when you said 'complete', I suppose," Ava gave a laugh. "But the Japanese and Federation forces have regained their strength, I've heard. Even with this rousing victory, there's still a war to be fought."

"I suppose so," said Gino in a low voice.

"The other prisoners they held, I trust they are safe now?" asked Ava.

"They are," the man replied. Ava smiled.

"Anything else you have to report?" she asked.

"Nothing pressing. Full details are being compiled for you to look over," Gino said in a low voice.

"Good. In that case, you can take the rest of the day off, Lord Weinberg. Take your daughter home to see your wife," Ava said in a kind voice.

"Thank you," the man said. Ava stood.

"I'll see you again soon, Astrid," she said. The blonde took a step toward her. They embraced.

"Yes. You certainly will," Astrid said softly. She then placed an all too brief kiss on Ava's cheek, causing it to redden. Gino stared a little and smiled awkwardly, but didn't say anything.

---

Alfred Selwyn wore his typical oversized grin as he stared at the girl in front of him. She was rather lovely, even locked inside a massive fluid filled tube with instruments sticking into her body at several spots. She had come a long way from when Alfred had first seen her, but still was far from perfectly recovered.

"Now try and move your hand, girl," he instructed as he looked at her.

The girl didn't reply. She did however open and close her mechanical left hand perfectly. Alfred nodded. His mechanisms were in working order it seemed.

"Just like the others, this looks like it will be a perfect success, Miss Amarantha," said Alfred in a low voice.

"Thank you, Alfred. I wouldn't have this young beauty were it not for you," said Deifilia Amarantha, moving away from the two male patients in similar tubes and toward the girl.

"I doubt saving her would be out of your power, Miss Amarantha. You stole my retched life from the jaws of hell, if you don't recall," said Alfred with a sharp laugh.

"But restoring a lost limb is much easier with your science, and your enhancements only further her use to me. She wouldn't have been so obedient with my power alone either. With my understanding of the human mind, if I tried to tamper with hers, it's likely I would have destroyed it," said Deifilia, sighing.

"I suppose that much is true. These three will be made into true super soldiers, far outshining the first such specimen I worked on, Jeremiah Gottwald," said Alfred with a soft chuckle. "And of course, the drugs I'm administering them will act as a mental block, forcibly shutting out their existing memories and making them nothing but subservient to your will."

"You really are a genius, Alfred. I was right to save your life back then. It would have been a shame if Zero's Black Knights had really silenced your fine mind that day twenty years ago," said Deifilia with a smirk.

"I'm eternally grateful to you, Miss Amarantha," Alfred smiled again.

"What can I say, Alfred? I just have an inherently caring nature," said Deifilia. "And it was Eldridge who led me to that blood soaked hell that day."

"Of course. And your Sage deserves my thanks as well," said Alfred, with a nod. "But I am curious about these children. Have you found their names yet?"

"We recovered the names of those two but not this girl," said Deifilia, still looking at the girl.

"It might be better to just give them all new names. They won't be living as themselves anymore, you realize," said Alfred, closing his eye.

"Perhaps… but rather I think, why change them? I've already taken their bodies and their free will. Can't I at least let them keep their names?" asked Deifilia with a shrug.

"An interesting manner to phrase it, Miss Amarantha," said Alfred, giving another eerie laugh. "So what are the names then?"

Deifilia stepped toward the larger man, fairly young, but quite tall and muscular with steady eyes. "This young man's name is Bernard Farris. Information Naida has obtained for me from both Britannian and Absolution records indicate that he was a very new recruit to Absolution. He swore himself to their cause immediately after the Knight of Eight burnt his home town to the ground, killing his family and everyone he knew. He showed promise, but was captured by a team led by the Knight of Six during his first fight."

"Do you get some sort of pleasure out of knowing such things, Miss Amarantha?" asked Alfred, curious.

"No, my friend, it isn't like that. I merely wish to know about those I let close to me. If I am going to take care of them properly don't they deserve as much?" Deifilia smirked softly.

"So what of the second one then?" asked Alfred, laughing in defeat. He glanced at the second young man, this more small and wiry with sharp eyes and a grim smirk ingrained on his face.

"This one is called Lyall Gavin. He had been with Absolution since they first made themselves known to the world. He is the first son of a wealthy noble family in adamant support of our dear Empress. While a member of the group, he was disagreeable and at ends with his superiors. He was captured several months into the conflict by the Knight of Five's forces," said Deifilia in a soft voice.

"Sounds like some spoiled brat who joined Absolution just to rebel," Alfred gave a hard laugh.

"I suppose that is the obvious conclusion," sighed Deifilia. "But this girl… It really is a shame about her. If I had just had a prisoner number I would have access to her no doubt lovely name."

"It won't be the first time you've assigned a name to a young girl," said Alfred, sighing lightly.

"Ah, my dearest Ashlynn. When I picked that dazed child up, when I ran into her by chance, still haunted by ghosts of days long past, I had no choice. She had no name left to give," said the woman, a reflective sadness in her eyes.

"Neither does this child," said Alfred, nodding.

"Then I suppose I have no choice," said Deifilia. "This child shall be called Marcella. Marcella Belita."

"Interesting choice considering she's clearly of Japanese descent," Alfred commented.

"My understanding of that language is rudimentary at best, I'm afraid. This will suffice for now," said Deifilia beaming proudly at the child she had renamed.

"It's a fine name. She'll wear it proudly for you, I'm sure. She'll have little choice in the matter," said Alfred with a wry smile and a laugh.

"Yes," the woman nodded and smiled at the young Marcella.

---

Astrid wore a smile on her face as she softly knocked on the door to the castle study. Meeting with her mother had left her feeling very warm inside. She felt bad for leaving so promptly, after only seven hours, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to be here more.

"Yes, who's there?" Ava's voice called out softly.

"It's me, Ava," Astrid responded as she slowly opened the door.

"Astrid? Why are you back here?" asked Ava recognizing her voice immediately. "Shouldn't you spend the rest of the day with your mother?"

"Probably, I should," responded Astrid in a low voice as she entered the room; Ava was studying what looked like a full battle report. "But I couldn't stop thinking about you. I wanted to be with you most. I guess you're not the only one who can be a little selfish."

"I'm surprised. I honestly thought it'd take more time for you to warm up to me so much again," said Ava, looking straight at the girl.

"Even as I was losing hope, I never completely gave up on you, Ava. I love you that much. And you were nothing but honest with me today; I may not like what has happened, but I still like you, Ava," said Astrid in a soft voice.

"Astrid. I'm blessed to have you. I'm blessed to have anyone," said Ava, her voice becoming low.

Silence fell as Astrid walked toward her beloved. She wanted to refute the claim, but she still could not agree with how Ava had handled herself without her in the slightest. Instead she looked down at the desk in front of the girl.

"Battle details?" asked Astrid.

"Yes. It was a low casualty fight for the Rounds, but we still lost many soldiers. Civilian casualties were nor avoided entirely either. All in all, more blood was spilled on our side here then in any battle of this war so far," said Ava, her voice grim.

"But you won, Ava." said Astrid. "Those soldiers died bringing you victory. They died because they believe in your strength."

"I hope you're right, Astrid," said Ava giving a sigh.

"So, what's happened since I left?" asked Astrid after a brief pause, tilting her head.

"Not a lot. I only just received this report. I've seen almost no one," said Ava, shaking her head slightly.

"I see. Well, anything else interesting in there?" asked Astrid looking at the stack of documents.

"The identities of the leaders we've apprehended," said Ava, averting her eyes slightly.

"I see. Were they familiar names?" asked Astrid, closing her own eyes.

"Yeah," said Ava. "Their leader, the man in the Orange Mask, he is exactly who I had suspected since that assassin was captured and identified; Jeremiah Gottwald, known collaborator of Lelouch vi Britannia."

"I see," Astrid replied blankly, trying not to think about what her friend Amelia was going through.

"Other than that we had a former Knight of the Rounds who had went missing and was presumed dead and the former assistant head of our research wing," Ava said, and then with a little hesitance she added. "And Miya Ashford's parents."

"Miya…" Astrid said looking down. Miya and her were never particularly close during their school years together. They acknowledged each other, but Astrid had remained reserved from the girl for the most part. Ava on the other hand had counted the energetic girl as a dear friend, even if she would have likely denied it. Despite their somewhat passive relationship, Miya, now with Absolution, had visited Astrid infrequently during the last two months.

"She was with them, wasn't she?" asked Ava. "The report seems to indicate as much. It says she fought with Margaret this morning."

"She fought Margaret?" Astrid started, this kind of depressing her. Margaret's relationship with Miya was something of a parallel of Ava's with the girl, except perhaps even more open.

"Yes," Ava replied.

"That must have been hard for Margaret," said Astrid. "Miya seemed serious and committed whenever we spoke."

"It paid off for her. Margaret made a clean escape and found an important role on foot in helping secure the city, but she lost that fight," said Ava, her voice heavy.

"So what happened to Miya?" asked Astrid, looking down.

"Her unit was caught in a blast from Moore's machine. Her ejected cockpit was found, but it was empty. She survived it seems," said Ava, smirking softly.

"I see. I'm glad," said Astrid quietly. After a moment's pause, she then changed the topic of conversation slightly. "What are you going to do to the enemy leaders you've captured?'

"That's something of a dilemma for me," said Ava. "I can't let them off easy for this, but I can't bring myself to sign a one of them to their death."

"Perhaps it's best that way," said Astrid.

"Yeah…" Ava spoke quietly, smiling. Astrid smiled back at her. Silence fell for a long time as their eyes met and locked.

"Ava…" Astrid started in a meek voice.

"Yes, Astrid?" asked the Empress.

"Could I stay with you tonight?" Astrid asked, a blush gracing her pale white cheeks.

Ava blinked. "What was that, Astrid?" she asked tentatively.

"I want you to let me sleep in your bed with you tonight," said Astrid, her voice very soft and subtle.

"Astrid--! That's…" Ava stammered. "Are you sure?"

"I want you to hold me. I want you to show me the depth of your love," said Astrid, he face red. Ava turned completely flush as well.

"A-Astrid… shouldn't we wait a little…? I mean we only just were reunited," Ava started, clearly flustered, shaking her head.

"You may have spent two months thinking I was dead, but I spent two months clinging to the memory of our first kiss, of those beautiful words you said to me before I left for battle that day," said Astrid in a serious voice, her eyes becoming intense.

"I-I see… if you say it like that… I'd be happy to… t-to… let you sleep with me," said Ava shyly, squirming about cutely. Astrid couldn't hold back a giggle, even knowing it would only redden Ava's cheeks.

"I'm happy… Thank you, Ava…" Astrid said in a low, gentle coo.

---

Hiromi Tohdoh was furious. Absolution had been defeated. The Japanese and Chinese Federation forces allied with them had likewise been defeated. General Zhou was dead. The _Guren _had been destroyed, along with every other custom machine they had. And on top of everything else, Hiromi's best friend, even if she hadn't treated her as such of late, was in critical condition, doubtful to make a complete recovery.

The only lucky thing was that the custom unit pilots had all escaped the Britannian dominated hell alive. Hiromi, General Kozuki and her daughters, and Chaowei had all wormed their way to safety and were able to contact an escaping transporter ship. Chiharu had already been on that ship. Apparently, with the care it took to load Chiharu safely onboard, the ship only narrowly managed an escape, and it was at the cost of three of Absolution's Masks, who were being restrained just as it departed.

Hiromi was angry. What's more she felt sick. She had given her all in her fight against Hildegarde Waldstein, but had only managed a draw. Now there was this situation with Chiharu. Compounding everything by a factor of one thousand was the very sight of the woman pacing outside the room in which Chiharu was being treated. Hiromi had thus far restrained herself, but it was becoming impossible. No. It was impossible now. Hiromi couldn't stand it anymore.

"A disgusting traitor like you has a lot of nerve walking around here without restraints," Hiromi said, scowling bitterly, catching the woman's attention.

"There's not a lot I can say to that, Hiromi. I'm certainly a betrayer," said the insufferable nameless mercenary woman. This woman, in her arrogance, called herself "Megami", but Hiromi could never use that name. This was no goddess, not by any stretch of the word.

"You're the lowest human being I've ever encountered. A disgusting creature that cares only for itself. I don't know where you get off even thinking you're welcome here," said Hiromi, nothing but hate in her eyes.

"Sure. I agree with every word," the woman replied, putting her hands behind her head and closing her eyes.

"Don't brush me off like that, you bitch!" Hiromi shouted, clenching her fist and moving toward the woman.

"Easy. I'm in no mood to fight you today, Hiromi," said the woman, glancing toward Chiharu's door.

"It's your fault you know," Hiromi laughed. "You were there. You could have protected her. No one would give damn if you got filled with bullets."

"You're right. I could have done more for Chiharu. But I froze. I was conflicted. I made a mistake. I realize that," said the woman, closing her eyes.

"How can you speak so simply when, in all likelihood, Chiharu will never walk again because of this?" Hiromi started in a low, caustic roar.

"What do you want from me?!" the woman was finally showing a fragile sort of emotion. "I can't deny it! I can't hide from what's happened and wish it away!"

"I just want you to understand how low you really are," Hiromi said in pure contempt.

"I'm sorry, but I already know that better than anyone," said the woman, returning to a more quiet, but somehow shaky voice.

"We allowed you into our force as a mercenary and yet you sold yourself to the enemy as if it was nothing. You fought against us as if it was nothing and did nothing for the sake of imprisoned girl's like Yasuko whom you knew. Now this is how you come back to us? What a horrible joke," Hiromi spat with low-burning anger, glaring hard at the mercenary.

"What could I do for Yasuko? She was happy there," the woman said. Hiromi's eyes widened.

"What did you say?" she challenged. "Why would my sister be happy as an enemy captive?!"

"She was loved," the woman said, smiling. "The bond between her and that knight was one of the most pure, beautiful things I had ever seen."

Hiromi's rage exploded at these words. Her fist moved on a clear trajectory. She savored the feel as it slammed against the woman's cheek bone, sending her flying to the floor. Hiromi felt like kicking her afterward but instead scowled down at her and attacked with words.

"Fuck you!" she shouted furiously. "Don't ever talk to me again, don't ever look at me again, and don't ever let me see you again, or I swear on every inch of my being that I will kill you."

"Heh, might save me a lot of trouble," the woman said. Hiromi kicked her hard in the stomach and then left.

She felt a bit better.

---

Ava's chest felt tight. Her heart was beating rapidly. Her face was probably entirely red. She couldn't bring herself to look at Astrid. Still, she walked with the girl back to her room, their hands joined. Ava was so lost in her anticipation that she didn't notice when their path was obstructed by a certain woman.

"My, my, if it isn't little Astrid," the witch, D.D., sneered. "I wonder where the two of you could be off to together, hand in hand, at this hour…"

"Stand aside, witch, I don't have time for you," Ava said in a wobbly voice.

"Oh, I understand, I wouldn't be happy if someone was standing in the way of my hours of delicious reunion sex," D.D. said with a snide laugh.

"If you understand, then move out of the way," Astrid said boldly. Ava blushed; Astrid was pretty much admitting it.

"Oho, how cute," D.D. said smirking in satisfaction. "I only wish I could join in…"

"Well, you can't, so go away," Astrid snapped coldly. D.D. laughed hard this time.

"Whatever you say, kid," she said. "I saved her for you, you know, but I may want a taste eventually…"

"Come near Ava and I'll hurt you," said Astrid in a serious voice.

D.D. giggled again and stepped aside. "Whatever you say, girl. Have fun."

Her embarrassment only compounded now, Astrid led Ava the remaining lengths to her room. The room seemed strangely large Ava's legs felt weak. She wanted to sit down. Astrid led her to the bed. This only made things worse.

"That woman, her bluntness isn't good for you," Astrid said, a little frustrated.

"A-Astrid…" Ava said, not sure what else she could say.

"But tonight isn't about her. Tonight is about this," said Astrid as she sat down next to Ava, an arm wrapping around her. Ava looked up. Their lips met quietly.

Ava gave a quiet moan as the kiss ended just as quickly as it had begun. She looked in Astrid's eyes. "I love you," was all she could say. It was all she knew at the moment.

"And I love you," Astrid replied with a short giggle. Then she kissed her again. This kiss was a lot bolder. Ava almost gasped. Astrid's tongue left her mouth and licked softly at her lips. It was inviting. Ava knew what to do. She freed her own tongue and let it meet the other. It felt warm, and intense. Astrid only made it more intense. She held Ava tightly and let her tongue dart about Ava's mouth fully. The heat was so intense Ava felt like she would melt.

Then the kiss broke. Astrid stared at Ava expectantly. Ava knew what the girl wanted. She had changed out of the unfamiliar Absolution clothes and into her typical white Empress' garb hours ago. Now it was time to remove that as well. She started the long process of pulling of the intricate garb, starting with the attached cape. As she fumbled with the intricate jacket, she began to wonder if maybe she shouldn't start dressing more simply. If her and Astrid were going to do this a lot it might save some time.

Eventually, Ava worked her way down to her expensive, lacy black lingerie. She felt so vulnerable. Astrid's hand joining hers and guiding her back to the bed did a lot to ease her. Astrid's lips and tongue meeting her own did even more.

"You're so beautiful, Ava…" Astrid said in a low, sensual sigh as a long kiss broke. She then began to kiss Ava's neck as a hand went to Ava's exposed stomach.

Ava moaned loudly. The feel of it all was so intense. When Astrid's hands slipped up to her chest, she thought she'd go mad. Astrid smirked softly as she puled away from Ava's neck. Their eyes met followed quickly by their lips and then their tongues. Astrid's hands then wrapped around her, finding the clasp to her bra. Another long kiss broke, and with it Ava's chest was exposed.

She shivered at the sensation of the cool air on her tender flesh. She felt even weaker as Astrid's eyes stared at her with a foreign lust. Her heart jumped as the girl's hands brushed against the soft white flesh, clenching it tenderly. Ava could hardly believe this was happening, but it was. Astrid's mouth joined to hers again, as the girl's fingers twirled around her rapidly hardening nipples.

Ava broke this kiss to give a sharp moan at a slight pinch. Astrid giggled softly and bent forward, laying Ava down atop the bed. Crawling over her lover, Astrid placed another kiss at Ava's neck and trailed downward from there. Ava's whole body quivered as the girl reached her bust and placed kisses all along it before taking her right nipple into the warmth of her mouth.

A shaper moan sounded from Ava's lips, followed by a short gasp as she felt Astrid's tongue, hot atop her sensitive flesh. Astrid sucked and nibbled very softly at her chest, but as soft as it as it was maddening. A wealth of unbelievable sensations were sweeping over the young Empress as she held the girl to her chest.

Astrid's head bobbed back and over to Ava's other sizable breast. She kissed the soft mound hotly before rolling her tongue across nipple. Ava gave a loud, involuntary moan as that tongue doubled back three more times, coating the hard nub in a saliva. Ava tense as Astrid's hand then came to a rest atop her outer thigh. Was she ready for this? She didn't know, she just knew that she wanted to submit. She wanted Astrid to touch her. She held Astrid to her and relaxed her body as invitingly as she could.

Astrid's hand wavered deliberately down Ava's outer thigh and then up across her inner thigh. Ava gave a hard moan as she prepared for it. Astrid's lips momentarily let go of Ava's chest as her hand made contact, rubbing at the lacy fabric that covered Ava's most guarded parts. Ava could feel that fabric sticking to her. She couldn't rationalize where all the moisture had come from. It made her feel even more embarrassed, but it made Astrid smile.

Astrid pulled up and placed a long, tongue-filled kiss at Ava's mouth as the hand continued to pressure Ava's sex through what now felt like a cloth prison. The sensation was so strong it was mind-numbing. Ava knew it would only get stronger though. She welcomed that. She wanted to feel everything. She wanted to take in all of Astrid's love.

Astrid seemed to recognize her lover's readiness. She pulled back and straddled down Ava's body. Her hands found the hem of Ava's panties. They were removed in what seemed like hardly a seconds time. Ava tightened up again as anxiety hit her, but pleasure won out. She spread her legs slowly but fully, expiring everything to her beloved's sight.

Astrid bent forward quietly, smiling as she did. Her hand slipped up Ava's thigh again. Everything almost exploded just from the first contact of Astrid's finger gently moving across her exposed sex. Ava moaned loudly and eagerly, wanting to feel more. Astrid bent further down and her smile deepened. Her mouth opened to free her tongue. The gap between that tongue and Ava's most sensitive flesh was steadily reduced to zero.

The beautiful blonde kept things gentle and easy at first. Her tongue moved at a deliberate pace through Ava's heated slit. It was white-hot, but Ava could stand it. She could retain her sanity through the incessant rolling waves of pleasure. But Astrid didn't keep things so light very long.

Her tongue began to move more rapidly, flying up and down the sensitive opening, darting up at Ava's clit and all around inside her. Ava couldn't control herself through this. She writhed about and kicked her leg involuntarily. Then a sharp sensation shot through her and it all exploded out. In only a matter of seconds Astrid had pushed her over the edge. Her body shuddered as a massive orgasm overtook her.

Astrid gave a soft giggle as she pulled back, but she didn't say anything. Instead she straddled up over her lover and kissed her deeply. Ava reveled in the kiss. Her own taste on Astrid's lips whet her appetite. As they kissed, Ava rolled over on the bed, forcing Astrid down beneath her. Astrid giggled agin and gave her brightest smile.

"I want to make you feel good now, Astrid," Ava said, just under her breath.

"Please do, Ava," said the girl, sitting up. She had dressed herself in very simple clothes upon returning to her home. Her blouse and skirt came off effortlessly compared to Ava's attire, revealing a small, delicate body and pure, pale white flesh.

"Beautiful…" Ava whispered.

"I'm pleased you think so…" Astrid sighed, hardly phased as she received her lover's stares. She then reached behind and undid her simple white cotton bra herself.

Astrid's bust was quite slight in comparison to Ava's own, but that did not make it any less beautiful. The soft flesh was inviting. Ava couldn't help but be drawn to touch it. She did. Her fingers brushed very tentatively at Astrid's chest, only moving with great hesitation to one of the girl's already perfectly erect nipples. Once she did touch there, she didn't stop. She rolled the hardened nub between her thumb and finger gently, applying just a little more pressure as time passed.

Her hand still at the girl's right breast, Ava bent in to plant a kiss at the left. One kiss turned into several, each radiating toward the center. Then, she did what Astrid had done to her. Her tongue stretched out and rolled gently over Astrid's nipple. Astrid gave a low, pleasured coo as Ava began to move her tongue more swiftly. A short moan came as Ava took the hard nub fully into her mouth and sucked on it softly, still rolling her tongue across it inside.

Ava moved to provide the same attention to Astrid's other breast. She showered it with warm affection. Astrid's hand reached down and joined with hers. It was warm. Then that hand slipped up and guided Ava's. It guided it straight to the girl's inner thigh. Astrid was trying to push things along. Ava wanted to oblige her love. It was not without hesitation, but, as her tongue still massaged the flesh of the girl's breast, her fingers quivered slowly upward to feel Astrid's panties. When they finally reached that target, Ava was greeted with an incredible heat, an impossible dampness. It was enough to get her to pull away from Astrid's cute chest and refocus downward.

Astrid was already pulling off her panties. She pulled them all the way down her beautiful legs and tossed them aside before spreading her legs boldly for Ava, no signs of the once shy girl showing at all. Ava stared ahead transfixed. She could now see everything, every part of the beautiful girl she loved. She didn't deserve her. She knew she didn't. But here she was, offering her body to Ava. She couldn't refuse, not when she needed Astrid so much.

She bent forward quietly, lust overtaking her for a moment. If for once that night, she didn't show hesitation; she just bent in and let her tongue brush against the sopping wet flesh, tasting it. Ava reveled in the taste. She ran her tongue through the girl's slit, enjoying the warmth it radiated and the naughty squelching sounds her tongue made coursing through it. She couldn't stop. Astrid was moaning in pleasure. Her hands went to the back of Ava's head and brushed through her hair, only furthering Ava's desire.

Ava lost herself then. The lust was too great. She wanted nothing more than to make Astrid feel as good as possible. Her tongue went wild. It moved faster than she would have thought it could without becoming exhausted. She presented every inch of that beautiful slit with as much tongue as possible, but eventually set herself at attacking the girl's engorged clit, as this seemed to prompt the strongest, cutest moans.

Astrid moaned and moaned as Ava furthered her efforts. Her hands at Ava's head pushed down needfully. Ava tried her best to fulfill expectations, and kept pace. Astrid's leg kicked out and she gave a short cry. Then several spasms came and a long sustained moan before her body finally relaxed. Ava pulled away and licked her lips. She stared down at her lover and crawled over her, embracing her, kissing her mouth.

They kissed deeply for what seemed like forever. Astrid seemed very pleased by Ava's efforts, as it was rather apparent she was trying her best to reward them in the kiss. The embrace was tight to the point of being suffocating, but Ava like it that way. She wanted Astrid as close to her as possible.

As they were embracing, Astrid's knee raised up suddenly between Ava's legs. Ava broke the kiss to give a high moan as it brushed again her already deeply excited again sex. Astrid giggled and then moved her legs around a little while pushing Ava back. Ava's eyes widened as she understood the plan. She had hardly recognized such a thing as possible before, but now she wanted it. Astrid continued pushing her body down Ava's split legs until there was contact.

Both girls moaned high as Astrid's warm, moist sex made first contact against Ava's own. The sensation was incredible. Then Astrid began to move. It was mind-numbing. The girl made thrust after thrust, her body moving up and down, grooving hard against Ava. Each motion brought a moan from both girls. It was intoxicating. Ava, in deep lust, began to move herself.

Each girl gave thrust after thrust in harmony, finding a clear pattern. The slippery, wet surfaces rubbed against one another easily, providing a beautiful friction that made Ava's entire body shake in delight. She quickened her pace. Astrid swiftness to keep up. Soon they were both panting and moaning. Ava could feel herself start to really sweat at the exertion, but she didn't slow down. Neither did Astrid.

The room was filled with the sounds of heavy breaths, high girlish moans and the slippery sound of wet flesh on wetter flesh. Ava could feel all the combined sensations welling up inside her as an overwhelming pleasure. It was too much. She couldn't take it anymore. One hard push by Astrid set her off and she gave a cry, before her body shook and tightened through pleasure overwhelming. She was so caught up in that, she hardly noticed Astrid behaving similarly, her own cry seemingly having set the girl off on the path to her own powerful climax.

Both girls fell backwards, their bodies relaxing. A minute passed before Astrid straightened herself up on the bed next to Ava and took the girl into an embrace. Ava kissed her lover softly, gently and looked into her eyes. Neither said anything. They both just giggled gleefully. They were happy. If nothing else worked out, their love would always be enough.

---

Megami Subarashii gave a sigh. Her jaw hurt. She deserved the pain. Hiromi was right to hate her. She didn't really like herself all that much at the moment. She was low. She had betrayed Ava's expectations and allowed Chiharu to get shot. Her indecision had led to what was probably a mistake. If she had restrained Chiharu then, like Ava asked, Astrid wouldn't have had to shoot her. It was that simple, but Megami hadn't been able to do anything. She had just let it happen.

Admittedly, she couldn't have known that Astrid was a girl resourceful enough to find a gun while still technically an enemy prisoner, but would Megami really have felt any better if it had been Ava's blood she had seen back then? She knew the answer without having to think about it. It caused her to curse herself.

The medics had succeeded in bringing Chiharu to a stable condition but Megami had yet to see her. They weren't allowing her any visitors until the morning. Megami couldn't rightly wait for that, so she had slipped in. She stared down at the girl, sleeping peacefully, looking herself. It pained her heart thinking about the pain this girl must be feeling.

"M-Megami…" Chiharu, apparently not asleep, started, her eyes opening.

"Chiharu, you should rest… we'll talk later… when you've had more time to get better," said Megami, her voice quiet.

"But I'm not going to get better… right?" Chiharu said, her voice heavy with a latent fear. "I can't move anything below my waist… stuff like that doesn't just go away…."

"You will get better, Chiharu. I swear it," Megami said clenching her fist.

"M-Megami…?" Chiharu started, her voice weak and feeble.

"I don't want to… I really don't want to…. but I have no choice. To fix this… there's no choice," said Megami.

"Megami? W-what are you--?" Chiharu started, appearing so fragile in Megami's eyes.

"I'm taking you, Chiharu. As soon as you can be moved I'm taking you to someone who can fix you," said Megami, closing her eyes, clenching her fist and swallowing the last of her pride.

"I'm not sure anyone can help me… this is…" Chiharu teared up, her hands were trembling under the bed sheets.

"I know someone who can help, Chiharu, and I'm not just saying that to give you hope. I never wanted to rely on her again… but…" Megami started. "But for now, get some rest, okay?"

"B-but--" Chiharu spoke up, clearly wanting to argue the hopelessness of her situation more. Instead she gave a nod. "Okay, Megami. Good night..."

Thanks to strong medication, the girl was fast asleep before Megami had even left the room.

Megami sighed as she emerged into the ship corridor. She really didn't want to go back, but it was her only choice. She needed to correct her mistake. She needed a miracle to do that. Despite the name she had chosen, she was no goddess. It would take a real goddess to grant this miracle.

A/N: End chapter. Yay! 27 chapters after confessing to Ava, Astrid finally got her to have sex with her. Fun. Their multipart reunion was the overall focus of this chapter. Their relationship has changed considerably. Astrid no longer has a shred of shyness when dealign with Ava and has actually become rather dominant in the relationship, while Ava is humble and just grateful to have Astrid's love at all. But, the scenes in between provided some interesting setup. Absolution is defeated and most of its leaders taken prisoner. The four remaining key members, led by Sayoko, have set their sights on Ava for assassination. Richter was approached by Philip with intents of brining him and Deifilia together. Speaking of whom, she now has renamed Yasuko who she has on path to become brainwashed super cyborg; sounds like fun. Hiromi displayed her intense hatred for Megami rather clearly, but she won't have to tolerate Megami long if the latter really intends to whisk the paralyzed Chiharu away as soon as possible.

Anyway, it was overall fun. Hope you liked it. As for the poll I ran last week, I'm still yet to reach a definitive decision but I'm getting there. I have two couples in mind made up of characters listed as poll choices, but I've yet to narrow it to one or the other or just decided firmly to go with both. Amelia and Margaret are really doing best at the moment but Hiromi, Xuemei and Eilith all have a strong showing as well. I'm going to leave voting open a while longer, as I'm not at a solid decision quite yet. This has however made me curious about what the results of the massive character poll will be when I eventually do it.

I couldn't mange an extra in a timely fashion again, hough not without trying. I even told daiki-kasho I was doing one, but inspiration died completely after an hour of staring blankly at a page while feeling stupid started and now think I'd rather just post this then sit around and wait for it again. Sorry. I'll try and get better with these things in the future.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Bernard Farris

Lyall Gavin

Marcella Belita


	29. Turn 28: Fated Encounters

A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers. You really keep this going. Here's another chapter.

Disclaimer: Philip: "The unicorns own everything in this world, regardless of what anyone else may say."

Ava wore a smile as she held Astrid's hand tightly while sitting upon the Britannian throne. A day had passed since her and Astrid's wondrous first night together. The impromptu ceremony awarding Astrid her new title as Ava's personal knight was held that morning.

There was no denying the implications in the face of Astrid's parents. Astrid confessed everything to them both in the end. Lilia Weinberg had looked noticeably disappointed, but was embracing her daughter when all was done. Gino didn't say anything on the matter and just smiled. It had been a strange thing to watch for Ava, but she was happy to be accepted. She couldn't help but wonder how and if she should tell her own father.

After that things had gotten busy. Ava had been out of the loop so long, that there was naturally a lot of catching up to do. Two months of reports had to be memorized. She felt bad about ignoring her beloved in those hours it took to study them, but there was nothing to be done. She needed to be a strong Empress. That is what Astrid wanted after all.

But now it was evening. Ava had looked over all the most pressing details and had decided to take her spot on the throne and see whoever needed to see her. Astrid was by her side. She gave audience to a few of her knights, but most of them were there to see and congratulate Astrid instead of for something more pressing. After the departure of Margaret and Nonette Enneagram, the room was empty save the Empress and her knight.

"Margaret seems to have changed a lot," said Astrid, smiling.

"I'd agree. She's matured a lot in all this time. It's surprising," Ava agreed.

"I would guess a lot of it has to do with having to give up on Richter," said Astrid. "Though her progress as a knight likely is a big factor as well."

"I've been noticing her growing for a while, that's why I had that witch give her Geass," said Ava. "I think I'll encourage it. I'd like to see a good friend reach her top potential."

"I had good friends in Absolution… but even so, I'm glad to see these people again," said Astrid, giving a short nod.

"I had only one friend the past two months. Believe me, it's probably about the same for me as it is you seeing these faces once more," said Ava, looking down.

"You speak of her, don't you? That invisible woman?" Astrid started, tilting her head.

"Yes. A very peculiar character, that one," said Ava. "A woman who's saved our happiness twice now without truly being our ally either time…"

"She took you into that base to rescue me…" spoke Astrid, her eyes narrowing. "But what do you mean twice?"

"It was six years ago, Astrid. She was there that day. She was our enemy, but she helped us," said Ava, closing her eyes, reminded of the fact that Megami Subarashii hadn't been able to make good on her promise to tell her and Astrid the truth about their enemies on that day.

"Y-you're joking! She's connected with--?! She was with them…?" Astrid was shocked. Astrid couldn't remember much of that day, not every little detail like Ava. Talking about it always made the girl's face go pale.

"Yes. She betrayed them," said Ava, closing her eyes. "She was going to tell me about them when we returned."

"She knew Chiharu," said Astrid, looking down.

"It seems that way. She did speak often of a girl she loved within the enemy force. She was the reason she decided to fight in this war in the first place," said Ava, smiling.

"She's like us?" Astrid blushed and smiled.

"Yeah," Ava laughed.

"But Chiharu denied many times ever being in love with anyone. I doubt she would be this Megami's lover," said Astrid in a long voice.

"My guess then would be that it's unrequited. Megami said she was in love with someone, not that she had a lover. I was positive I had that woman's trust. Love is the only thing I can see breaking that trust," said Ava solemnly.

"Well, then I'm not sure if it is unrequited," said Astrid. "There seemed to be a strange longing in Chiharu's eyes when we spoke of love."

"Perhaps. But it's pointless to make guesses at such thing," said Ava before a very short sigh.

"Agreed. They were friends, but Megami betrayed you and I betrayed Chiharu. It's likely I extinguished any spark of love that was there anyway," Astrid said in a very heavy, guilty voice. Ava grasped her hand tightly to comfort her.

"Astrid…" she spoke quietly, unsure if she should apologize or say something to ease the girl's mind.

"It's all right, Ava," Astrid said, shaking her head. "More importantly, what do you have planned now?"

"A broad question you ask, Astrid," Ava laughed. "I promised the Britannian people I would restore the nation to greatness, that I would rebuild the glory of the old Empire. At this moment, doing so seems to mean rebuilding the homeland just as much as it does retaking lost Areas. I intend to do both."

"And I will help you with those goals," said Astrid, with a rigid nod.

"Thank you… Astrid," Ava said warmly. Astrid smiled.

A long moment of silence passed as the two held each other's hands and smiled affectionately. It was interrupted by the arrival of a young guard.

"Yes, sir? What is it you have to report?" asked Ava, nodding at the man.

"The Knight of Ten has returned and has requested an audience," the man reported in a strict voice.

"Oh? Please show her in," said Ava, smiling. She stood.

"Right way, your highness," the young man nodded and left promptly.

"Lady Blackwell? You seem oddly pleased to be meeting with that woman, Ava," said Astrid, narrowing her eyes.

"Ah, there's a reason for that, Astrid. There's someone I've been eager to meet," said Ava, smiling.

"Someone--?" Astrid started, confused. Ava shook her head as two women appeared in the entry way. One of them was Callista Blackwell. One of them was an attractive auburn haired girl just a few years Ava's senior. Ava nodded at the two of them and stepped forward.

"My Empress, I'd like to issue a formal apology. I left your side at what was an inopportune time. Surely I could have been of use to you in the most recent battle," Blackwell spoke in a low voice. The girl behind her was wearing a slightly awkward look on her face as she stared at Ava.

"I don't blame you, Lady Blackwell. You had more pressing matters to attend to," said Ava, her voice low and placed. "I didn't offer much promise in that situation in the first place. You couldn't have known I would make it in time to plan that battle."

"I am thankful for your understanding, my Empress," Blackwell nodded enthusiastically. "And it does my heart a great pleasure to see both you and Lady Weinberg well."

"I am pleased to see you again, Lady Blackwell," said Astrid with a restrained bow.

"Yes, quite," said Ava with a nod. "But today is a day of not just reunions but meetings as well." She looked at the slightly uncomfortable looking girl again.

"Yes, of course," said Blackwell. "I'd like you to meet my daughter, Empress, Princess Eilith vol Britannia."

"It is an honor to meet with you, your highness," said the girl shakily, going into a bow. Ava laughed.

"None of that is necessary, Eilith," said Ava, shaking her head and beckoning the other to rise. "You're my family. As such, please act yourself in my presence. Please address me informally. Anything else would be awkward."

"Uh… okay…" Eilith said tentatively. "So, it's 'Ava" then?"

"Yes. And I shall call you 'Eilith'," Ava said giving a reassuring nod. "You are my aunt, but given our ages, I think using just your first name is most appropriate."

"Yeah, hearing 'Aunt Eilith' from you would be nothing short of creepy," the princess said with a laugh, her hand scratching the back of her head. Ava laughed as well.

"Yes. It does me good suddenly finding a relative who is grounded, intelligent and acceptably well-meaning. I'm not on the best of terms with what remains of my family, but I think we will be friends, Eilith," said Ava, offering the other a handshake. EIlith reluctantly took it. Her grip gradually strengthened.

"Well, here's hoping I live up to your expectations, Ava," said Eilith, giving a low, earnest laugh.

"Please allow me to introduce you," said Ava as the handshake broke. "This is my personal knight, Astrid Weinberg."

"Personal knight?" it was Callista who raised an eyebrow at this title.

"It is my decision. Astrid has been removed from the Knights of Rounds and will serve me in a different capacity, remaining always by my side," said Ava, nodding to the girl at her side.

"Hmm, never would have taken the Empress as being such a romantic," said Eilith with a quick snicker.

"Eilith… that's a--" Blackwell started tentatively.

"You're perceptive, Princess Eilith, deducing as much about me and Ava on our first meeting," said Astrid forwardly, smiling and extending her hand. Blackwell seemed surprised by this admission. A shrewd woman, she likely knew of Ava and Astrid's love, but was more surprised by how quick Astrid was to confirm it.

"You seem pretty cool. it's nice to meet you, Astrid," said Eilith, taking the girl's hand.

"Yes, very," Astrid gave a firm nod.

"I'll be very curious to hear more about you, Eilith. Perhaps you and your mother will join Astrid and I for dinner?" Ava asked, nodding quietly.

"We'd be most pleased, My Empress," said Blackwell in a polite voice. Eilith nodded.

---

Jackie wore a bitter scowl as she sat in an unfamiliar room with Richter. Everything about this was so sudden. She was furious. Richter just shows up in a huff followed by some deranged idiot and tells her they're going to speak with some woman in the EU. She didn't understand it. Had Richter lost it? He wouldn't answer her complaints and just dragged her by the hand out of their comfortable home, onto a plane and to this creepy old castle in the middle of some creepier forest.

Now she was staring at a table, deep seething rage behind her eyes. She didn't dare look at Richter. She was too furious. As much as she cared for him, being dragged around left her feeling like a damn fool. She did look up when the door behind them creaked open. A woman entered. It was nigh impossible for a woman to impress Jackie with her beauty, but only one in denial could denounce that of this particular woman. She was flawless. Jackie might have felt something resembling envy. Maybe.

"You would be the one who sent for us?" asked Richter standing to meet the woman.

"You're quite right, Mr. Novak. I am called Deifilia Amarantha," said the woman, combing back her hair with a hand.

"it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Amarantha," said Richter, extending a hand. The woman took it and smiled while shaking his hand.

"Who are you?!" Jackie demanded in a confrontational fashion, standing and facing the other.

"Someone who wishes to help you, Princess Jacquelyn," the woman said, giving a low bow.

"Help us? Help us with what exactly?" questioned Jackie, glaring hard.

"Your goal is the Britannian throne, correct?" asked Deifilia. "That is what I offer you."

"Who are you that the throne is something you can just give?" Jackie started, suspiciously, in a huff.

"Geass. Like your man, you have it too. But is that power enough to dethrone Ava li Britannia?" asked Richter, his voice quiet. Jackie's eyes widened at the word "Geass". That was Ava's power.

"Why shouldn't it be? Since days of old Geass has been dubbed the 'Power of the King'. Doesn't the simplest of reason then attest to the fact that a throne is the natural target of one with such power?" Deifilia asked in a fairly low key fashion, giving a soft shrug.

"Things never boil down to the simplest of terms in this world, Miss Amarantha. I want whatever proof you can give me that you can rise my fiancée to the throne," Richter said rigidly.

"How's this?" asked Deifilia. She gave a hard clap. The door opened. Figures filled it. Jackie went from one face to the next. The blabbering fool who had brought them there was furthest to the right. Next to him was a fragile looking albino girl. By her side was a little girl who stood in front of what looked like a Catholic priest. By them was an old man in his sixties. On the end was a fairly nondescript soldier.

"This laughable bunch of misfits is our reassurance?" Jackie couldn't stop laughing.

"Every person facing you, myself in the counting, is a king in the making," Deifilia said with a short giggle.

"You command seven Geass users?" Richter spoke, impressed. "That certainly is a strength."

"So you understand why I'm a viable ally then?" asked Deifilia.

"Do you have a source?" asked Richter. "Do you have a way to make more?"

"I do not," said Deifilia, closing her eyes.

"Then it is not enough," Richter said rigidly. "Ava li Britannia could have eight Geass users if she wanted."

"Then what about an army?" asked Deifilia, smirking.

"What army is that?" asked Richter, seemingly surprised and intrigued.

"That belonging to the Euro Universe," said Deifilia, closing her eyes and nodding.

"What power do you have over the EU?" asked Richter.

"Belisario Nemesio owes me an insurmountable debt. He acts at my very whim," said Deifilia, with a quiet laugh.

"I'm not sure I can believe that," said Richter, shaking his head softly.

"What do you have to lose in believing me, Richter Novak? I'm offering you my help at the cost of almost nothing in return," said Deifilia, smiling and shaking her head.

"'Almost nothing' and 'nothing' are not the same thing, Miss Amarantha," said Richter, his voice low. "What do you ask of me?"

"I just want a promise the two of you will cooperate with me in the future," said Deifilia.

"You certainly speak in broad terms," Richter scowled. "You expect us to rule Britannia as your puppets?!"

"Oh, no. The things I ask of you will not be so horrible. Britannia will be yours entirely," Deifilia said with a laugh and a shake of her head.

"I don't like being made to agree with things I don't understand," said Richer. "Tell me everything or I will simply refuse."

"Fine then, Richter Novak. If that is your decision, so be it," said Deifilia. "I will change my terms. I offer you complete and total control of Britannia and you needn't pay me any mind at all once you acquire it."

"But surely there are still terms," Richter spoke sharply.

"The face of this war is going to change dramatically in the near future. I'm in need of a young, able to mind to act as a secondary commander to my force. I think you could do a good job of it," said Deifilia, nodding.

"I don't like it," said Richter. "There are so many things I do not know. So many uncertainties about this. And yet you expect me to serve under you..."

"But we could have the throne. What need is there to question anything else if the end result has us in power, dear?" asked Jackie, struggling to process the conversation.

"But, Jackie, we can't just…" Richter started, taking a rational voice.

"So, you're content just sitting still, Richter? You're content with passing on what may now be our only chance?" asked Jackie coldly.

"I suppose it would be unfair to you if I were to shut this offer down. I don't like it, I'll tell you that much," said Richter, closing his eyes. "But the final decision is yours to make, Jackie."

"I'm pleased to be working with you, Miss Amarantha," said Jackie, smiling at the woman, envisioning herself sitting upon the throne once more.

"Yes. Let us get along," Deifilia said, giving a quiet nod.

---

Margaret Enneagram felt as if in a daze as she walked through the door to the Enneagram family home. She shook her head. She still couldn't believe what had just happened. It hardly seemed real. She never expected to hear those words from the empress lips. Certainly, with Astrid back at her side and in her arms for a week now, the woman was surely in a good mood, but even so, Margaret hardly seemed worthy for this.

She opened the door quietly and walked in. She gave a sigh. Her mother appeared shortly to greet her.

"Hey," said Margaret, shrugging, unsure how to break the news.

"Congratulations, dear," said Nonette with a smile. "I've already heard."

"Yeah…" said Margaret in a weak voice.

"You don't look as thrilled about it as I would have thought," said Nonette with a questioning expression. "It's not every day one has the honor of being admitted into the Knights of the Round."

Margaret smirked, not sure how to voice her apprehension. She was feeling off. "Yeah, I know. But why now? There have been openings for some time now. Why is it only now that I'm given this honor and why is it only me?"

"Come now, Margaret. That much should be rather obvious to you," said Nonette. "The Empress is perhaps too sensitive when it comes to such things. Replacing the fallen can lead to emotions in those who knew them. She clearly wants more time to pass before she even considers it. Your new position was vacated by a simple personnel shift thus there is no reservation to be had in awarding you it."

"It's your old number…" Margaret, said looking down, feeling uneasy. She supposed she should really be happy, but this was a lot of pressure.

"I realize that. That you should wear it now makes me nothing but proud, Margaret," said Nonette, smiling at her daughter.

"It's a lot of pressure, being named one of the twelve most elite knights in the Empire…" said Margaret, her voice heavy. "Especially given there are only ten of us in action at the moment."

"You've never backed down from a challenge, Margaret," said Nonette. "And isn't standing with the Empress at the top of the world the goal you gave to me that day?"

"You're right," said Margaret, closing her eyes. "It's just sudden. It's a lot to take in at once."

"You'll grow used to it you'll do fine, I'm sure. You're strong, Margaret. I'm sure you'll be an even better Knight of Nine than I," said Nonette, smiling reassuringly at her child.

"Thank you, mother," said Margaret. "That really does a lot to comfort me."

"I'm glad, dear," said Nonette smiling. After a brief moment of silence, the woman shifted the conversation entirely, "Oh, Margaret, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

"Yes, Mother? Who is that?" asked Margaret, looking up.

"I found a suitable replacement for Jermaine. I made the hire," said Nonette with a nod. Margaret, tilted her head; Jermaine was the handsome older man who had served dutifully for years as the manservant charged with attending to Margaret's personal needs at home.

"Mother, you'd make that decision without me?!" Margaret snapped, glaring at the older woman.

"It was an easy call. One candidate was far beyond the others," said Nonette, shaking her head defensively.

"Show me," said Margaret insistently. "I want to meet him."

"Right away dear," said Nonette. The woman moved a bit back into the house and gave a soft call, "Glen, your new master is here to meet you."

"Right away, ma'am," a low voice responded where Margaret could just barely pick it up.

She waited a moment. A figure emerged from the hall. Margaret stared him down. She shook her head. This was hardly acceptable.

"What is this, mother?" she demanded in a harsh voice.

"This is your new servant, Glen Esmay," said Nonette with a nod.

Margaret looked at the… boy; this wasn't a man. "He's shorter than I am! He looks like he's about ten, mother! What is this?!" This was an exaggeration. He was short and had slightly boyish features, mid-length blonde hair, deep blue eyes, but he was still obviously in his late teens.

"Glen is 19 years old and very courteous, responsible, and all around well versed as a house servant," said Nonette, nodding at the boy.

"You're not one of those older women whose into this sort of thing, are you, mother?" Margaret asked raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Margaret…" Nonette started, giving a hard glare. Her daughter brushed it off effortlessly.

"I find it hard to believe this could possibly be two years older than me anyway," said Margaret, with a short huff.

"He has identification papers, Margaret. I've been thorough. After what happened in the Weinberg house a while back, there's no choice but to be," said Nonette sternly.

"But why would you hire me a servant so young in the first place?" questioned Margaret, far from satisfied.

"We only received three applicants, Margaret," said Nonette, shaking her head. "Would you have preferred a man in his late fifties or a clumsy idiot who trips twice while trying to make his first impression?"

"I suppose not… But why so few…?" Margaret, looked down, closing her eyes.

"Well you're the one who said you only wanted a male servant. There are surely more women seeking positions as house servants. Perhaps if you were open to having a woman, you wouldn't be so dissatisfied," said Nonette with painful simplicity.

"I just got so used to Jermaine… that's all… It'd be a little strange now," said Margaret, in a low voice.

"Of course, that's all it is. If all you were looking for in your servant was eye candy, a beautiful woman would suffice anyway, I'm sure," said Nonette passively.

"What?! W-what are you saying, mother?" Margaret started, her face going flush.

"Your eyes stay with beautiful women just as long as they do men," said Nonette teasingly. Margaret's blush deepened. Mother's weren't supposed to notice such things. Even if she could admit to herself that she was bisexual, she was far from prepared to say as much to her mother.

"Y-you're mistaken, mother. I'm only truly interested in men," said Margaret, flustered and twitchy.

"Whatever you say, dear. No matter who you choose in the end, I will always accept and love you," said Nonette warmly. This made Margaret noticeably taken aback.

"Yeah… well, anyway… I-I…" In her confusion Margaret, found her entire train of thought derailed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Lady Margaret," a voice said. Margaret turned. Glen Esmay was still standing there, having overheard the entirety of their exchange. He was wearing a wryly amused expression on his face.

Margaret glared in contempt. "Hmmph! Try not to get in my way!" she huffed and stomped away to her room.

Despite it all, she now felt a lot more confident and alive.

---

Miya Ashford wore a content smile as she lazed atop a bed in the small inconspicuous apartment Sayoko had rented for the use of her and Cynthia. Cynthia was at the small desk quietly reading. They were awaiting the arrival of Sayoko, who would be bringing news of the operation thus far.

"So, what do you think about all this, Cynthia?" asked Miya, tilting her head. "I would have thought you'd have turned Sayoko down. Our current mission doesn't present any obvious reason for your path to cross with your father's again."

"That certainly is true," said Cynthia in a soft hum. "But I'm not ready to face him yet anyway. I need to get stronger. In aiding the three of you, I just might do that."

"Yeah. I guess that makes sense," said Miya in a sigh.

"What about you, Miya? You want to understand the Empress yet our current aim is to kill her without word. Couldn't the same questions be asked of you?" started Cynthia curiously.

"I guess so," Miya shrugged. "But my parents are enemy prisoners right now. I guess my own goals have been compromised a little."

"Ah, I guess that makes sense. Freeing them as quickly as possible would take priority for you," said Cynthia with a quiet smile.

Silence returned after that. It lasted several minutes. It was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps from the outside. Miya could see Cynthia ready her gun just in case. She stood. Sayoko had a key. She was to enter the room quickly and silently, making as little noise as possible. Cynthia pointed her gun a the door, even as the sound of the door lock clicking open could be heard, even as the door began to open.

A relatively young woman with blonde hair, dressed as a simple maid entered the room. Cynthia lowered her gun. This was Sayoko. She closed the door behind her quickly as Cynthia sat back down. Miya smiled at the woman, admiring her flawless disguise.

"Wow, Cynthia told me about it, but you really look just like a completely different person, Sayoko," said Miya excited.

"That's the point, Miya," the woman said, smiling. "And if you think this is impressive, the two of you really should have seen my Amelia."

"I feel cheated that I didn't," Cynthia said in a soft, giggly fashion. "It's hard to imagine someone so small and cute masquerading as a man."

"Yeah, I wanted to see too!" Miya chimed. "So, how did it go?"

"I've been hired as a new maid within an esteemed enough house with direct connections to the Empress," said Sayoko.

"What house is that?" prompted Cynthia, tilting her head.

"The lavish yet poorly kept estate of the Research head, Earl Lloyd Asplund," said Sayoko with a stern nod.

"Wha, really?" Miya's eyes narrowed. "But you already know him from before, right? Doesn't that make you being caught a much higher probability?"

"It's a risk I have to take. There aren't many options. According to battle reports, Waldstein's Geass makes exposure perfectly evident. The Granville mansion has been abandoned; WInfield is known to be far from the staunchest supporter of the Empress, and Knights 10 through 12 live within the castle. Getting hired within the Weinberg manor, the house of Lord Guilford, or the castle itself has been rendered impossible," said Sayoko readily.

"Wouldn't it have been better if you and Amelia switched places then?" asked Miya. "She fought the new Knight of Nine twice you know?"

"But then I would miss out on the joy of seeing her dressed like that," Sayoko commented dryly, with a smirk.

"Honestly, that you'd risk everything on that…." Cynthia giggled.

"I don't see much risk in her situation anyway. The papers I had forged were flawless, as is her disguise," said Sayoko. "And in all honesty, it was her who requested she be placed in the Enneagram house. Her biggest stumbling block last time was that she allowed herself to get too close to her mark in truth when she was only supposed to in appearances. She figured that if the mark was already someone she considered an enemy, it would be easier for her to prevent real feelings from developing."

"I guess that does make sense," said Miya smiling. "But there is one thing I still don't get?"

"Yes, Miya?" started Sayoko.

"Why always maids… and servants and stuff? Haven't you ever thought about maybe using something else as your cover?" asked Miya, smirking quietly.

"No. Never," Sayoko closed her eyes and spoke with simple finality. Cynthia giggled.

"Uh… okay, then," Miya said, rolling her eyes and nodding.

"So, where do we go from here?" asked Cynthia in a very soft voice.

"Nowhere for now. Allow me and Amelia more time to gather information. We'll tell you when we have a new task for you," said Sayoko, nodding.

"Sounds kind of like a lot of boring waiting… but okay…" Miya said with a reluctant sigh.

"Right. I'll keep you updated on the situation," said Sayoko. "But for now, I feel I must return."

"Bye!" Miya called. Cynthia gave a soft wave and pleasant smile.

---

Everything was quiet. Everything was dark. She couldn't see. She could hardly feel. She could barely hear. All she knew was the endless cold around her, the quiet darkness that surrounded her forever. It should have scared her. It did, at first. Now she was used to it. It was her world now. It was what there was. She knew nothing else. Her mind could think, but it couldn't remember. That cold darkness was the only world she still knew, until that day when she was born into a new world.

Light filtered in. The coldness came crashing out and then a warmth envelopedher. The warmth brought her steadily toward the light. The light got more intense, as did the warmth and soon everything was clear. She could see, she could hear, she could feel. She was in a room, standing over a pool of cold fluid, a large, empty glass tube behind her. A stunningly beautiful woman was embracing her warmly. It felt so right.

"My beautiful Marcella, it does my heart such joy to finally hold you like this…" the woman cooed lovingly into the girl's ear. The name was foreign to her.

"Marcella?" she asked, looking woman smiled and ended their embrace, much to the girl's disappointment. She was naked. The air was cold against her skin. The woman's embrace had been so comforting and good. It was reminiscent of something beautiful she had forgotten.

"Marcella Belita. That is your name, my dear," said the woman, smiling and staring into the girl's eyes. The girl stared back acceptingly. She knew no other name for herself. She was Marcella Belita.

"Alright," she said. "I-I can't remember…"

"This may be hard for you to hear, my darling Marcella, but allow me to explain everything," said the woman.

"Uh… okay…" Marcella started shyly.

"You were involved in a horrible accident. It nearly killed you. It killed many of the people you knew. There were very few survivors. A dear friends of mine brought you to me, and I helped to save your life. We restored your body, but the damage was severe. We couldn't restore everything just as it was before," said the woman in a sad voice, coming to a pause looking hard at the girl.

"You couldn't save all of my mind… I lost my memory…" said Marcella, looking down.

"I'm sorry, Marcella. We did the best we could. It must be hard for you," said the woman, emotion in her eyes.

"I-it's okay… maybe it will come back," said Marcella with a smile. "You saved my life. For that I can't be anything but grateful."

"Oh, Marcella, you're certainly a brave girl saying that when you don't know who you were before now," said the woman, closing her eyes.

"Of course it bothers me," said Marcella. "But If there isn't anything I can do about it now, I have to accept that…"

"You really are strong, Marcella… and beautiful…" the woman fawned softly.

"I'm hardly as beautiful as you are, miss," said Marcella. She honestly couldn't even remember what she looked like, but something just told her that this wasn't a lie. As beautiful as this woman was, it would be most difficult to top her.

"Thank you, my dear. I'm pleased to hear you say as much," said the woman.

"But… could you tell me your name…?" asked Marcella shyly, a blush entering her cheeks.

"It's Deifilia. Deifilia Amarantha," said the woman in a beautiful voice. Marcella woman made her feel at ease. Her beauty, her warmth, it was amazing. Marcella felt at that moment, it was worth all her lost memories to be standing by her side, feeling her warm gaze, hearing the affectionate words off her beautiful lips. It was doubtful something so beautiful existed in her memories anyway.

"So, I'm going to stay with you from now on, right, Miss Deifilia?" asked Marcella hopefully.

"If that is your desire, my dearest Marcella," said Deifilia in a warm whisper, raising Marcella's head with her hand so that their eyes locked together. "This is your home now. I will always watch over you. I will always care for you."

"Miss Deifilia…" Marcella swooned, completely enamored.

Then it happened. Her eyes widened as Deifilia's lips met hers. It felt so beautiful. Marcella kissed back lovingly, savoring the gentle feel. Foreign memories flashed before her eyes but she shoved them aside in order to enjoy the magical sensation. Deifilia embraced her and kept kissing. It lasted almost an entire minute. Then it stopped and Marcella's body gave out. She fell to her knees.

"You're a good kisser, Marcella. I think I'm going to like watching over you," said Deifilia with a short laugh, walking to a corner of the room. She returned with some clothing. "Put this on. I want you to meet the rest of our little family."

"Umm.. okay… anything you want, Miss Deifilia…" Marcella almost moaned. Fumblingly she dressed herself in the outfit. It was super revealing, black, with no sleeves on the top or bottom and it exposed her stomach. The long boots and long arm covers partly made up for the lack of sleeves, but it still did show off a lot of her butt. All in all it felt like she was wearing some strange fetishwear. But, since it was Miss Deifilia who wanted her to wear this, she could do so proudly without feeling the slightest bit embarrassed.

"You look just as beautiful as I imagined you would," said Deifilia, clearly pleased. She took a step toward Marcella, holding something strange. She put it on Marcella's head, over her eyes. It was some sort of high tech visor thing. A sharp pain ran through her head as the visor seemed to suddenly latch onto her head somehow. Shortly after that, Marcella could see out of it clearly, like it was just a pair of glasses. Deifilia came into focus.

"Umm… this can come off, right?" asked Marcella. Both her and Deifilia were a little surprised by the question she chose to ask after the fact.

"Of course. I wouldn't install something permanent that obscures your pretty eyes, my dear Marcella," said Deifilia softly.

"Cool. Then it's okay," said Marcella smiling, unsure why she wasn't asking what it was for.

"Come, dear, follow me," said Deifilia, leading Marcella toward a door.

"Right away, Miss Deifilia," said Marcella happily, following after the beautiful woman.

The two exited the room. The corridor they entered contained two men. One was very large, and tough looking. The other was smaller, but had a horrible, cruel look in his eyes.

"Finally! Took long enough!" this second, cruel man snapped in irritation.

"She hardly took a fraction of the time it took Miss Amarantha to calm you down and bring you out here," the strong man commented, in a sigh.

"Look, I had enough remarks like that from you already," the smaller man said harshly. "How can you possibly be so accepting of this strange woman, when you're just like me and don't know a god damn thing about who you even are? It's only natural I'd have a lot of questions."

"We haven't a choice in the matter. For now we must do as we are told. Creating conflict just because the situation is uncomfortable will get us nowhere now," said the larger man, in a deep voice.

"All right, that's enough, you two," said Deifilia, stepping forward. "I'd like to introduce you to your new sister, Marcella Belita."

"Tch, looks useless," commented the smaller man with a harsh laugh. "What's with the stupid visor?"

"You'd do best not to insult Marcella in my presence, Lyall," said Deifilia coldly. Marcella smiled. "These are your brothers, Marcella. They are just like you, survivors of the accident who I saved." Deifilia nodded to the larger man. "This is Bernard Farris." She then looked at the smaller. "And this is Lyall Gavin."

"It's good to meet you," said Marcella with a bright smile. Inside she had mixed feelings about this. It made her feel less special to know there were others just like her here. That said, it was rather apparent from the way they looked at Deifilia with a little apprehension, neither of them had received a kiss like she had.

"Yes. It is," said Bernard, giving Marcella a handshake. She smiled at him. He was tense, but he seemed kind. Lyall ignored her. He was clearly a jerk.

"Well, with that, follow me you three. Let me introduce you to my friends," said Deifilia with a smiled.

"Yes, Miss Deifilia," said Marcella happily, following closely behind. The other two kept more distance, but followed along.

The three were led through a long corridor. Marcella guessed they were in some sort of old castle from how the walls were shaped. It took a while, but eventually Deifilia led them into a large room. It appeared to be some sort of large meeting room. Several seats were filled. Marcella memorized the new faces: One was a delicate, but very distant looking girl with pure white skin and hair. Another was a fairly ordinary looking man with brown hair and glasses but a deranged look in his eye. There was a somewhat intense looking man dressed like a priest, a serious but distinguished looking older man in a robe, a very cute girl about twelve with long white hair and a woman who looked like she'd go unnoticed anywhere.

"Hello everyone, please allow me to introduce three new friends, Bernard, Lyall and Marcella," said Deifilia to the group.

"Bernie, Marcy and Ly," the normal looking woman laughed. "They look able."

"Agreed. God forgives no sin, but sinners who act to fulfill God's will can at least escape His judgement in the now," the priest spoke. "Having more able sinners working toward God's plan can only help ensure it comes to fruition."

"Hmmph! She's standing too close to you, Mistress!" the little girl huffed out possessively, while staring threateningly at Marcella. In spite of her harsh words, Marcella smiled at her. She crossed her arms and gave another "hmmph."

"It's good to see the three of them well. I was honestly a little doubtful we would salvage their beautiful fates before they extinguished," said the old man, closing his eyes.

"Will they help bring about the Eleventh Unicorn's sign of Calamity, or are they unbelievers?" asked the brown-haired man strangely, almost to himself while pulling out an old pocket watch and staring at it endlessly.

"I have memorized every detail of their being. I will not kill them by mistake," said the delicate, pale white girl in a completely hollow voice.

It was a very eclectic assortment to say the least. These people were far from normal. Marcella wouldn't judge them though. They were Miss Deifilia's friends. She would accept them. She wore nothing but a smile as she looked at them all.

"Good, then the three of you are accepted into our circle. Please sit down," said Deifilia, nodding. "I'll introduce everyone soon enough."

"Yes, Miss Deifilia," said Marcella taking an empty chair readily. Deifilia took the chair next to her, much to the annoyance of the young girl.

"Tch, I'm not sure I want any part of this damn freak show," Lyall commented contemptuously.

"You must realize that, in this situation, there is no choice but to comply for now," said Bernard in a strong voice, taking a seat, but not looking all together comfortable.

"You're a real ass, Farris, you know that?" Lyall remarked bitterly while reluctantly taking a seat. Bernard refused to take the bait.

"Very well, with that, I believe I'll tell the three of you about us, and about your place in things," said Deifilia. "You can make final judgements about whether you will serve me after you hear everything."

"Okay, Miss Deifilia," said Marcella readily, already knowing that she at least was going to pledge herself to this woman.

---

Chiharu Ohgi woke up to a shooting pain in her upper spine. She began to breathe heavy. She pulled off some of the covers to her medical bed. She had been moved to a room within a military hospital in Japan_. _The doctors had told her she had come a long way and was pretty well healed. She still couldn't feel anything below her waist. She couldn't move her legs. She had been told this was permanent.

She tried to remain strong as she heard such things. The sedatives surely helped her bear it. But she was scared. She couldn't deny that she wasn't. It scared her. It made her feel helpless. She had promised to restore the peaceful world. How could she possibly do that with a body like this? Thinking about it depressed her.

But, despite it all, she couldn't bring herself to hate Astrid. She supposed that was strange. Yet that girl who was both her friend and enemy, was not to blame. She had protected her love. It was the price Chiharu had paid for not telling that girl the sort of things the Orange Mask had told her, for not letting Astrid know that her beloved still cared.

She didn't blame Astrid. If anyone she blamed herself.

"Hey, kid, you awake?" an easy voice came to her. She used her upper body strength to sit up and look in its direction. It was wasted effort. She couldn't see this person anyway.

"Megami?" Chiharu started. It was quiet. Chiharu could just somehow tell it was the dead of night. She hadn't seen this woman in a week, not since it happened. She remembered something resembling a dream that night in which the two of them had met, but she wasn't entirely sure it was real.

"Yeah, It's me," said Megami in a soft voice.

"Uh… so how have you been?" asked Chiharu, not sure where to start.

"Pretty tortured and sleepless this last week," said Megami. "But I was going pretty good before that, if that's what you were asking. There was some 'do as I say or I'll kill you' type stuff, but there was some pleasant stuff in Britannia too."

"I see. It's good to hear your voice again," said Chiharu.

"Ooh, wow! You missed me, Chiharu," Megami snickered. "I knew we were meant for each other."

"Do you have a reason to disrupt my sleep, or are you just here to tease me?" asked Chiharu, smiling. She wasn't sure why she was smiling. It was just that this girl had a way at making her smile, even when she didn't feel like smiling.

"You forget? I'm taking you," said Megami in a low voice.

"T-taking me? What does that mean?" Chiharu started, her face becoming flushed. "I probably wouldn't be able to resist too good, but you can't be interested in my body when it's like that."

Megami gave a hard laugh. "Not exactly what I mean, Chiharu," she said, clearly amused. "But I am still interested. You're still you."

"God, you're hard for me to deal with," said Chiharu, still blushing. She didn't usually let this woman get to her, but it was harder when she was felt more vulnerable than ever before. It didn't help that, for the last two months, she had thought of this woman constantly yet not been able to speak with her.

"So, you coming?" asked Megami.

"What are you talking about?" asked Chiharu, shaking he head.

"Gee, you really did forget," Megami laughed. "I'm taking you to someone who can make you better."

"What are you talking about?" started Chiharu, shaking her head. "This is permanent, Megami… I've already accepted that."

"I guess it makes sense you wouldn't remember what I said that night. You'd have to be delirious after all that," said Megami in a heavy, serious voice. "The simple truth is that I know someone who can fix you Chiharu. I'm going to take you to her."

"I'm not sure I can believe you," said Chiharu, looking down, her voice holding a slight somberness.

"Chiharu, I want to tell you about me," said Megami. "Do you think your well enough to listen?"

"I'm not sure. I'm on a lot of medication. I'll pass out if it's too dull," said Chiharu bluntly.

"I guess I'll have to chance it," said Megami in a low voice.

Chiharu listened attentively, far more interested in hearing what this woman had to say then she let on.

---

Hu Xuemei held a heavy heart as she sat in on a meeting of higher ups within the collective armies of the nations united against Britannia. It had been a hard week for her. It was full of loneliness and despair. The mission that had pulled her beloved mentor away and granted Xuemei a chance to reconnect with her true mother would be Zhou Xianglin's last.

There was nothing Xuemei could have done. She wasn't selected for the mission. Her orders had been to defend the homeland. She recognized this. It made her loss no easier to bear. The woman who had raised her since she was an infant was gone forever. In face of such a thing it was becoming hard to keep her feelings on the inside as she always had.

But if anything, Xuemei was more committed to the fight than ever. She wanted vengeance. She had always thought people who desired such things to be fools, but at that moment her heart cried out for it. She would make Britannia pay. She would fight her hardest to win this war. That was why she remained attentive in the face of this meeting.

There were many instantly recognizable faces. General Tohdoh sat at one end of the table, General Hong, the highest ranking General of Xuemei's Chinese Federation now that her beloved mentor was no more, sat at the other. General Minami took a seat near Tohdoh, as did Tohdoh's wife. General Kozuki sat a little further down. Rakshata Chawla sat very relaxed in a seat near Hong. Joining Xuemei as younger representatives of the force were Hiromi Tohdoh, Wu Chaowei and the very young, but apparently also very talented, twin daughters of General Kozuki.

"Thank you for all finding the time to meet here today. We have a lot to discuss," opened Head General Tohdoh in a staunch voice. "Our allies in Absolution have fallen. In their final battle we were not spared our own heavy losses."

"Where exactly do we stand at the moment?" asked Minami in a despondent voice.

"With the death of Zhou, and with Lieutenant Colonel Ohgi rendered paralyzed, we are down two key pilots. On top of this, _Guren, Hiodoshi, Hokurei, _and_ Dongfeng _were all destroyed and not recovered, leaving _Tianlong,_ _Zangetsu Tensai _and _Jinketsu _as our only currently operational unit. Simply put, we would be woefully unprepared if a full on assault were to come now from either Britannia or the EU," Tohdoh's wife gave the full report in a clear voice, looking resolute.

"What does R&D have in the works for us?" Lieutenant Colonel Wu turned to Rakshata.

"We have people working round the clock on several projects. I probably shouldn't even be here," the woman gave a high laugh. She then gave a full answer to the young man, "Priority number one is completing the new _Guren. _We also have a _Hiodoshi _redesign in the works, specifically developed for twin pilots and a new unit commissioned by the Federation for your use, Lieutenant Colonel."

"Then--?" Major Tohdoh started, looking a little shaky.

"With Lieutenant Colonel Ohgi incapacitated, you're being assigned the _Jinketsu, _Hiromi," said the head General in a stern voice.

"Chiharu…" the young girl muttered in a low voice. She then gave a ready nod. "I understand. I will fly the _Jinketsu _to the best of my ability."

"Right," said General Kozuki. "But it remains fact that, regardless of what we have in development, we have hardly the means to defend ourselves in the now. We're going to have to be smart to survive through this."

"Agreed. We cannot survive if the enemy pushes with all their strength. If a full on assault comes, it is out of our hands," said Hong in a solemn voice.

"Aren't we being just a little pessimistic here?" started one of the young twins, the one with straight hair, wearing a soft smirk. "Britannia suffered losses too. They were able to recover their knightmares, but they were easily as damaged as ours. They won't be able to launch a full assault quick enough."

"Yeah! Listen to Sis; she's smart!" the girl's sister called with a smile.

"That's a good point, Sergeant Major Kozuki," said Nagisa Tohdoh with a steady nod. "But the situation is slightly more complicated, as you well know. Britannia is not the only opponent. We cannot ignore the EU's intervention in the previous fight."

"But the EU's behavior has been nothing but erratic so far, right?" the straight-haired twin spoke up again.

"Yes, quite so," said General Hong. "Their effort has seemed anything but focused since the war started. The Federation has had little trouble holding them off throughout unassisted."

"But even so, their Four Champions are not to be underestimated. They alone could probably crush us now. We must be prepared," said Lieutenant Colonel Wu with a stern expression, obviously angered over his recent loss to one of the said Champions.

"Ah, but the Four Champions have only twice all mobilized at once," the 15 year old child spoke up again. "And both of those were unique situations."

"A surprise attack on what should have been a hidden location deep inside the Federation's borders and emergency aid in a battle that shouldn't have concerned them," Xuemei started in. This girl, though clearly intelligent beyond her age, was getting ahead of herself. "Those are both peculiar occurrences that we couldn't have predicted. That is why we can't rule out an attack tomorrow even. All our remaining strength must be put into maintaining our defenses."

"And I say we can," the girl replied as forwardly as before. "The EU won't attack us now. President Nemesio is clearly playing a different game then any of us. His goal isn't to destroy us. Not now."

"Now, what makes you say that, Katsue?" the girl's mother asked, a little uneasy about her daughter's involvement in the meeting.

"Oh, it's just a hunch based on what I've seen," said the girl, Katsue, shrugging and smiling.

"A young girl's hunch is hardly a thing to make a decision on," said Minami readily.

"No, this girl may have a point. Nemesio is clearly working on his own terms. The idea that his goals differ dramatically from the Britannian Empress' is something well worth considering," said General Tohdoh in a strict voice.

"But we still can't lower our guard. We still need to keep a rigid defense, right?" started Major Tohdoh, tilting her head.

"Perhaps not," said the girl's father. "it may be wise to risk it in this case. If we can rest much of our force instead of deploying it for defense, and apply more resources to knightmare development, we may just be prepared when Britannia is."

"Honestly, letting a girl her age influence your decision," the man's wife commented, shaking her head.

"It is a good point, regardless of the source. We can't fool ourselves into thinking even our best defense would hold up perfectly against the Champions. It's best to take this chance that we won't get attacked by anyone and focus on regrouping," said Hong in a weary voice, nodding.

"See? Sis really is awesome," the spiky haired twin called cheerfully, causing her sister to blush.

"Your daughters show promise, General, and not just on the battlefield," Nagisa Tohdoh said with a smirk to the other female General. Xuemei wondered if it shouldn't instead be "daughter" in this case. The spunky girl with spiky hair hadn't said anything remotely important.

"Well thanks," replied General Kozuki with a very slight blush and a quick smile to her daughters.

Xuemei looked on, unsure of herself, her mind still locked in the past.

---

Megami wore a solemn expression as she flew _Onryou_ to a perfect landing. This was it. There was no going back now. She had made her decision. She had returned. Every cell of her body cried out in fear at the thought of facing that woman again. Still, one look at the girl hanging off of her neck was enough to silence the cries and cool the anxiety.

Chiharu had listened to every word of Megami's story. She didn't say a word through it all, until it was over when she simply said, "Let's go then." That had been enough for Megami. She had taken the girl from her hospital bed immediately, using a folding wheelchair and a stolen taser to do so. _Onryou _was waiting nearby, safely hidden.

Obtaining _Onryou _had proven difficult. She had informed Japanese agents of its location during the evacuation of New Pendragon, and they had managed to recover it and bring it back. Megami had been barred from it, seeing as how all confidence in her had been lost by the Japanese army. Stealing it a second time had been much more difficult than the first, but she needed it.

It had been a long flight from Japan to the aged Castle Amarantha, hidden deep in a dark woods, forgotten by the outside. The sight of the place had sent a hard chill down Megami's spine. Now she was about to go inside. She could hardly stomach it. She had left this life behind, never to return, yet here she was. Fate had dealt her another piss poor card.

Megami unplugged herself from _Onryou _and opened the hatch. It was just as hard getting out of the cockpit with Chiharu as it had been getting in. It took the girl relying on her Geass to find the upper body strength to hold on through it all. When they were finally down, Megami, sat the girl down and retrieved the collapsing wheelchair. She'd have carried Chiharu in, but she lacked the physical strength for it.

Through everything, despite the tumult of emotions inside her, Megami never once let any of it slip out. She didn't want Chiharu to know how hard coming here was for her. She didn't want to hear the girl tell her that it was okay, that they could go back. She'd be too tempted to listen. Even so, as soon as Megami was behind her, Chiharu spoke up.

"Are you sure you want this, Megami?" she asked, her voice heavy.

"Idiot," Megami replied after a very slight pause, knocking the girl slightly on the head. "seeing you restored to normal is worth anything I have to bear for it."

"if you say as much…" said Chiharu, perhaps seeing through Megami's mask entirely.

Megami didn't respond, she just wheeled the girl forward, across an old stone road that didn't go anywhere but to the castle. As she approached the massive gates, they opened. A figure emerged from the shadows.

"You shouldn't have come back here," it said as it approached. By appearances, Megami didn't know this woman, a teenage girl, but Megami could instantly tell that appearances were useless.

"Naida," she replied coolly, looking hard at the face that her former friend was currently using.

"She's been expecting you, you know? She knew you were coming back," Naida spoke in a low voice, shaking her head and looking distraught.

"Ha! Is she now? I guess it was only a foolish dream when I thought I had escaped the fate she had laid out for me," said Megami, closing her eyes and giving a soft laugh at her own expense.

Naida wasn't laughing. She looked at Chiharu. "I don't know the story here, but if it's at all a possible for both of you to accept it, I suggest you take this last final chance to turn around."

"We don't have to--" Chiharu started. Megami cut her off.

"I'll sell myself out to Hell once more. I owe you that much, Chiharu," said Megami, wheeling the girl through the doors. Naida followed along.

Everyone was silent as they trekked through the castle corridors, the echoing of every footstep heard in full. Each step made Megami feel more and more like she was going to be sick. She could hardly contain herself. She didn't like this place. She didn't like she what it represented in her memory. She didn't like the woman who called it home.

The three continued on endlessly it seemed. Naida led her through the familiar corridors. It was luck, or perhaps fate, that saw none of the stairwells needed to be taken, as would be impossible for Chiharu. The trip through the castle ended in an old chapel toward the very back. The woman stood in front of the altar, her arms crossed as if she had been waiting. She smiled as she approached. Naida departed wordlessly as she did.

"It'd been far too long, my dearest Ashlynn," she said as she extended a hand and let it roll across Megami's face. Megami took a quick step back in disgust.

"That's not my name!" Megami declared in a full, tense voice.

"Oh? Isn't it?" Deifilia Amarantha tilted her head and smiled hollowly. "Then what do I call you?"

"Megami Subarashii," the reply came quickly and proudly.

Deifilia bust into sudden hysterical laughter. It took her a full minute to compose myself. When she did, she was still laughing but she spoke, "Please excuse me. It's rude to laugh I suppose." She broke off to laugh hard some more. "It's not a language in which I am particularly well versed… but I at least know enough."

"You're point?" Megami said very pointedly.

"You think yourself a 'wonderful Goddess' now, do you, Ashlynn?" she asked, her words still punctuated with laughter.

"I'm more of a goddess than you'll ever be," Megami spat coldly, glaring hard at the one she loathed with all her heart.

"You've become crueler in our time apart," said Deifilia shaking her head. "Crueler and more beautiful."

"And you haven't changed at all," Megami replied, readily. "You're still the lowest existence on this planet I can name."

"Oho, you didn't say as much all those many years you eagerly shared my bed," Deifilia said with a giggle.

"Silence! I didn't come here to be reminded of that!" Megami cried, angrily.

"This girl, she means something to you?" asked Deifilia, looking over at Chiharu. "I suppose that much is obvious if she brought you here." She looked the girl up and down. "I must say I am jealous of her, Ashlynn. A fine beauty herself, but you are a true catch." Deifilia paused momentarily and gave a short giggle. "Tell me your name girl."

"Chiharu Ohgi," Chiharu said in a soft voice.

"A pretty name," said Deifilia. "I am Deifilia Amarantha."

"Yeah. So I've been told," Chiharu said.

"Heh. I think I like you," said Deifilia. "You want me to help restore your body?"

"I certainly wouldn't mind it," Chiharu replied with an uneven smirk.

Deifilia laughed. "You have impeccable taste, Ashlynn. She's adorable."

"What will this cost?" asked Megami, her eyes narrowing.

"Oh, always straight to the point," Deifilia said though a sigh. "I want the two of you to help me with something."

"The two of us?!" Megami demanded, surprised. "What do you mean?!"

"Oh? Were you going to hide her Geass from me?" Deifilia laughed boldly. "We have a Japanese soldier named Chiharu Ohgi on file as having a Geass. I don't think it's a particularly common name either."

"Chiharu can't help with anything as she is," said Megami.

"I realize this. That's why I'll heal her first," said Deifilia, nodding.

"Is that smart? What's to stop us from just running away?" Megami questioned.

"Please, Ashlynn, you should realize the simplest of facts," Deifilia shook her head at the woman. "You can hide from us. She can't. If you don't comply, we will find her."

"You bitch!" Megami spat hatefully.

"What is it we'll be doing for you?" asked Chiharu, looking up at the woman.

"A kidnapping," said Deifilia, closing her eyes.

"Who?" asked Megami.

"Does it matter? You'll be doing it regardless," said Deifilia.

"We're going to need to know who we're supposed to kidnap, if we're going to kidnap them," Megami said in a caustic voice.

"Of course, dear Ashlynn. But we can save those little details for later. Right now, all I want is you word," said Deifilia.

"If you can't tell us 'who' then at least tell us 'where', that way we know how difficult this mission is," said Chiharu smartly, nodding.

"As you wish, Chiharu," said Deifilia, smiling fondly as she said the name. "You'll be infiltrating the Britannian Imperial Castle."

"Isn't that a little much to be asking…?" Megami said curtly, snarling.

"Not for the two of you. Nope. I have full confidence you can do this," said Deifilia, nodding.

"He's already seen us succeed then..." Megami said, looking at her feet.

Deifilia closed her eyes and smiled. She then spoke. "So then, shall we start?"

"I'm ready for this," said Chiharu, tensing up.

"Right, then we'll start. This will take awhile and this will hurt," said Deifilia. "Blinking occasionally is fine, but if you break eye contact you will not like the pain you are awarded."

"Understood," said Chiharu. Deifilia kneeled down so she was on the same level as the girl in her wheel chair. Her hands went to Chiharu's shoulders as her face drew closer and closer.

Megami filled with bottomless rage as the infuriating woman then took Chiharu's lips, causing the girl's eyes to shoot open wide. Deifilia's eyes then flashed and the sign of the king appeared in them both, glowing vividly, taking up the near entirety of both eyes in a most unnatural looking way. Chiharu kept her gaze locked into these eyes. Chiharu gave a low, pained mewl.

It continued as such for well over five minutes. Chiharu squirmed and gave low groans as she kept peering into the glowing eyes of the other. Then Deifilia closed her eyes and they returned to normal; she stood. She gave a nod. Chiharu closed her own eyes and began to pant.

"Try standing now, my sweet Chiharu," said Deifilia, infuriating Megami.

"Uh… okay…" said Chiharu.

It was apparent immediately that success had been found. Chiharu moved her legs. She stood up. She stood as if nothing had ever been wrong in the first place. She looked down and up and shook her head, seemingly shocked that it had worked.

"How can Geass do something like this?" asked Chiharu in an exasperated voice.

"Geass is not a stable thing. It is continually evolving," said Deifilia. "My Geass has reached a level beyond which most geass users will ever reach. It's an ultimate, flawless power. My Geass is no longer the Power of the King, but instead the Power of a God."

"I still don't understand. Megami swore you could heal me, and I believed her, but she didn't tell me it would be like this…" said Chiharu.

"It works simply enough," said Deifilia, nodding. "When I first acquired power, I could look into someone's eyes and control their body, their limbs. It evolved, and my control became more complete; I could directly influence every nerve within the other. When it evolved for a second time, when I achieved this ultimate form, it became possible for me to do as I wish with every cell within the other with enough concentration. Rebuilding them, reordering them, destroying them. Nothing is out of the realm of possibility with enough time."

"That's…" Chiharu started. Megami closed her eyes. It had sounded like some sort of foreign sorcery to her the first time she had heard about it too. "But every Geass has a drawback to it, right? Surely yours is no exception."

"Kings have faults. Gods do not," said Deifilia. "Or well I suppose there is the issue that I need extensive amounts of time and perfect concentration to be successful… and that, as the Geass signals are sent through the nervous systems, areas with few nerve endings are very difficult to influence."

"Drawbacks and limitations aren't quite the same…" said Chiharu, shaking her head.

"Hehe, you're quite right, Chiharu," said Deifilia. "But the important part is that I've helped you. Now you're going to help me."

"Influencing the brain is all but instantaneous with your power, isn't it?" asked Chiharu, perceptively.

"Yes, right again, Chiharu," said Deifilia with a smile. "If you try to defy me, I will open my eyes and instantly destroy part of your brain. You may not die, but your mind will."

"Then there isn't any choice," said Chiharu. "I'm ready."

Deifilia smiled wickedly.

A/N: End chapter. Nice little chapter. Again, a consistent them, this time, meetings. Deifilia found herself in three of these meetings, as she introduced herself to Richter, Marcella and Chiharu over the course of the chapter. Ava just got to meet Eilith; lucky girl, she only gets to know the new Astrid and Ava, and doesn't have to deal with them as they were before. Margaret met Glen Esmay, who is really Amelia cross dressing; an unusual new plot line, but it will be fun. And then of course we had an actual meeting, what with Xuemei and friends. Katsue took a step forward as a young strategic mind, picking up on the fact that Nemesio doesn't necessarily want them eliminated. The other biggest thing of note is Deifilia's Geass. I wanted something that seemed absurdly powerful. The big threatening villain cant' be weak. I'm not confident its perfectly realistic, but if a Geass really id fully evolve twice, who's to say what ti would be like.

Anyway, poll is closed. Decisions have more or less been made.

One extra this week. I like it when I was doing two a week, but there's a bit more homework later in the semester, so I don't have quite as much time. At least I could get you something.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Glen Esmay

Castle Amarantha


	30. Turn 29: The Power of the King

A/N: Turn 29. This one should hopefully be nice. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: Belisario: "CrazyNinjaPenguin does not own Code Geass. Characters not from Code Geass, he does own."

Chiharu wore a crestfallen expression on her face as she looked up at the towering wall of the massive castle at the heart of Vortigern. Using _Onryou _and Megami's Geass, it had been easy to get close, past the high outer wall. Her heart felt heavy as she looked up at the castle and thought about the things she was supposed to do.

"This isn't what I promised," said Chiharu in a low voice.

"That promise you made? The one to your Geass giver?" Megami started in a quiet voice.

"Yeah…" said Chiharu. "I'm supposed to set this world right." She gave a low, quiet sigh. "Something tells me… that if we do this, we may be doing more damage to the world than Ava li Britannia ever could."

"That woman is just as bad as you suspect. It's best we do this and then get as far away as possible," said Megami.

"But what if this is the one action that changes the fate of everything?" asked Chiharu, closing her eyes.

"Fate…" Megami held the word a while. "But what choice do we have?"

Chiharu gave a low sigh. They had made a deal. That woman had done the impossible. She had healed what modern medicine couldn't dream of healing. Chiharu was spared a painful life of regret, bound to a wheelchair. This was the price she had to pay. That monster who passed herself off as a goddess had this task for her. There was nothing to do but complete it else Chiharu wouldn't be allowed to live at all.

"None whatsoever," said Chiharu, her voice soft and quiet.

"I'm sorry, Chiharu. I didn't know you'd have to have this one your conscience too," said Megami in a low tone. "I wouldn't have taken you to her if I knew."

"It's not your fault. You intended to bear a burden of this sort… all for my sake," said Chiharu. "It actually makes me feel a little better knowing I'm not leaving it all on you."

"You're strong Chiharu," said Megami.

"Come on, let's get this over with," said Chiharu, nodding softly.

"Right…" said Megami with a soft smirk. "You think you can scale this wall?"

Chiharu looked the castle up and down. The wall was impossible to scale for a normal person. Chiharu wasn't normal though. She spied the various outcroppings in the stone and calculated her route.

"Get a good grip and don't let go," Chiharu instructed, nodding readily. Megami complied and embraced her tightly from behind. It was hard not to notice her fairly large chest pushing hard into her back as she held her tightly across the waist.

"I'm ready," said Megami in a slightly teasing tone, as if she was enjoyed the position. She giggled and held on tight. Chiharu activated her Geass.

Very slowly, with Megami holding on, she moved up the wall, her inhuman strength showing her up it, bit by bit. It took a full six minutes to scale the wall to the third floor window they were using for entry. When there, she broke just one of the glass panes at the base, a single finger enough to penetrate the thin glass, and stuck a hand in to unlock it so she could open it. Four more minutes were spent on just this. Just Five minutes was usually enough to cause Chiharu to faint afterward, but she had steadily been building more resistance to her Geass. Still, after eleven minutes, she was surprised to find that, once inside the castle, Geass deactivated, she did not pass out then and there. The pain was intense to the point of being blinding though.

Chiharu was breathing heavy as she looked around the unoccupied bedroom at the back of the castle. Megami let go of her and stepped forward.

"You okay, kid?" she asked, smiling.

"I think so…" said Chiharu, after a hard pant. "So, where is this person?"

"She uses the room right next to this one," said Megami. "No mistaking it. One special night I mapped out the near entirety of this castle."

"What made the night so special?" asked Chiharu, closing her eyes and wondering if she really wanted to know.

"Well, among other things, it was my first time meeting our current target," said Megami with a low laugh.

"I see," said Chiharu, deciding not to ask more. "Let's do this."

"Right," said Megami, she moved quickly to the door.

She listened at the door a while and after almost two minutes, she opened it very slowly and stepped out, beckoning Chiharu to follow. Chiharu did just that. They emerged in an empty corridor, the sounds of footsteps fading in the distance could be heard around the corner. Megami moved quickly to the neighboring room and opened the door quietly. Chiharu again followed just behind her.

"My, what's this? You've come back and you've brought a friend," an amused voice said with a light giggle. Chiharu looked into the room. Sitting atop the bed, wearing nothing but an almost see-through low-cut white dress was a woman who rivaled the intense beauty of Deifilia Amarantha. Chiharu realized immediately that this was her target. This was the one called D.D.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not here for games this time," said Megami, her voice low.

"Oh, what then? Don't tell me you came to just chat," the woman, heavy-chested and blonde, said with a teasing smile.

"I wish it were so simple," said Megami, closing her eyes.

"I hear things, you know," said D.D.. "I know you left her, our cute little Empress, that is. It's a little strange to see you back here again."

"There is something I needed to retrieve," said Megami solemnly.

"Oh, and why'd the pretty girl come along, just to keep you company?" D.D. laughed and gave a devious smirk.

"The thing I'm here for is a little hard for just one person to move," said Megami with a small nod and her own smirk.

"Oh, it's that hard to handle?" D.D. giggled. "It must be something rather amazing…"

"You could say that," said Megami encroaching upon the woman steadily.

The beautiful woman sighed loudly. "Very well, I won't resist," she said in a soft voice. "Just make sure you treat me gentle."

"Chiharu, restrain her," commanded Megami. Chiharu nodded and moved toward the woman, prepared to hold her back with force.

"No, that's not needed," said D.D. shaking her head. "I said I wouldn't resist. Let's just go if we're going."

"You're surprisingly cooperative," said Chiharu, tilting her head and giving a short laugh. "Aren't you curious where you're being taken?"

"No. It doesn't really matter," D.D. replied. "There are fun toys here, but there are at least two equally fun looking toys where we're going."

"This woman is certainly strange," said Chiharu shaking her head.

"Let's take her back," said Megami quietly.

"Yes," said Chiharu giving a solemn nod. She moved quickly to the room's window.

"Climb onto her back and hold on as tight as you can," said Megami as she unlocked the window quickly and pushed it open.

"Oh? Interesting," the woman gave a soft laugh. "Just what are we going to do?" she asked smilingly as she complied, holding tightly onto the woman.

"You'll see," said Chiharu. She could feel it. Megami had been one thing, but this woman's chest pressing into her back was something else. It felt very heavy and soft as it pushed hard against her while the woman held her just as tightly as Megami did. A low purr told her she enjoyed it just as much as that woman had.

With that, Chiharu approached the large window. Activating her Geass, she went through it backwards and climbed a ways down. Then Chiharu just leapt the remaining many feet down. Her incredible strength saw her make a perfect landing on her feet. Chiharu deactivated her geass and stumbled forward.

"Oho? Just like your girlfriend, you have a Geass too, girl?" D.D. laughed. "How cute."

"Shut up," Chiharu muttered in a weak voice. She felt drowsy. She was at her limits. Taking both Megami and D.D. from that height would have been too much for her, even with her Geass. Megami was going to escape on her own using her Geass. Such a thing would be easy; she could move quickly out of sight and escape through one of the ground floor windows. It would just take a few minutes.

Thats all Chiharu had. As soon as she could hear the sounds of someone rushing toward her, she fell forward to the ground.

"It's kind of strange to ask you this, but could you help me move her?" asked Megami's voice quietly.

"I don't see why not," D.D.'s easy voice spoke. Chiharu's world went momentarily black after that.

---

VIlletta moved down the halls of the Japanese military base with a distinct heaviness in her heart. Things felt so broken now. Nothing was right. In less than a year her entire world had been turned on its head. Now all that held her was pain, misery and incessant sadness. It was stupefying. It made it hard to wake up in the morning.

Her adopted and her original homelands were now long embroiled in war, a war the former was now losing badly. Her younger daughter Kiyoko was a civilian causality in this war, dead at just 14 years of age. Her older daughter had fought admirably as a soldier only to, in the most recent fight, suffer a gunshot to the spine that would leave her permanently paralyzed from the waist down. To top it all off, now that paralyzed girl had disappeared entirely from her hospital bed.

Walking down the corridor, Villetta spied a familiar woman. It was a Japanese General; no, there were two generals standing in proximity, both women. Villetta approached quickly, eager to get an update.

"Ah, Villetta," Nagisa Tohdoh started with a low nod. Kallen Kozuki gave a subtle smile.

"Is any more on the situation known?" asked Villetta, narrowing her eyes.

"We certainly have a suspect," sighed Nagisa. "She'll be near impossible for us locate though."

"But my daughter won't. Not in her condition, anyway," said Villetta solemnly.

"Even still, to locate one person who could be anywhere in this world during a war like this… it's not an easy task," Kallen spoke, her head hung low.

"I understand," said VIlletta. "Could you tell me about this suspect?"

"She's a mercenary who once served Japan but defected to Britannia's side after being captured. She went by the ridiculous pseudonym 'Megami Subarasii'. Her name and origins are unknown," said Kallen in a strict voice.

"So she's an enemy combatant then?" asked Villetta, narrowing her eyes.

"We're operating under that assumption," said Nagisa solemnly.

"What use could Britannia possibly have for a girl who can't move her legs, even if she does have that ability…" said Villetta deliberately.

"We don't know," said Kallen. "We can't find any explanation and we hardly know where to start looking."

"B-but--" Villetta started, not liking to hear such a thing.

"I understand how you must feel. After all those ups and downs, unsure whether she was alive or dead, Yasuko was officially proclaimed lost. I'm almost tempted to tell Hiromi to stop fighting, the thought of losing her too terrifies me so much. But I know that girl wouldn't hear of it," said Nagisa, her voice very low and somber. Villetta nodded in respect of the woman.

"Unlike the two of you I haven't had the misfortune of losing one in this war yet, but as a mother of two girls caught up in this war, facing constant danger, I understand how terrible this must be for you," said Kallen. "If either of my girls disappeared like this, I don't know how I'd be able to contain myself."

"I'm grateful for your sympathies," said Villetta closing her eyes. "I understand how hopeless this situation is, but please, do all you can. That girl is all we have left."

"I promise we will," said Kallen rigidly. "We'll return that girl to you safely, I'm sure we will."

"I do have to ask, Nagisa," Villetta started suddenly. "What has Hiromi said on the matter?"

"We were forced to put her in holding this morning. She was going to take out _Jinketsu, _pledging she'd bring Chiharu back right way and kill the mercenary at first sight," said Nagisa. "She was horribly emotional."

"She's always been a good friend to my daughter," said VIlletta. "Her and Yasuko both. For that I will always be thankful."

"Yeah," Nagisa gave a light smirk. "Your daughter's a light for a lot of the force, not just my Hiromi. It's certainly a blow to many of them have this happen, especially now when morale is anything but high."

"Things will turn around for us all in times. Nothing's any bleaker than it was for Japan twenty years ago," said Kallen, closing her eyes.

"Real or fake, we don't have a Zero anymore. I'm not sure if only one cut from that stock might be able to reverse fortunes so completely," said VIlletta, her lips forming a slight smirk.

"The men named Lelouch vi Britannia and Suzaku Kururugi are both dead, leaving no one behind to succeed them. We have no one like that to rely on," said Nagisa sternly.

"True enough," said Kallen. "But what Zero represented to this country still exists in our hearts. I'm sure we'll find a way, even without him."

"We can only hope," said Villetta with a low sigh. Hope was all she had left.

---

Astrid had a smile on her face as she woke up. Ava was snuggling to her warmly in her sleep, her arm lying across Astrid's waist, her face against Astrid's naked chest. She was so cute. Astrid's free hand went to stroke Ava's face softly. Her eyes opened slowly and she looked up. Astrid bent down and put a tender kiss on her lips.

"Mmm… Good morning, Astrid," Ava giggled cutely and blushed.

"Good morning, Ava," Astrid replied, punctuating the words with a second quick kiss.

Ava laughed again and then sat up. Astrid sat up after her.

"Well, I guess today is another busy day," said Ava with a short yawn. "Let's get started."

"Alright," said Astrid, standing.

The two dressed themselves slowly, trading giggles and smiles but few words as they did. When they were done, Astrid followed Ava out of the room. They proceeded steadily through the corridors, past the guards and servants, to the throne room. Ava sat down quickly upon the throne room. They received their first audience almost immediately.

"Empress, an incident has occurred," said Niles Moore, appearing suddenly before them.

"Lord Moore?" Ava started, surprised.

"There's evidence of someone breaking into the castle last night," said Moore sternly.

"What was that?!" Ava exclaimed, standing up. "A break in?! Please explain the situation, sir."

"Of course, your Majesty," Moore gave a staunch nod. "I awoke last night to strange sounds outside my room. Investigating them, we found signs of entry. Two windows were left open, one on the third floor, one on the first. A second window on the third floor had a single pane broken in."

"For something so serious, I wasn't awakened?" Ava started in irritation.

"The entire castle was searched thoroughly. Lady Blackwell and I came to the decision afterward that you were in no serious danger and waking you wasn't neccesary," said Moore, closing his eyes.

"Fair enough," said Ava, obviously not completely satisfied. "But if their goal was not to take my life, surely something was taken?"

"One of the rooms with the window open was occupied before, yet now it is empty, it's occupant nowhere to be fun," said Moore nodding.

"Who's room is it?" Ava asked sharply.

"The Witch," said Moore with a solemn expression. Ava's fist tightened.

"No!" she shouted. "That's… that's the one most valuable thing in this castle…" she said, obviously horrified, her face pale. "Having that woman is enough to turn the entire war in their direction."

"Is she really that valuable, Ava?" asked Astrid. "You didn't seem to rely on her too much."

"I didn't want to give power to people I don't trust, Astrid, nor did I want to burden the ones I love with it," said Ava. "Not everyone has such reservations."

"Yeah…" said Astrid in a low voice. "But how is it possible? The castle is fenced in by a high wall, with a heavy gate in front. More importantly, the window that was broken, meaning used for entry, was on the third floor. No normal person could scale one of the castle walls."

"Now that I think about it… it certainly does seem impossible. Breaking into the castle is not supposed to be possible," Ava started, her eyes narrowing.

"Marks were found in the grass between the back outer wall and the castle resembling those left by a Knightmare's landspinners," Moore informed quietly.

"But Lord Moore, that's impossible!" Ava started, looking a little shaky. "The skies over Vortigern are monitored constantly by the military base. You can't expect me to accept that a knightmare frame would go completely unnoticed all the way up to the castle itself, even breaching the outer wall."

"I can't believe it either, Your Majesty," said Moore in a quiet voice. "Even so, there's no mistaking that we found fresh landspinner tracks."

"But what of the other problem? No normal man has the strength to climb up one of those walls three stories, only quietly breaking one window," said Astrid, shaking her head. It seemed impossible. "A knightmare frame wouldn't help with that."

"It is peculiar, Astrid," said Ava quietly. "It wouldn't be impossible for someone of sufficient strength and skill. Jeremiah Gottwald is still locked away, and we can count few in the enemy's ranks who have similar strength, but evidence suggest the Absolution leader who eluded capture is very physically capable in her own right."

"That's right," said Astrid, "But there are obviously two intruders." She came to a pause. "And one of them passed by the eyes of two floors of guard before escaping."

"Someone has betrayed me?" Ava started, unsure. "Did the guards mention anyone walking around last night, Lord Moore?"

"No. I questioned them all," said Moore. "No one had seen anyone in the corridors around that time, though a few heard strange noises."

"It couldn't be-!" Ava's eyes widened as an idea hit her, her face becoming more pale.

"What is it, Ava? Did you think of something?" asked Astrid, tilting her head.

"I can't explain how she could enter through the third story window, but that woman could certainly fly a knightmare this close and evade the eyes of every guard she crossed," said Ava, looking sick.

"Who is that, Ava?" asked Astrid.

"Megami Subarashii," said Ava solemnly. Astrid closed her eyes. This was someone important to both Ava and Chiharu, even if Astrid had never spoken to her. Because of that, she hoped Ava was wrong. Everything told her otherwise.

"What should we do about the situation, Your Majesty?" asked Moore,

"There's nothing we can do if it's her. We'll never find what we can't see," said Ava. "We must hurry. It's best we stamp out the remaining enemy force as soon as possible, before that woman can make a difference."

"Understood, Your Majesty," the man replied simply.

---

Cesia Moreva gave a low sigh as she sat in a chair in the courtyard at the EU Presidential Palace. Her fellow Champions took the other chairs about the table. Mayer and Valentin looked equally annoyed by the summons. Valeria, as per usual, looked to be in her own world as she stared up at the clouds and stroked her favorite handgun. Cesia herself had a book in hand and was reading to pass the time.

"So, I wonder what our friend the President has called us for today," Valentin spoke in a snide voice. "To offer more undue aide to the Britannian cause?"

"It's not something we can assume, Valentin," Cesia spoke. "There's no predicting that man. His orders are frustratingly erratic."

"And yet still you're enamored with him, dear Cesia," Valentin gave a maligned laughed.

"Just what are you insinuating," Cesia stammered, a slight blush on her face as she reached for her gun.

"Oh? Easy, no need for violence, Cesia. I'll let you keep denying it, if that's what you prefer," Valentin gave a mocking snicker. Cesia clinched her fist for a moment and glared hard before relaxing in her chair.

"You're a real bastard, Valentin," she commented dryly, clear she was done with him.

"Am I now?" Valentin laughed to himself.

Cesia didn't respond. After a few moments, it was Mayer who broke the silence. "I don't like where the EU is going under than man. We've prospered under him, but I wonder what it's all for. Something about him just strikes me as off."

"You think too much, Elischa. We're simple soldiers, not philosophers or politicians of any sort. We fight and we kill. It's as simple as that," said Valentin with a smug expression.

"I'm not like you, Valentin. I don't lack a conscience. I accepted my position as a Champion, as it has always been the highest honor one could receive in our military, but I cannot approve of any of this," said Mayer harshly.

"You mean Britannia, don't you?" started Valentin. "You'd rather being flying for the other side, wouldn't you?"

"Peace isn't something to be tossed aside, no matter how false the pretext. A girl who fails to see this should never be our ally," said Mayer sternly. "And Britannia has been nothing but our enemy since our nations banded together to form the EU. Why are we allies now?"

"Because its convenient. What's wrong with that? The past is the past. The world is as it is now, so why don't we see ourselves on the more favorable side? It's only logical," Valentin said with a deep smirk.

"I don't think like you, Valentin," said Mayer.

"No one does," Cesia inserted darkly. "I don't like this either."

"It must be hardest for you, Miss Moreva, what with your history," said Mayer in a low voice.

"Five years as chief combat instructor for The Black Knights prior to this appointment. I suppose I do know all their young pilots personally," said Cesia sternly, closing her eyes.

"So what do you think of things, Valeria?" Valentin started, taking a jab at Cesia and her pain by ignoring it entirely.

"Huh, w-what?" the girl started with her head tilted, still petting the shiny gun.

"What do you think of the war and what it has us do?" asked Valentin, smiling friendlily.

The girl's head bobbed from side to side for a while before she said anything. "It was sad killing her…" was all she said, in a somber voice.

"Yes," said Cesia with a rigid nod. "Even Valeria is not immune to the cruelty that is killing people for this war."

"What?" Valeria started softly. "But _Brunnhilde _wasn't a person…"

Valentin gave a hard laugh. "No, apparently she is."

Cesia shook her head and sighed. Valeria Giullare was pretty much a lost cause. She had serious problems, problems that Cesia couldn't resolve. She gave a second sigh and looked back down at her book. The other three were silent and time passed. It was probably just about three minutes until one of the doors to the courtyard opened and a familiar figure walked out. It was Belisario, dressed in an immaculate designer suit, looking as dashing as ever.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, my champions," said Belisario, approaching. "It's a busy life I lead, as I'm sure you understand."

"Of course, sir," said Cesia nodding rigidly.

"What is our mission now, Mr. President?" asked Mayer directly, solemnly.

"You'll be pleased to know that there is no special mission for you this time, Elischa," said Belisario with low laugh.

"Then shouldn't we be out there, leading forces against the Federation?" Mayer asked, dissatisfied.

"It's not a formal mission, but I am taking the four of you somewhere special," said Belisario.

"Aren't we a little old for a field trip, Nemesio?" Valentin asked with a smug look on his face.

Belisario gave another quiet laugh. "I suppose so," he said. "But even so, there is someone I want the four of you to meet. Someone critical to the EU's future goals in this world."

"I'm certainly intrigued, sir," Cesia said with a ready nod, not smiling too much.

"I'm glad, Cesia," said Belisario, smiling coolly. "We'll depart immediately. My private jet is waiting for us out back."

Valeria's eyes lit up as she heard this and she stood and began to walk away, clearly wanting to get to the jet as quick as possible. Cesia gave another low sigh. What a hopeless girl.

"Valeria has the right idea," said Belisario. "We needn't waste time here."

"Yes, sir," Cesia said immediately, standing up rigidly.

"This better be impressive where you're taking us," Valentin said in a small huff as he stood.

Mayer didn't say anything. The four of them followed after Valeria.

---

D.D. had an amused look on her face as the knightmare she was riding in landed in front of an old castle. The woman in the pilot's seat, Megami, started shaking the girl at the other side of the cramped cockpit.

"Hey, Chiharu, wake up," she called while rousing the girl.

"Uh…" the girl moaned. "Megami?" She slowly sat up, looking strained.

"You okay?" asked Megami, her hands going to the girl's shoulders and giving them a squeeze.

"Ah, yeah…" said Chiharu with a low sigh. "Just a bit of pain. Nothing I'm not used to."

"Cool," said Megami. "But we're here now."

"Oh yeah," the silver-haired girl said, looking at D.D.. "We have to go see her…"

"Come, let's get it over with…" Megami sighed and opened the hatch. All three women descended as quick as possible onto an old stone path.

"This is certainly picturesque," started D.D. with an amused laugh. "Who are we meeting, one of those vampires?"

"Ha. More an evil witch who passes herself off as a goddess," said Chiharu wryly.

"Sounds almost like someone I know," said D.D. with a short laugh. "Except I wouldn't call her evil and she's never really called herself a full goddess either."

"You're talking about yourself, aren't you?" Megami said shaking her head.

"Is it that obvious?" D.D. said with a laugh and smile.

No response was made. The large gates began to open. A figure stepped forward. It was a man in priest robes with black hair and glasses. Megami seemed to recognize him.

"Lazarus Cain…" she spoke with clear disdain. "I haven't seen you since that day…."

"Ashlynn Alvara," the man spoke an unfamiliar name as he recognized the woman. "Our Holy Liege may have forgiven your betrayal, but I haven't and neither has God. You will pay for your sins in time."

"A friendly greeting," Megami laughed. "But I can't say I particularly care for dogs like you anyway." With that she began to walk, not waiting for the priest to say anything. Chiharu followed. D.D. smiled at the man and walked forward at a more leisurely pace.

"I once knew a priest well," she spoke in a low voice. "He found a fair amount of influence in the church, eliminated his enemies and was able to inspire lasting true fear in the hearts of the masses before he was eventually hanged by a perhaps too cautious king."

"Such men may call themselves priests, but in truth they are just sinful animals. Only one who is bound to completing God's will can truly hear His words," said the priest in a low voice of scorn.

"Sinners and saints, they're all just men to me. Men die, it's as simple as that. Men die and only I remain though the ages," said D.D. coldly, nodding.

"You bear God's highest gift then? You can imbue men with His power?" Lazarus asked, his eyes widening.

"I was born with a Code on my body. If you want to call it something more, you're welcome to, but it's really just a that simple" said D.D. forwardly.

"Then I would suppose your judgement of sins is skewed. To one who will never see Heaven or Hell, the lives of us God-fearing men must seem fleeting," said Lazarus with an even expression.

"More like poor jokes," said D.D. apathetically, not losing a step. "I've seen every fault of the human race exploited over the course of the past one thousand years. I can't say I've found many of them all that impressive."

"I see…" said Lazarus slowly, unsure how to respond. "What an interesting woman to whom God has chosen to grant His gift."

D.D. took pity on him and remained quiet the rest of the walk. It was a long walk, but it was over soon enough. The group passed through a large door into an open chapel at the back of the castle. At the center of the room, in front of the altar stood a woman. D.D. studied her closely.

D.D. had seen a lot of women in her life. The fact that she never cared to get to know a one of them intimately until she met Ava li Britannia, spoke to the fact that she had difficult to please tastes when it came to them. But this woman, simply put, was stunning. There was no way around that. She just seemed to exude an intense feminine sexuality that looked like it might be intoxicating. As she had heard men say similar things about herself, her mind became a little tangled.

"Ah, good work, Ashlynn. Chiharu," said the beauty in a soft voice, moving toward Megami and Chiharu, a pleasant smile on her face, and giving either a nod.

"We did what we said we would," said Megami in a serious tone. "We're free to go now, right?"

The woman laughed. "Come now, Ashlynn, how long have you known me? Do you honestly think I'd set you free in the world with just that?"

"You bitch! I thought we had a deal!" Megami's anger flared up as she faced the woman down. The woman remained unflustered. She smiled in the face of rage.

"Oh Ashlynn, you shouldn't have ever thought things were so simple. Thirteen years ago you pledged your life to me after I freed you from the troubles with your Geass. You may have escaped from me for a time, but that heartfelt promise you gave me back then is not forgotten in my heart," said the beautiful woman, shaking her head and smiling.

Megami was seething mad. Her fists were clenched. She was also scared. Her skin was pale. She looked at the woman and then at Chiharu. "Fine! I'll stay here, but only if you let Chiharu go!"

Chiharu looked distressed at this. The woman just laughed. She shook her head. "Please, Ashlynn. I saved this girl from a life of limitations and misery. For that doesn't she owe me that life just as you did when I fixed what was wrong you?" She gave a very low, amused laugh. "You seem to have been under the impression that this was a one-off deal when in fact it was your first mission as my new agents."

"You tricked us!" Megami started, clearly distressed.

"You let yourself be tricked, Ashlynn. It's that simple," the beautiful woman shook her head again. "You expected too much from me for free."

"You--!" Megami started. Chiharu took a step toward her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"We can't fight this now," she said softly, trying to ease the other.

"C-Chiharu… I'm sorry…" said Megami in a very low voice. Chiharu looked at the woman, with understanding in her eyes.

"But anyway, it's rude to go this long without introducing myself to what I hope will be a very close friend," said the gorgeous blonde taking a step past the two and toward D.D. "I am called Deifilia Amarantha. I've wanted to meet you for some time now, D.D."

"Oh? Well, let's hope I'm everything you've hoped for though that time," D.D. said with a smile and quiet laugh.

Deifilia laughed. "You already exceed my expectations. It's rare that a woman's beauty actually matches what the historical records indicate."

"How flattering," said D.D., tilting her head. "Whatever history says of your beauty will hardly do you credit yourself."

"Why thank you," said Deifilia with a laugh. "Such kind words, however, don't match your descriptions at all."

"What can I say, I'm not easily impressed…" said D.D. "But such beauty is a rare thing."

D.D. stared at the woman again, looking her up and down. It really was a perfect sort of beauty. Her hair was a blonde, though it was a lighter blonde than D.D.'s; it was a soft, pleasant color. Her hair wasn't near as long, but it was very straight and lustrous. Also like D.D., the woman had a figure exceeding even the most exceptional of women. Though her bust was not quite at D.D.'s level, it would be envy inspiring to most; and some of her curves might have even had the witch beat. Her skin had a deep, golden tan, but was very smooth and soft in appearance. Her facial features were nothing short of glamorous, punctuated by captivating soft green eyes.

"My, it seems I have an admirer," Deifilia laughed. "Does my body interest you, witch?"

"Are you offering it?" D.D. gave a sensual laugh.

"All of it you could possibly want, if you stay in this castle with me and do as I say," said Deifilia firmly.

"Oho, you're certainly bold. Even as pretty as you are, that's asking a lot of me," said D.D. with a short shrug.

"I have other pretty toys I like to play with. I'll share them with you," said Deifilia with a devious smile.

"And that includes these two and that priest?" D. with a grin.

"And several more more than adequate specimens," said Deifilia closing her eyes.

"Excellent. After a master who never let me touch her, this new arrangement certainly sounds fun," said D.D. deeply amused and excited.

"Wonderful. Then let's get started," said Deifilia. "Signa." A deathly pale girl of a pure sort of beauty emerged from a dark, shadowed corner of the room, her entire presence in the room clearly unknown to everyone but Deifilia.

"Yes, Master," she started in a hollow voice.

"Retrieve Bernard, Lyall and Marcella for me," said Deifilia with a wave of her hand.

"Understood," said the pale white girl addressed as Signa before departing at once.

"Is that one of the pretty toys you mentioned?" D.D. asked with a devious smirk.

"Why yes," said Deifilia with a laugh. "That one's fun. She'll only show you hints of any emotion when you bring her to a powerful orgasm." D.D. smiled at this and licked her lips.

"Fine, we'll stay for now, but we can leave you for now," Megami spoke up again, obviously not wanting to be present for the current conversation any longer.

"Oh? Is our little talk bringing back memories, Ashlynn?" Deifilia teased, smiling.

"Not exactly," the woman replied, unamused. "I'd just rather not look at you right now."

"Fine, fine, you and my sweet Chiharu can be excused," said Deifilia with a high laugh. "Just wait for Signa to return and I'll have her show the two of you to the room I have prepared."

Megami didn't look satisfied by this, But Chiharu gave a short nod and that seemed to calm her a bit. As it was, it wasn't a very long wait anyway. The powder white girl reappeared readily, followed closely by three others. There was a large, muscular man with mid-dark skin and serious eyes, a sort of wild looking smaller man with a handsome face and intense eyes, and a young girl with smallish figure, a mechanical white hand, and a strange black visor hiding her eyes entirely. D.D.'s eyes stayed with this last one. This surprised her. Though she had become rather into girls as of late, she didn't think she preferred them by any stretch. Still, this girl held her attentions for some reason. It was strange. It was almost like D.D. knew her from somewhere.

"I'd like to introduce you, D.D., to some friends of mine," Deifilia spoke to D.D., offering her a pleasant smile. "Bernard Farris, Lyall Gavin and Marcella Belita." She nodded to each of the three in turn as they stared at D.D., the smaller man with clear lust in his eyes.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," D.D. said in a soft, sensuous voice as she gave a playful pose, clearly enjoying herself.

"I want you to form a contract with each of these three," said Deifilia in a stern way.

"Do I get to sleep with them if I do?" asked D.D. with a sexy laugh. Lyall's eyes shot wide open.

"Of course," said Deifilia simply, giving a ready nod.

"H-Hell yeah!" Lyall exclaimed, looking very satisfied. D.D. took a step toward him.

"You have lots of great energy, Mr. Gavin. Men like you can go a long way in bed," she cooed as she came face to face with him. He tensed up. Even as D.D. granted him an all too brief kiss, creating a Geass contract as she did, he seemed nothing but nervously excited.

"Oh? Is that how you do it? My Geass giver never granted me a nice kiss like that…" said Deifilia shaking her head.

"This is crazy! You two are actually just handing out Geass like this?!" Megami exclaimed, outraged.

"It's rather clear that there is some discrepancy in how quick Code bearers are to give out their power," Chiharu said, sounding just as disgusted.

"That's right, you two wanted to go, didn't you?" Deifilia cocked her head. "Signa's returned, so she can escort you."

"That's unless you want to stay. I can't give the two of you what you already have, but I do have kisses to spare," said D.D. with a high laugh. Her eyes then went up to the face of Bernard Farris She smiled. "Speaking of which, I think it's about time to form another contract."

"I insist on knowing the terms of any contract I'm being forced to sign," the strong young man said forwardly.

"I give you a power beyond your imagination in exchange for your occasional company in bed," said D.D. with a sexy smile, encroaching on the man and sticking her chest out sexily. "It's a win-win situation, unless my body repulses you."

It clearly didn't, it was hard to tell in Bernard's with serious eyes, but they would occasionally wander over her frame, Men were easy to trap, no matter how strong they pretended to be.

"Even so, I don't trust what use this power will be put to," the man spoke harshly.

"Just live with it," said D.D.. "It doesn't take a genius to see your life isn't yours anymore." With that, D.D. reached up her arms going across the man's neck as she found his lips, her power of Geass passing through them and into him.

"Oho, just one more left," said Deifilia with a smile. "But I'm sure you want to be able to look into Marcella's lovely eyes as you taste her sweet lips." She said as she walked toward the strangely familiar girl. "Let me remove this thing for you."

"By all means," D.D. giggled excitedly as Deifilia's hands found the girl's ears.

"B-but Miss Deifilia--" the girl spoke up. Even her voice was eerily familiar; D.D. wasn't the only one who thought so either. Chiharu's face went slightly pale and even Megami seemed strangely transfixed. "I only want you to kiss me."

"Oh, silly girl. Miss D.D. is someone I hope to be very good friends with. Playing with you would make her very happy and if she's happy, I'll be happy," said Deifilia, petting the girl on the head affectionately.

"Umm… okay…" Marcella said hesitantly, looking down. Deifilia gave a smile and a quick nod and then unplugged the peculiar visor, which seemed to attach into the girl's head somehow. Then slowly, the girl emerged out from behind Deifilia. There was no preparing anyone for the surprise.

"Y-Yasuko--?!" Chiharu started in a low, but building voice, the name caught in her throat, her face perfectly pale.

There really was no mistaking it. Marcella Belita was Yasuko Tohdoh, the cute Japanese girl who had kept contractee Hildegarde Waldstein in the throes of love for so long now, it was as simple as that. D.D. hardly knew what to say.

"Y-you bitch! What have you done to her?!" Megami shouted, confrontational, rushing toward Deifilia who brought her to a halt with a wave of a hand.

"You know Marcella? How sad," said Deifilia slowly. "After I saved her from the surest death she lost the entirety of her memory."

Chiharu would have none of this. She had remained cool through most of the meeting, but now she had finally snapped. Her geass was blaring in her eye and she looked ready to kill. "This girl is not named Mar--!"

"Signa!" Marcella called. The white haired girl, opened an eye wide and Chiharu suddenly collapsed to her knees in pain.

"Your Geass leaves you in constant pain," said Deifilia. "Because of that Signa can paralyze you so completely in just an instant."

"Please, don't hurt Chiharu," said Megami, a little shaky. It was obvious she knew what the white girl was capable of first hand.

"Marcella, are you happy with the life I've given you?" asked Deifilia.

"Yes, of course, Miss Deifilia," the girl responded cheerfully.

"Do you care to remember who you were before?" the woman next asked.

"No, not really," said Marcella, smiling.

"Do you recognize anyone in the room?" Deifilia presented a new question.

"No… I've never seen any of them," she replied.

"Do you know the name Yasuko?" she then asked.

Marcella thought a bit and then shrugged. "I don't think so."

"Then it's settled. You're wrong, Chiharu, Ashlynn, this is not your Yasuko but instead my Marcella. Don't try and upset and confuse her in her condition," said Deifilia readily. "In fact, I think it's best we wait no longer. Signa, please take those two to their room."

"Understood," said the blank, emotionless girl as she looked down at Chiharu. Megami helped her friend up. The two of them walked toward the door slowly, followed by Signa.

"You're even more disgusting than I ever would have imagined," said Megami with a snarl at Deifilia just as she was leaving.

Deifilia gave a brief laugh and pet Marcella lovingly on the head again. "Now then, you have no problems forming a contract with Marcella, right?"

"I'm actually quite eager," D.D. said with an amused laugh. Yasuko had always been cute. D.D. couldn't say she lacked all sympathy for poor Hildegarde, but honestly, she was never all that sympathetic in the first place. "You're so cute, Marcella." She cooed at the girl as she approached her and put a hand to her cheek, tilting her head upward. She placed a long kiss on the girl's soft lips, enjoying it as the contract was made. The girl was left blushing and swooning as the contact broke.

"Excellent," said Deifilia with a smile as she walked forward and quickly put Marcella's visor in place. "Philip!."

"You called, oh great scion?" a peculiar man popped up very suddenly from behind the door.

"Take these three to the Sage and have him help them find their Geass," Deifilia instructed with a nod.

"Right away!" the man started, forcing a strange stick high into the air. "Follow me!"

The three followed the man away reluctantly.

"Heh, we're alone now," said D.D. in a low, sensual voice.

"Yes, aren't we?" Deifilia laughed. "You said earlier you still had kisses to spare?"

"I'm really going to enjoy this," said D.D. with a purr as she approached the beautiful blonde.

"As am I," said Deifilia with a cute laugh. D.D. closed the rest of the distance. Her arms wrapped around the woman and then Deifilia's arms wrapped around her. Their lips met quickly after that. The kiss escalated quickly, becoming hard and passionate. Their tongue met and their embraces tightened. It felt electric. Neither wanted to end it, it was clear. But inevitably Deifilia pulled back just enough to speak in a low whisper.

"Join me in my bedroom," is what she said in a lustful moan. D.D. smiled. If this woman had replaced Ava li Britannia as her master, she was nothing but elated about it.

---

Rayner Wilde had a dead tired look on his face as he sat at a table in a large mansion, sipping at a glass of wine. He certainly preferred beer, but when you're a guest it's best to take what your offered.

"Hmm, so what do you think of this?" asked his host, his boss, Earl Lloyd Asplund, sitting on the other side of the table and pointing to a knightmare blueprint. Lloyd had invited him here for dinner so they could keep discussing work. After some incident in the castle, the Empress had ordered them to rush every project they had in the works. As a result, they had to work through almost everything, meals included.

Rayner analyzed the design for the yet unnamed machine carefully. It looked good, but good wasn't good enough in this case. "The Empress told us to make the best knightmare frame that's ever been built. This is a solid design, but it's not quite there."

"I realize as much," said Lloyd with a nod. "But it certainly is a difficult feat our Empress has given us, especially given the time limit. I'm at a loss as to how to make it better without making it too much for that girl to handle."

"Well, you've analyzed what we've recovered of your contemporaries work," said Rayner. "Maybe the key is in looking there?"

"Certainly, Rayner. The energy reactor we recovered from Cecile's _Brunnhilde, _theconductive mechanics of Rakshata's _Hiodoshi, _both are exceptional. But implementing them in conjunction with our Energy Mist system seems problematic for a single machine," said Lloyd, giving a low sigh.

"Not necessarily. With certain modifications, it might all work together flawlessly," said Rayner studying the design some more.

"You have an idea then, Rayner?" asked Lloyd, smiling.

"Yeah. Give me a night to tweak this design and I'm sure I'll have something that works flawlessly by the morning," said Rayner, sure of himself.

"Well, if you can do that it would certainly help," said Lloyd. "Then again, there's nothing wrong with sleeping every so often. I'm sure the Empress wouldn't mind."

"Eh, a little overtime never, bothered me," said Rayner with a shrug. "I'm still just glad to be working at this again."

"Then I'm confident we'll have it; a machine that will put the _Guren, _the _Lancelot _and everything else to shame," said Lloyd. "We can only hope that girl, Astrid Weinberg, puts it to good use."

"Heh, after the _Godhand, _I thought you didn't care what use they're put to," Rayner said with a short laugh.

"Hmm, perhaps not," said the earl, smiling. "I just like seeing my work be used at all."

"Speaking of _Godhand, _how are the repairs on the damaged machine's going?" asked Rayner, curious.

"Well enough," the other man replied. "Our construction teams have made great progress in the past week. _Godhand _and _Foresight _were repaired already. The rest are currently being handled. Why? You have any modifications you want implemented?"

"Well, making improvement could never hurt anything," said Rayner.

"Oh, I know," said Lloyd. "That's why I made small tweaks to the designs of the four most heavily damaged machines, _Kay, Renascence, Lamorak _and _Ywain._"

"Now I'm curious. I'll have to look at the new designs tomorrow," said Rayner, surprised, nodding at the man.

"Right, but I suppose, you should be getting home now," said Lloyd after a moment.

"I guess so. I'll try to work on the design," said Rayner, rolling up the blueprint into his hand.

"Don't force yourself," said Lloyd. He then looked over and let his eyes find the maid who had been standing dutifully at the other side of the hall. He called to her, "Sophia, please show Dr. Wilde to the door."

The maid approached readily and gave a nod. She was a very attractive, fairly young woman with long blonde hair who carried herself just like you'd think a maid would. "As you wish, sir," she said in a quiet voice. "This way, Dr. Wilde."

"Right," said Rayner as he followed the woman closely. When they had left the room he spoke to her. "Must be tough serving that guy."

"It hasn't been so bad thus far," the woman responded in a pleasant voice.

"So far? You're new to his staff?" asked Rayner.

"Correct. I've only been working at this job for a few days now," said the blonde woman with a nod.

"Strange," said Rayner with a shrug. "You give off this feel like you've been working as a maid for years."

"Not at all, I'm still young," said the maid with a smile. "But it's good to hear I come off as such a natural."

"It was Sophia, right?" Rayner asked, with his own smirk.

"Correct. Sophia Godwin," the maid said in a soft voice.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Sophia," Rayner said as they reached the door.

"Yes. Take care of yourself, Dr. Wilde," Sophia said as she opened that door and saw him out of it. He smiled back at her.

As Rayner walked outside into the night, pulled out lit a cigarette, he wondered if he shouldn't get his own maid. He supposed he could just come over to Asplund's place more often.

---

D.D. wore a satisfied smile as she stood by her dear master, Deifilia Amarantha in a large open meeting room. Roughly a day had passed. It was miles away the best day in probably at least 400 years, maybe more, maybe ever. Deifilia Amarantha knew how to please women better then most men could even dream of knowing. But it wasn't just her D.D. had enjoyed. Over the course of a long, sleepless day she had shared the bed of each of her new contracts, an adorable but aggressive little girl and the doll like Signa.

"So, D.D., do I have your loyalty?" asked Deifilia with a smile.

"Absolutely," said D.D. "You've kept me more entertained in one day than Ava li Britannia did in half a year."

"Good," said Deifilia. "So, more contracts won't be an issue?"

"Of course not," said D.D. "As many as you need. A contract is nothing to me. I'm a woman of simple wishes."

"Great. Well, it should be any moment now..." said Deifilia.

"Mistress--!" a voice started from the door just then, conveniently enough. It was the young girl who had kept D.D. busy early that morning, Lucrecia Harrison. "Guest have arrived! Philip's seeing them in."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it, Lucrecia," Deifilia said with a soft smile. "Thank you for informing me."

The girl blushed and giggled and then skipped back the door, tripping in the process, her skirt flipping up to show cute striped panties.

"Are you alright, dear Lucrecia?" asked Deifilia, concerned as the girl picked herself back up.

Lucrecia laughed uneasily and blushed even harder. "Y-yeah… I'm fine… Mistress."

"Be careful, dear," said Deifilia with an almost maternal smile.

"Umm… okay…" the girl said in a high voice before running out. You could hear the sound of her tripping to the floor again shortly afterward. That was followed quickly by a low roar of, "Don't look at me you dirty priest or I'll kill you!"

Both D.D. and Deifilia began to laugh at once. Lucrecia was cute. She was very submissive to her beloved Mistress, but she had been far less approachable in bed that morning, at least at first. But her cries and moans of pleasure in the end were most delicious.

The scene with Lucrecia took just about as much time as was needed for Philip to reach the meeting room from the front gates. He entered quietly followed by five figures and then left. The figure at the middle of the group went to a knee into a full bow at sight of Deifilia.

"What is this?!" demanded a very large man in his mid thirties. "Who is it that the President of the Universal Commission bows before?"

"It's good to see you again, Belisario, but please stand," said Deifilia, waving her hand up.

"As you wish, my Goddess," said Belisario, smiling.

"Honestly, Mr. President, who is this person?" asked a pretty boy with long hair and a cold look in his eyes.

"I, good sir, am Deifilia Amarantha," said the woman. "A woman of certain influence and power."

"You're the one pulling his strings I suppose," a woman with very light brown hair and glasses started, looking somewhere between angry and jealous. "You're the one manipulating everything."

"I confess, Miss Cesia Moreva," Deifilia started, shaking her head. "I've maintained a certain influence over your Euro Universe for some time." She flashed a brilliant smile. "And now the role of you four champions, the role of the EU as a whole, is set to shift to something new entirely."

"This is sickening! I demand an explanation, sir!" the large man called to the man in the middle, a handsome, distinguished man in his mid forties.

"It's simple, Elischa," said Belisario. "This woman has a fine vision for the world as it should be. I intend to help her in making it real."

"I want no part of this!" the man addressed as Elischa shouted back, indignant.

"I hate to say this, Mr. Mayer, but you're trapped," said Deifilia with a laugh. "If you leave or try and interfere, I can think of one-hundred different ways to kill you. Either serve our purpos, or die. It's your decision." Her smile widened. "The same goes for all of you."

"That you'd put any sort of faith in a woman so quick to resort to threats…" said Mayer in a low grumble, but he went quiet.

"Good," said Deifilia. "I will receive no complaints from the rest of you, will I?"

"I suppose not," said the effeminate man. "I don't particularly care who it is I fight for, even if I don't care for such secrets."

"I will comply if it is my only choice," said the woman named earlier as Cesia Moreva.

The fifth of the group, a cute woman, fairly young, with hazel brown hair and a distant expression that rivaled Signa Norrell, stayed silent, as if in a daze. Deifilia just smiled at her.

"Very well, D.D..I think you know what to do," she giggled.

"Ooh, fun," D.D. game a sharp laugh. "These aren't bad to look at, I trust I get to play with them too?"

"Hmm… well… it's harder for me to force these ones into bed with you," the other replied. "But perhaps you could convince them."

D.D. walked toward the group. She moved to the distant girl first and smiled at her. Their eyes met for a second and then she placed a brief kiss on her lips. The girl just stared ahead obliviously. This one was strange, but cute.

"W-what the hell?!" Cesia started, taken aback, backing up.

"Oh, you don't want a kiss too?" D.D. started playfully, stepping toward the woman.

"I'm not into other women," Cesia said, shaking her head, blushing. "I can comply with this craziness, but there are some things I can't do!"

D.D. stepped toward her rapidly, forcing her against a wall, pinned her hard with her arms and quickly shoved her tongue in the woman's mouth greedily, going into a long kiss. This woman needed to know better than trying to resist her charms. When the kiss broke, Cesia Moreva wasn't complaining. D.D. stepped toward the effeminate man readily.

"Heh, like Cesia there, you're really not what I go for typically…" the man started with a low laugh. "But what the hell; what's one kiss from a pretty girl." With that he walked toward D.D. and let her kiss him.

"What about you, sir?" D.D. started, turning to the large man, eagerly.

"A woman like you has no effect on me," said Mayer in clear disdain.

"Oh really?" D.D. laughed. She then threw herself upon him entirely, wrapping her arms over her neck, pressing her chest into him and giving a low, sensual moan as she brought her lips slowly upward. She smiled and placed the kiss quickly when she noticed him starting to tense up. As strong and morally upright as this man liked to say he was, he was still just a man.

"What of you, Belisario? Will you take the power into your body as well?" asked Deifilia then.

"Anything to serve you, my Goddess," he replied readily and moved toward the witch.

"Very well," said D.D. "Here you go, sir," she said before granting him a sweet kiss and a Geass.

"Five more contracts, five more powers that will help me realize my ambition," said Deifilia. "Ava li Britannia won't be able to do anything now."

"My Goddess," stated the man, Belisario. "What are your orders now?"

"Become accustomed to your new abilities. The Sage can help you. We're going to wait until young Ava or her enemies move first," said Deifilia with a nod.

"Understood," said Belisario with a nod.

Deifilia smiled.

---

Chiharu had a despondent expression on her face as she sat atop the single bed in the room which had been assigned her and Megami. She was troubled. She was distraught. She felt like she had made a mistake but at the same time she couldn't say she would have preferred to stay paralyzed. At the very least, nothing felt right.

Megami, sitting in the chair in which she had slept the previous night, looked at her, with regret in her eyes.

"I know what you're thinking, Megami," Chiharu started. "I don't blame you. I don't like what's happened, but you didn't know this would be the cost. I know, all you wanted was to help me."

"You might be a little too forgiving in this case, kid," Megami sighed loudly. "I really screwed up this one and for it, we aren't going to be the only ones who pay."

"How many Geass users do you think that woman will create for her?" asked Chiharu in a sigh.

"I don't know. In all the time I've known her, I never once heard a word of her purpose," said Megami. "I doubt she plans to stop with just those three though."

"Yasuko…" Chiharu said under her breath.

"I still can't believe it either…" said Megami, closing her eyes. "What are the chances?"

"What did she do to her?" Chiharu started. "It was like she really didn't recognize us… it wasn't right…"

"It's sickening. Whatever that woman did to her, it's something I will never be able to forgive," said Megami in a low voice.

"I'd say I'm glad to at least ay her alive… but if she's like that…" Chiharu started. "I can only imagine what Hiromi would say."

"Let's hope the people who love her best will be spared the pain of seeing her in this state," said Megami solemnly.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Chiharu, closing her eyes.

"I don't know," said Megami. "I don't think there's anything we can do."

"I don't like hearing that," said Chiharu.

"I'd tell you a happier lie, but I'm in no mood to think of one," said Megami quietly.

"I understand," said Chiharu. "Suddenly it seems like Ava li Britannia is no longer who my power is intended for."

"Stopping that woman will be no easy task, if that's what you're insinuating," said Megami, looking down.

"Yet, all we can do is try, right?" started Chiharu. "We can't just submit to her, right?"

"Of course," Megami said with a rigid nod. "Maybe, together, we can make the difference."

"For Yasuko's sake, I hope you're right," said Chiharu quietly.

A/N: End chapter. Things certainly have gotten rather screwed up now, haven't they? D.D. plus Deifilia is a dangerous combinations. Now we have eight new Geass users… (and i have to think of eight new Geass powers…). But, big developments like this are fun. D.D. is fun again, stepping into a more prominent role full of sexiness. Ava really should have tried harder to keep her voracious sexual appetite in check. Now she's going to pay for it. Anyway, not much else to say about the chapter.

This week's extra fits into this chapter directly. I would have made it part of the chapter, but it would have drastically taken from the flow of the chapter. It's nice and sexy, so check it out.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Sophia Godwin


	31. Turn 30: Truths Obscured

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Had exams this week, and well things have been hectic. Noticeable delay is the result, but at least it wasn't too bad. Anyway, turn 30. 30 chapters seems like a lot. I've been doing this a while, I suppose. But we still have at least twenty chapters to go. Let's get this one started.

Disclaimer: Eldridge: "Mr. Penguin does not own the characters or elements belonging to Code Geass. He does own the invented elements specific to this story."

Belisario's expression was even as he sat at his desk, awaiting an important meeting. It had been five days now since he had been instilled with kingly power by the witch now in service to his Goddess. The world was on cusp of changing, of coming to resemble her beautiful vision. For that, he was prepared to do anything and everything in his power. She was the one who saved him from the abysmal darkness after all.

"Mr. President, the Britannian Empress is ready to see you now," a member of his staff informed him from the door. He smiled. It had been a long time since he had seen this girl. The impression she had last left with him was still in his mind, a truly impressive child, well worth the attention his Goddess was putting into her.

"Good, please send her in," Belisario said, smirking and folding his hands.

"Right away," the girl replied and left. She was prompt. She returned in only a matter of seconds, followed closely by the black-haired Britannian Empress. Another girl, this one with blonde hair and fair skin, but a serious look on her face walked just in front of her. She stayed standing as the Empress took a seat.

"I must thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice, Mr. President," the girl spoke in a steady voice. He was immediately surprised. Nothing of importance had been said, but he could already tell that this girl carried herself in a completely different way then the one he had met so many months ago.

"Of course, Empress. Your Britannia is our valued ally. I have no choice but to answer when you come seeking audience," said Belisario with a quiet nod and smile.

"Yes," said the girl in a soft voice, a voice that held a quality that was darker, more somber, but somehow also more knowing than the old Ava li Britannia. "There are many things I have to discuss with you, sir."

"Yes, Empress," said Belisario. His eyes shot up to the blonde standing in front of him. "But, before that, perhaps could introduce this lovely girl who will be overhearing us?"

"Of course, sir," said the young Empress. "This is my knight, Astrid Weinberg."

Belisario, of course, already knew this. Such big news as the Empress of Britannia naming a personal knight did not escape him. Still, there was a part of him that liked to keep with formalities.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Nemesio," said the young knight, a deep-rooted intensity in her eyes. Belisario had never met this girl, but he liked her already. She had a fire, a passion behind her eyes that was just exceptional.

"A mutual pleasure, Lady Weinberg," said Nemesio, closing his eyes and giving a bow of his head.

"Moving things along, sir, I first must ask you about your intervention in the conquest of New Pendragon roughly two weeks ago," said the black-haired girl in a bussiness-like fashion.

"Oh? And what of it?" asked Belisario, shrugging.

"Simply put, why would you offer aid unrequested in a fight that shouldn't concern you?" asked the girl sharply, her eyes narrowing on his pupils as Geass appeared in hers. Belisario smiled. Ava had been just a little naïve at their last meeting. She could have destroyed everything had she been smarter. That girl had been so confident in her fine brain that she was willing to trust logical assumptions ahead of the truth her Geass allowed her to obtain so readily. Now, only half a year later, she didn't hesitate.

Of course Goddesses were cautious. Geass was not all powerful. Selwyn had been on the team that had learned to neutralize it. The technology he helped install in Jeremiah Gottwald's eye was one of many powerful secrets preserved in his mind when that Goddess chose to show him her kindness. The miniature Geass canceler, a device that would only neutralize Geass abilities in a very small field of influence, and for only a few minutes time, that rested in his pocket was testament to that.

"But it does concern me, Empress. Britannia is a powerful ally, but if it were to collapse, we would face the anger of the Chinese Federation and her allies alone. I'm not sure we could survive that, so I took the necessary steps in assuring that Britannia emerged victorious in what our strategists decided would be a very critical battle in your war," said Belisario readily, his voice strong.

"Shameless. You and your EU know nothing but to look after yourselves, I suppose," said the Empress coldly. "But how did you hear of this operation taking place in the first place? Nothing was decided until just the day before."

"I took a gamble based on the information I knew then. Your prisoners were to be executed en masse; I assumed that may bring about preemptive action. My champions are a powerful force, but they are still just four units. Moving four units is hardly a strain on resources; if they turned out to be unneeded, then so be it, they'd be back by the next day," Belisario said, calm and composed.

"You really doubted our strength so much?" the empress started, shaking her head.

"Was I wrong to? It turned out to be a complete victory. Can you say things would be the same without my Champions?" asked Belisario with a smirk.

"I see," said the Empress, closing her eyes. She couldn't deny what was true. Absolution and its allies would have bested Britannia that day without his Champions. The girl knew this, and she couldn't say that she didn't. "I must apologize, but I'm afraid I'll have our meeting not be as long as I had thought. Talking to you is a test of my patience."

Belisario laughed quietly and shrugged. "I see, well surely you have some request to make of me after coming all this way."

"Five days ago a mercenary working for the Japanese Army stole a very powerful secret weapon from us. As such, I am planning a massive strike on Japan in two day's time. I would like it to be a coordinated effort," said the Empress staunchly, giving a firm nod.

"As you wish, Empress," said Belisario. "The EU will put increased pressure on the Federation while your force storms Japan. Together I'm sure victory will be achieved before your stolen weapon can make a difference."

"I'm glad to hear it," said the girl, starting to stand. "That will be all."

"Wait, Ava! There's something off," the blonde girl started, surprising Belisario.

"Astrid?" Ava looked at her.

"I don't trust this man. He's keeping things from us," said Astrid astutely. Belisario gave a faint smirk. This girl had sharp eyes.

"But I've been using my Geass the whole time, just as you said I should, Astrid," said the Empress quietly.

"But how do we know it's working?" said Astrid, narrowing her eyes, serious.

"Astrid, aside from that witch and anyone in the direct vicinity of the imprisoned Jeremiah Gottwald, no one has been able to lie to me," said the black-haired girl simply, shaking her head.

"Even still… I don't trust it," said the blonde, closing her eyes.

"Then, how about a test?" Ava started. "Sir, are you keeping anything from me," she asked.

"Of course. I plan to take much more of the land and resources obtained from our enemies than we initially agreed upon and once these enemies are done, it's likely I'll turn my attention then to your Britannia," Belisario said with a smile. Saying just enough to fulfill the purpose.

"Seems honest enough," said Ava, buying in.

"I'm not sure…" the other girl still seemed wary.

"Then how about this?" started Ava. "Twenty four years ago, prior to the battle that made you a famous hero, you fought in your first battle as a soldier, a little known skirmish at the quaint Spanish town called Santa Callida, the town where you were born. During this fight you engaged in combat, with my mother, Cornelia li Britannia. Every man in your force with the exception of yourself was killed and the town was all but razed. Is that correct?"

"Yes, quite. Been reading up on your mother's exploits, I suppose?" Belisario laughed.

"Do you still hold a resentment of my mother, and by transition myself and my Empire, for these events?" asked Ava sternly.

"Resentment, no," said Belisario in a stern, unflinching voice. "Deep-seeded loathing, is a better phrase."

This was no lie. This was honesty at its finest. That is why it was enough to get the sharp-eyes Astrid to lower her guard.

"Fair enough," said the girl. "I trust, you're satisfied, Astrid?"

"I suppose," the girl replied.

"Then let us leave now. We have things to prepare for the upcoming battle," said the Empress.

"Right," the girl complied and they were off, leaving Belisario alone.

He eased back into his chair and sighed. He pulled the Geass canceler out of his pocket and examined it. It's rather large sakuradite core had already been completely depleted of power. The very last Geass question might not have actually worked on him, though he intended to answer it that way regardless. The small device useless now, he threw it carelessly into a small wastebasket by his desk.

"Sir, someone else is here to see you now," the same girl from his staff appeared in the door. "It's some oddly dressed young man."

Belisario smiled. He had been witting for this meeting to.

"Ah, yes, he is expected. Please show him in," said Belisario, giving a rigid nod.

"Right away, sir," said the girl quickly before disappearing. Again only a few seconds passed before a new figure entered the room.

This man was wearing a very long, distinctive coat, open past the waist making it look like a cape; it was black with two red streaks on either side of the center, going up past the red buckles to the collar. The long sleeves, which were tight everywhere but past the elbow, were also red at the ends. The man, young in age, was also, peculiarly enough masking his mouth with a black piece of cloth. He had blonde hair, combed down straight, but left jagged at the ends.

"You're the one she chose?" Belisario started, smirking. "You're awfully young for this."

"I will not disappoint you," said the young, strangely dressed man.

"I assume the elaborate costume is to protect you from being connected to this new position. I would speculate you intend to live in the light when this darkness has passed," said Belisario with a laugh. "You're guarding your identity, which is respectable, but I'm going to need to call you something."

"Alain Renard," was all the man said. Belisario nodded. He was half expecting some outlandish monicker to coincide with the strange outfit.

"A decent name, I suppose," Belisario said, shrugging.

The young man said nothing. He just stared ahead with a cold fire in his eyes.

"Our dear ally, Ava li Britannia wants us to put pressure on the Chinese Federation in two days time. Do you think you could coordinate such a thing, Mr. Renard," Belisario said, grinning.

"Of course," said the young man, sternly.

"Then I leave it in your hands. If you were selected by her, your mind should be nothing but the best," said Belisario.

"Understood," said the other man, with little emotion.

"Then you can be dismissed," said Belisario casually. Renard disappeared without another word, leaving Belisario to relax in his chair.

---

Amelia wore an even expression as she stood on her toes and dusted the tall bookshelf in the room of her new "master", Margaret Enneagram. That very girl was atop her bed, lying on her stomach, dressed in casual clothes and reading a magazine. She looked nothing but carefree.

Amelia didn't know what to make of this girl. This girl had bested her in hand to hand combat once. This girl had all but bested in her in knightmare combat not long after that. No, Margaret Enneagram would have beat her, had she not, out of cowardice, pulled that last destructive card. Amelia had been stunned to hear it was the power known as Geass that made this girl so strong, but she couldn't deny this girl's strength just because of this. Margaret Enneagram was strong, Geass or no Geass.

She was bold, and had an incredible confidence in herself. She was driven and dedicated, and accepted nothing but the best from herself. Everything about the person she was was admirable. Well, except maybe her tendency to bluntly express her opinion occasionally became a bit tedious. But, in coming to know this person, Amelia found she honestly couldn't think about her just in terms of a simple rival. It was her place to make sure it just didn't advance too far. She needed to be able to strike this woman down were she to stand in the way of her and a target.

Part of that was maintaining her disguise. She was Glen Esmay, a polite, earnest young man working as a servant to support his family. For that, she would keep cleaning this room and this house and attending to this girl's needs. For that, as she stretched as far as she could to reach the top of the bookcase, she just wished she was a little taller.

"Look at you," the girl on the bed laughed. "Why the hell does some tiny little kid like you even try?"

"I-I… just do all I can," said Amelia, the male voice coming from her mouth still foreign and strange to her.

"Oh, you're life must really suck, I suppose," said Margaret, sitting up.

"I-it has it's moments…" said Amelia, turning around and offering an infirm smile.

"So, what your parents died and you have to work this job to take care of your 17 starving siblings?" Margaret said mockingly. It had been like this for a while. This girl seemed to disapprove of Glen Esmay so strongly as her servant that she was nothing but cruel and insensitive with him.

"I'm an only child. My mother works as a maid and taught me how to do house work since I was young," said Amelia, smiling. "My father's in prison, so she's the only real role model I ever had."

"Poor little boy, it must be so hard for you," Margaret said in a condescending voice.

"Y-you don't have to be so cruel about it," Amelia started in a weak voice.

"Oh? Did I hurt your feelings? Feel free to cry about it," Margaret spat venomously, punctuated by a cold laugh.

"Why do you hate me so much?!" Amelia started, her voice showing some anger. She had to question herself. Getting this girl to like her was not part of her objective.

"I just do, okay," said Margaret, her voice low. "Everything about you is frustrating."

"Is it just because I'm not the guy you're used to?" asked Amelia, tilting her head.

"Jermaine is hard to replace, I suppose. He'd always listen to my troubles. His place can't be filled by such a pathetic fool," said Margaret with a quick huff.

"I can listen to you, if you want," Amelia offered. Again she questioned herself. This was exactly what she wasn't supposed to do. Then again, she could excuse it as being information gathering.

"Hmmph, like I'd want to tell you anything," Margaret said in a hateful voice.

"Maybe we just got off on the wrong foot," Amelia started with a forced smile. "It's not like I'm all that bad a guy, you know…"

"You're a failure as a man," Margaret said bluntly. Amelia tried not to laugh at the irony of the statement.

"I-I'm sorry," she said, tensing up.

"Absolutely pathetic," said Margaret, sighing. "And here you are trying to get me to talk to you…"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it," said Amelia hurriedly. Maybe she was just getting swept up in her character?

"Please don't get ahead of yourself. I won't be falling for you, if that's what you're hoping. You're not my type," said Margaret firmly.

"I-I wasn't--!" Amelia shook her head. "I'd never dream of such a thing."

"Oh, so that nice, good guy act is the real you?" Margaret snorted. "You're even more pathetic than I thought."

"I'm a servant. I'm supposed to treat my masters with respect," said Amelia, smiling.

"Whatever you want to use as your excuse," Margaret sighed. "I don't know how a guy like you is ever going to get a girl."

"I-I'm not…" Amelia started in a quiet voice.

"Oh? You're not into girls," Margaret laughed. "I suppose that only makes sense given how lacking in masculinity you are."

"N-no, I didn't mean it like that," Amelia stuttered, shaking her head.

"Oh, so what does turn you on then? What's your type?" asked Margaret, smirking.

"I-I…" Amelia stuttered as she calculated what to say. She found it hard to think of a lie when she realized she didn't really know her truth. What kind of people did she like? Amelia had never really been a romantic, much less sexual person. She had friends, but connections never went beyond that.

"I guess it'd just be someone kind and loving," said Amelia deliberately, tilting her head.

"Could you think of a lamer answer?!" Margaret scoffed as if offended. "And you call yourself a man…"

"I just… that's what important… think…" said Amelia, shaking a little.

"And you didn't even tell me definitively if it was a girl you wanted," said Margaret.

"O-of course it is," Amelia stammered. Heterosexuality was normal, right? She was supposed to be playing the part of a normal, non-extraordinary guy, so she'd claim it.

"You're obviously still a virgin, I doubt you'd even really know," said Margaret curtly.

"I'm… I know what I like… isn't it supposed to be obvious?" Amelia started, with confidence, blushing.

"You're a man and you're older than me by two years, and yet you're so stupidly confused about the little things I have sorted out," Margaret laughed coldly. Amelia felt like sighing; more irony. She wondered what Margaret would say in knowing she was actually a girl one year younger than her.

"So you have a man you like, Lady Margaret?" asked Amelia, tilting her head and smiling.

Margaret looked at her, a blush entering her anger distorted face. "I-I did. But he went off and picked another woman and now he's marrying her."

"Oh… well… I'm sorry to hear that…" said Amelia, nervously.

"Hmmph, whatever," said Margaret with a scowl on her face.

"So he was your first boyfriend then?" asked Amelia curiously.

"We never actually went out, okay?" Margaret said with finality, blushing again, her voice becoming softer.

"Oh… well I thought you said you weren't a--" Amelia stopped herself from saying the final word. "You were with another guy before then?"

"N-not really," now Margaret stuttered, looking away.

"Then aren't you the same as me?" asked Amelia with a nod.

At this question, as Margaret realized what she was asking, the girl froze up entirely. She looked at her feet and said in a low voice. "I-I… uh… y-ye-- I mean n-n-- I-I uhh…"

"Unless of course your first time wasn't with a--" started Amelia, her eyes going wide as she remembered this girl's conversation, and more her reactions, with her mother at her first meeting with Glen.

Margaret clenched her fist as she turned even redder. "Fine, okay! You're right. My first time was with another woman. I-I can admit that…"

"Then what happened to her, your girlfriend?" asked Amelia, unfazed. She questioned if this was unnatural. Astrid, her close friend, was interested in other women. It didn't seem the slightest bit unnatural to her, but she had to question if maybe Glen Esmay might should have found it a little more peculiar.

"She wasn't my girlfriend," said Margaret looking around the room. "Just a woman who shared my bed on occasion."

"Oh… well… do you still see her?" asked Amelia, curiously.

"You have a lot of questions, don't you?" huffed Margaret. "I did, but just a few days ago she disappeared."

"Disappeared?" questioned Amelia, surprised.

"She was kidnapped by the enemy," said Margaret. "She has a certain talent that makes her valuable."

"Oh… well I'm sorry to hear about that…" said Amelia, narrowing her eyes. Kidnapping didn't seem like a tactic her side would employ, no matter what talents someone had. It was hard hearing they had resorted to such things.

"It's fine .She was good for relieving a little stress, but there was no love between me and that woman," said Margaret. "Actually, I'm not sure that woman even can love. Her heart is completely different from that of a normal human, I used to think…"

"Oh… I see…" said Amelia, unsure what to say to that.

"But, I really don't know why I bother telling this to you," said Margaret with a sigh.

"I don't mind listening," said Amelia, smiling.

"You really are pathetic," Margaret said in a drained sighed and looked back down at her magazine.

Amelia turned back around and started dusting again, a smile on her face.

---

Elischa Mayer was quiet as he watched the scene in front of him in the large courtyard attached to the ominous Castle Amarantha. Three pairs of people engaged in training bouts were in front of him. All three fights looked unreal. In proximity to he, not engaged in the training, were two of his fellow champions, Cesia Moreva and Valeria Giullare, and an old man in a robe. This old man, who had been introduced to him only as The Sage, was the one who had set these matches up.

"So, this is Geass?" asked Cesia in a low voice, as she watched the intense fights. A strong looking young man named Bernard Farris was engaged in fisticuffs with a wiry youth named Lyall Gavin while a black haired girl hiding her eyes behind a peculiar visor dueled a very young girl wielding a large hammer and, finally, Elischa's fellow champion, Edouard Valentin crossed swords with a man dressed like a priest.

"No. None of them has activated their ability yet," said The Sage in a strong voice as he stared ahead without blinking.

"But fighting will bring it out of them?" Elischa started, studying the combatants. "If so, why aren't we training as well?"

"The three of you do not have Geass which work in direct combat," said The Sage in a low growl.

"How do you know all this?" asked Elischa, staring at the man suspiciously.

"It is my own Geass ability," said The Sage, closing his eyes.

"Your Geass?" started Cesia. "What does yours do?"

"I see the fate of men as Kings," said The Sage quietly, looking down.

"And what exactly does that mean?" asked Cesia, her eyes going narrow.

"I can see glimpses of the future a person will see if the Power of the King is to manifest within them," said the old man quietly.

"A very limited form of precognition, considering prior to your Master finding that woman there was only a very set number of people it could work on," said Cesia harshly.

"And it includes seeing how the Geass will manifest?" Elischa started.

"Of course, it's impossible to see anything without seeing that much," The Sage said with a steady nod.

"So, why don't you just tell us our abilities? Won't that make it easier for us to find them?" asked Cesia in a stern voice.

"It's the same. Discovering how to work something within yourself is no easier if you know what the end result is," said The Sage.

"You could at least give hints!" Cesia demanded, sternly. Elischa looked at her. Unlike her, he was in no hurry to unveil this power which would be used for nefarious aims.

"Your ability is multi triggered, Miss Moreva and it is something you use on those you want to see succeed," the old man said in a tired voice.

"Oh, well...I guess that's something," said Cesia, smiling in satisfaction.

"Yours, Miss Giullare, will allow you to converse freely with those closest to you," said The Sage with a nod at the girl nearby who's eyes seemed acutely focused on the black haired girl, and most particularly her visor and mechanical hand.

"Yay," the girl said in a peculiarly drained voice.

"Your power, Mr. Mayer, will give you the perceptions you need to protect what is most valuable to you always," said the old man in a rough voice. Elischa looked at him as he took this in; at least his power would not be something contemptible.

"What about Valentin and those other three? What can they do?" asked Cesia turning back to the fights.

"You'll see in time. Their powers should manifest shortly as this continues," said the old man with a nod.

Elischa turned back to the fights and watched as his thoughts drifted toward the horrible truth he had come to understand. The EU was going to be the unholy origin of Hell on Earth and he'd be helping to lead that Hell's armies. As he thought that, he cursed the pride that told him that was better than betraying the country, the people he had sworn to protect.

---

Bernard's body was worn as he faced his opponent, the aggravating Lyall Gavin down. Life certainly was at a strange place for the young man. He could recall nothing of his memories prior to waking up in some scientific tube, the first sight that graced his eyes being the face of that woman, Amarantha. He couldn't trust her. There was no way for him to know if she really did save him or if she wasn't the cause of his memory block in the first place. He couldn't accept her, but he knew no one else, so he had no choice but to follow her for now.

That meant different things. It meant having intercourse with that blonde who called herself D.D.. It meant fighting this man in front of him now. To tell the truth, Bernard didn't hate either of these things it had meant, but he was fearful of what it could mean in the future. Bernard had a strong sense of justice; it was the driving force of his every thought. Cruelties should be repaid in full with cruelties. For that reason, he didn't want to do anything cruel himself. Unfortunately, it was delusional to think Amarantha had good intentions.

"You're much too slow, Farris, you'll never land a blow like that!" Gavin called as he ran forward, into a a cascade of swift kicks.

Bernard had no memory, but he at least recalled that humans shouldn't be as fast as Gavin, or as strong as he seemed to be now, for that matter. He stuck out his arms before him to guard the attacks. His skin, hard as steel, repelled the attacks like they were nothing. As Farris came to a halt, he ran forward and launched a full strength punch. Gavin sidestepped it easily and stepped in for his own swift hit. It met Bernard's stomach, but somehow the forceful punch was barely felt. Bernard was positive now that he no longer understood the makeup of his body.

"God, you're like a fucking suit of armor. She must have put everything into reinforcing your flesh," said Gavin, shaking off his hand as if it was pained.

"Reinforcing?" started Bernard.

"So you're not just big and ugly, but also stupid," said Gavin with a cruel laugh. "Just take a look at Marcella, with the metal hand and visor plugged into her brain and tell me you think you're any less of a freak-show on the inside."

Bernard glared at the man hatefully. This was the type who fed on anger. He was the worst sort of man. But he was right in this case. The three of them weren't normal. Marcella's obvious cybernetic implants, his reinforced flesh, it made it all too obvious. The three of them had been rebuilt to be perfect soldiers for Amarantha's cause.

"Aren't you going to say anything, Farris, or are you two stupid to understand?" laughed Gavin. "If you want further proof that we're different, take a look at this!"

With that, Gavin stepped back and held out his left hand, a sharp sword blade suddenly emerged from inside his arm, just below his wrist. He then held out his right arm and another blade emerged. Bernard's eyes widened. He concentrated on his own arms, searching them for any weapons he didn't know about, but he couldn't find any.

"Heh! Let's see if that armor of yours can resist these things!" Gavin shouted as he rushed forward.

Bernard stayed sharp and quiet. The swords slowed Gavin slightly in exchange for the reach and power they gave him and Bernard was able to turn that to his advantage, sharply dodging every attack thrown at him. Eventually, the swift Gavin was forced to fall back.

"You're certainly not easy to take down," said Gavin exhausted, looking down, appearing to be at his limits. Bernard could maybe find a blown now. One blow would be enough to send this man flying to the ground, unable to get up. "Well, what are you waiting for, your move, Farris." the man challenged, looking up suddenly.

Then suddenly something changed. Something in Gavin's eye flashed and then something in Farris erupted. His eyes narrowed as his irritation was magnified a hundred fold into a blind, uncontrollable rage.

"You motherfucking bastard! I'll rip you in two!" Bernard heard himself shout as he rushed forward recklessly, fists clenched, ready to beat the other to a bloody death.

Gavin laughed and darted to the side, easily avoiding the predictable mad charge. His blade readily found Bernard's left side. But it was Bernard who got the last laugh, as he felt something click inside his own head.

Gavin gave hard gasp of pain as he pulled his sword out of his enemy. He fell backward and writhed on the ground as if in agony. Bernard, his anger returned to a normal level, looked down at the wound. It was painful but not horribly so. He looked at his opponent and shrugged.

Was this Geass?

---

Lazarus Cain had serious eyes behind his glasses as he stared the sinner down. Flamboyantly dressed and showy in attitude, he was decent with a sword, but he was nothing but another heretic in God's eyes. Lazarus didn't mind the fact that he had been summoned to help this man train, as was necessary, considering he would physically be no match for one of his Liege's cyborg soldiers; he welcomed it as a chance to instill the light of God within this common miscreant.

"For a man of God, you sure know your way around a blade," the man, EU champion Edouard Valentin said with a rough smirk. "This is pretty fun."

"Is it now?" Lazarus grinned. "Well, let me show you fear then, sinner!"

With that, Lazarus put his hand before his face and let his eyes open wide, Geass appearing within them both. He looked deep and hard at Valentin, allowing him to see his world.

"W-what the hell is all this?!" Valentin started, paling as he looked around frantically.

Lazarus laughed as he too looked around. All around them were God's warrior angels and fiends from Hell, engaged in bloody combat, while monstrous serpents and horrible giant beasts populated the bleak, still, colorless skies. Miniature demons and saintly riders on flying horses wielding massive blood covered lances and swords were flying through the sky, some coming straight at Valentin, who darted to the side in terror. This was the world as Lazarus always saw it. With his Geass he could bring others to his vision of sustained Apocalyptic doom, or at least show them glimpses if he preferred.

"Does my world frighten you?" Lazarus asked, a depraved grin engrained on his face. "Only sinners need fear God's judgement!"

With that, Lazarus lifted his thin, cross-shaped sword high into the air and went charging in at the man. Valentin lifted his sword, a thicker rapier, to deflect it.

"None of this can be real?! This must be Geass," started Valentin.

"Perhaps, but do you really want to find out?" asked Lazarus as the terrifying twenty-foot Hell-beast behind him snarled and leered at the other man, fire spewing from it's lips as is it gave a low growl.

"I must say these are effective illusions, but I've never been so devout," Valentin laughed. "It's certainly a distracting mess you've pushed me into, but that just means I'll have to end it quickly with my own Geass."

"You don't understand the Power within you yet and yet you intend to use it?" started Lazarus, shaking his head.

"Actually, seeing all this made something snap in me," said Valentin. "I'm pretty sure I know what to do now."

"Then prove it! Show your strength to God above and let Him decide if you are worthy!" Lazarus beckoned, waving his sword. The man came charging at him with his own thin blade.

Valentin moved into and upward jab. Lazarus moved quickly to block it with quick precision. Surprise hit, when Lazarus' sword did not meet anything there in the air. Valentin's sword had disappeared. No, more correctly, his sword had taken a completely different path from the one Lazarus saw. It was stuck deep in his leg, painfully.

"You really did unearth the King's power," said Lazarus, releasing his Geass and backing off, blood coming from his wound as he pulled the sword out.

"Yes, it seems are powers are similar, dealing in illusions. It's just mine is set squarely with me at the center where the focus of yours is your grotesque imagination," said Valentin with a nod, satisfied. "Battle is going to be even more fun from now on."

Lazarus closed his eyes. For a sinner, this man had strength. He would surely help create the perfect God-blessed world his Liege aimed for.

---

Lucrecia Harrison wore a deep frown as she faced off against Marcella, the stupid new girl who clung to Mistress like a damn parasite. It was so annoying! Didn't she know Lucrecia was already Mistress' favorite? It made her so angry. That's why she was nothing but happy when Mistress kindly asked her to help "train" Marcella in combat. It was up to Lucrecia how hard she "trained" the girl. As she held her favorite large, heavy red hammer in hand tightly, it was pretty apparent, she wasn't going to be going soft on the girl.

But, unfortunately, Marcella wasn't weak. She was very, very strong. Just like Lucrecia, her body had been physically enhanced on the inside by Dr. Selwyn. Some of her enhancements, like her metallic left hand, were on the outside too, which made Lucrecia think hers were more extensive than her own. Regardless, even if this wasn't supposed to be a real fight, Lucrecia wasn't going to lose. She had her trusty hammer, and the girl didn't seem to have any weapon.

That in mind, and her undying drive pushing her forward, Lucrecia ran forward at the girl and into a full hammer swing. Marcella jumped back and went into a rising jumpkick. Lucrecia ducked under it and made a quick upward swing at the woman's leg. It hit, but fairly glancingly, as Marcella pushed off of it quickly and flipped back effortlessly.

"Grrr…. Stay still and let me hit you already!" Lucrecia shouted, stomping her foot.

"B-but isn't the point of this fight just to train me, Lucrecia?" asked the girl in a friendly voice, tilting her head.

"Maybe to you, but to me it's different!" Lucrecia declared holding out her hammer. "You stand in my way!"

"I-I'm sorry…" Marcella started in a weak voice.

"Hmmph!" Lucrecia started. "What could Mistress possibly see in someone like you?!"

With that, the young girl did another lightning quick run at the older girl, going into a powerful horizontal swing with her large-headed hammer. Marcella was the one who ducked down this time, going into a leg sweep. Lucrecia hardly felt the swift kick at her ankles before she was sitting on the cold ground, her skirt flipped up revealing her panties, a pink and white vertical striped design with black lace trim and a little bow. Her face turned bright her as she glared hatefully at Marcella.

"Y-You! How dare you humiliate me, like this!" Lucrecia started as she stood back up.

"Uh… I'm sorry…" Marcella spoke, with a fragile smile.

But Lucrecia wouldn't have it. Too much was pissing her off. Marcella was at the front of it, but there were also other factors. Big Sister had come back but she hadn't said a word to Lucrecia yet; Mistress made her play with another woman (even if that woman turned out to be kind of fun, though Lucrecia hated admitting); and, well the Marcella thing was still the most infuriating. Because of that, she was going to use her Geass on the stupid bitch and then hammer her head into dust.

"That's it! See how you like my Geass!" Lucrecia declared. She obviously wasn't supposed to use her geass, which locked a person deep within the confines of their own mind, in this fight, but she didn't care any more. She let it blaze.

"Umm...Lucrecia…?" Marcella started, as she started at the girl.

"W-what?! Why isn't it working?!" Lucrecia shouted, infuriated, stomping her foot.

It was then that she realized what should have been obvious. The stupid dark visor the enemy was wearing was protecting her from her Geass somehow! Of all the dirty tricks. Lucrecia huffed, and blushed again at realizing the big visor over the eyes should have been an obvious clue that this wasn't going to work. But Lucrecia wouldn't have this be it. She had other tricks up her sleeves. Her hammer skills were not to be underestimated.

Lucrecia ran forward again and into a quick strike. She built up a series of quick hammer strikes, moving the heavy hammer like the toy mallet it closely resembled. Yasuko dodged and avoided them all, quickly, but she couldn't keep this up, not when Lucrecia went into her super finishing blow. Which of course she did. She jumped high into the air and then made a fierce swing at the girl's head while hiding her cybernetically strengthened fist behind her. Obviously Marcella would avoid the hammer, but there was no way she'd notice the fist until it had broke her stupid visor in two.

But, unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. The hammer was avoided and then the fist was caught in Marcella's cold metal hand, which proceeded to then, effortlessly, swing Lucrecia, hammer and all, into the earth behind her. It hurt like hell and it was hard for Lucrecia to get up. Even worse, her panties were showing again.

"H-how did you see my attack?" Lucrecia stammered, ashamed, as she struggled to pick herself off.

"Miss Giullare over there has been watching our fight closely. I borrowed her eyes, it seems," said Marcella, smirking slightly.

"B-Borrow…? Is that your…?" Lucrecia started wearily, before falling back onto the ground and losing consciousness.

---

Eilith sat in her room within the royal castle, wearing a soft grin. It still seemed an unreasonable thing that she was here. Not long ago she was a simple girl who knew no luxury, now she was a princess living in a life of nothing but. It was overwhelming. She could call people that she used to only read about in the papers as friends now, among them the Britannian Empress herself. It might have been just too much for some people to take in all of a sudden, but if anything, Eilith had always been skilled at adapting to anything.

People had taken to her quickly. The story of the lost princess, suddenly found after twenty years was a general uplifter for the Britannian people in the wake of two princesses being lost to war. She was liked and respected. The common people knew she could identify with them and expressed their approval of her for this, while the nobles just seemed pleased to have a new royal face to frame. It was all sort of surreal for Eilith, but kind of fun at the same time. She had to wonder what everyone who knew her before was saying now.

Being a princess seemed a life without worries. She had always wanted to try and make a difference in the world, and being a somewhat direct person had chosen looking into a career in law enforcement over military service and both over anything diplomatic, but she honestly didn't mind the shift, even if she wasn't going to let her new title define her by any means.

"You seem contented, dear," Eilith's mother, Callista Blackwell, spoke from the door, causing Eilith to look up from the book she was reading. She hadn't noticed the door opening.

"Eh, just thinking about everything," Eilith said, smiling at the woman.

She supposed maybe even this could be considered odd. She went twenty years of her life without her mother and then, when she appears they bond completely in just a few emotional moments. After a few weeks, it was now like they had known each other that whole time. Regardless, Eilith was very glad to know this woman. Of course she had heard all the rumors, all of which were likely true, about this woman, but Eilith was forgiving, and there was a lot in Callista Blackwell to want to forgive her for. She was already a very important person in Eilith's world, after only a short time.

"Don't become spoiled. Life may seem great now, but don't let it ruin your character," the woman advised.

"Oh? I'm kind of surprised to hear that from you, mother. You have such a noble air about you," said Eilith, giving a quick laugh.

"I was a commoner growing up," said Callista in a quiet voice.

"Wow?! Really?!" Eilith started, shocked. "How did it happen? How'd a common girl become an Imperial consort?"

"I'd love to say it's the same story as Marianne the Flash, that I made my way to the Emperor's side on nothing but my own strength and drive, but it was different," said Callista. "My father died in the war when I was just five. The son of a noble man fell in love with mother just six years later while she was working as his father's servant. He adopted me when he married her."

"Oh, I see," said Eilith, nodding. "Even still, it's a nice story."

"I suppose," said Callista. "I joined the Britannian forces as a soldier and rose quickly up the ranks, impressing all the right people. I was to be admitted into the Knights of the Round when the Emperor decided he had other plans for me."

"Was it hard for you, suddenly becoming an extension of the royal family?" asked Eilith, curious.

"Not very," the woman replied dryly. "When I was a child and suddenly became a noble's daughter, I reveled in it. I felt overjoyed to finally leave poverty behind, and I delighted in every bit of pomp and splendor the nobility thrives on. The progression form noble lady to Imperial consort was nothing but a seamless transition that filled me with nothing but a foolish pride."

"You don't seem very proud of yourself now," said Eilith in a low voice.

"There's only one thing I'm proud of in this world anymore," Callista said, smiling. Eilith blushed, her mother's stare more than telling.

"Well, I'm glad you're satisfied with me," said Eilith, shrugging. "But you're too hard on yourself."

"There's not a lot to be proud of in my life," said Callista. "That's why I want you to remain true to who you were before."

"I don't think what you did is wrong, mother," said Eilith. "But you needn't worry. I don't plan to forget where I come from, but you're an important part of that too."

"You must have a lot of faith in genetic theory, saying that having known me for so short a time," Callista said with a low laugh.

"Maybe," said Eilith with a laugh. "But I can already see a lot of myself in you."

"You'd do better to take after your father," said Callista, nodding.

"R-really?" Eilith started, laughing. "You mean the guy that most of the world now sees as a ruthless, tyrannical enemy of peace?"

"He doesn't deserve every word of his reputation," said Callista. "He had lost touch by the time I met him, he was on a downward spiral, he had lost himself in his rhetoric and oversized dreams, and had handed true power to a malevolent son; but I saw glimpses of what was once a strong, noble man, who put everything he had into trying to make Britannia and the world a better place."

"I believe you," said Eilith, smiling. "I've never been the type to buy what is recorded before the world at its face value anyway."

Callista nodded at her daughter and smiled back. "I can already tell you're strong, daughter…"

"So are you," said Eilith. "You're a Knight of the Rounds. Not a place for weaklings exactly."

"I suppose not," said Callista with a laugh.

"I heard preparations are under way for a battle in just a day or so," said Eilith. "Are you participating."

"Of course," said Callista. "_Morganna _didn't fly in the last fight. Considering there are models that aren't fully repaired yet, it's obvious that I'll at least get deployed."

"I sometimes wonder if I should be picking it up, knightmare frames. It kind of calls to me in a way," started Eilith with a warm smile.

"Come now, fighting in war is not something a princess need get involved with herself," said Callista, shaking her head.

"Ava's mother was supposedly a first rate pilot; it's not something that's never been done before, at least," said Eilith, nodding.

"Britannia's witch? That was an incredible woman. You have a lot to live up to if you pattern yourself after her," said Callista reflectively, closing her eyes.

"Eh, I'll think about it," said Eilith with a short laugh.

"Of course, dear," said Callista, turning to leave.

"See ya later, mom," said Eilith, warmly, smiling to herself.

"Of course," said Callista back as she walked out.

---

Hiromi Tohdoh was in a poor mood, to say the least. She had just been released from holding for the outburst she had upon learning that Chiharu had been kidnapped. Could they really blame her for being angry? It was wrong. It was sick. For it, Hiromi would accept nothing out blowing that damned mercenary's head to pieces, along with the head of ever one of her Britannian allies.

Britannia had to die. It was that simple. It was an empire full of nothing but ruthless and disgusting violence. Conquest, murder, aggression, war, a nation built on this deserved nothing but to be burnt to the ground and Hiromi was determined to bring the hammer of justice down upon them all her self. Any empire that murders it's prisoners and wars and kidnaps paraplegic soldiers for unknowable purposes, didn't deserve to exist anymore.

All of this ran through Hiromi's mind like a derailed train as she sat in a room of her peers in the force. The number of young custom unit pilots loyal to Japan's cause had dwindled without Chiharu or the Absolution crowd, but Chaowei, Xuemei and General Kozuki's twin girls were still in that room with Hiromi. Then another entered the room. It was Hiromi's father, wearing a stern expression.

"What's happened, father?" Hiromi asked standing and approaching him.

"We received contact from a reputable source within Britannia that a combat operation is scheduled to launch in just a day's time," said the General.

"So, we're deploying for combat then?" started Xuemei, eagerly.

"Yes," said Tohdoh. "This will be a critical battle. Failure is not an option."

"Believe me. I do not intend to lose. For General Zhou, for my Federation, and for the Tianzi, I will accept nothing less," Xuemei said, expressing a fire equal to that fueling Hiromi's own spirit.

"We all have our reasons. For Yasuko and Chiharu both, I swear not to let you down, father," Hiromi said with incredible intensity, clenching her fist.

"I understand how you feel, Hiromi. I cannot forgive the actions of this Britannia myself. Finding Chiharu Ohgi and avenging your sister are both goals close to my own heart," said Hiromi's father. "I think the whole of our force has something of the same fire we do, and for that, we shall surely prevail."

"Passion is great, but we'll need more than just that to win a battle. We need a strategic advantage," said Katsue Kozuki, sitting up and smiling.

"We have that," said Tohdoh nodding. "The source that informed us of this scheduled enemy initiative also somehow obtained full design sketches for all but one of the enemy's custom units."

"W-wow… just how does someone get that much information?" asked Chaowei, eyes wide.

"We really don't know… and we had little time to look through the files. You will all be given condensed reports though, prior to the battle," said Tohdoh in a stern voice.

"What about this one machine our super spy couldn't get the info on? How do we even know about it?" asked Katsue smartly, giving a nod.

"The report mentioned it briefly, saying that there was an alleged super unit in development that no information could be secured on," said Tohdoh, nodding.

"But if it's still in development, there's a good chance it isn't done yet, right?" started Katsumi Kozuki with an optimistic smile.

"We can't count on that, Katsumi," said the girl's sister.

"Guess not," Katsumi sighed.

"So, were any details of the operation itself intercepted?" asked Xuemei in a low voice.

"Yes. It's being conducted in conjunction with a surge in pressure from the EU at the Federation front," said Tohdoh in a strong voice.

"So who's going to take care of that front?" asked Chaowei, smirking.

"We divide our forces too much. We'll be deploying _Huoyun _and two custom units to take care of the EU. Their effort has been minimal compared to Britannia's and we see no sign of this changing," said Tohdoh solemnly.

"Isn't that taking a little much for granted?" asked Katsue.

"We have no other option. Knowing what we know about the Britannian knightmares, we are even more sure it would be foolish to take Britannia lightly," said the General in a low voice.

"I suppose that makes sense," Katsue acquiesced. "But the EU force will need strong field leadership."

"Japan's defense can't spare your mother," said Tohdoh. "I intend to lead the force personally."

"Well, and who's the other unlucky one who gets stuck with that under-defended front?" asked Chaowei with a smug laugh, clearly indicating he didn't intend it to be him.

Like hell Hiromi was going to fight anyone but Britannia. It was obvious Xuemei would step up and volunteer to protect her homeland. She looked ready to, too. But it was another girl who spoke up first.

"Me and Katsumi will fight alongside you, General," Katsue said standing up.

"Are you sure?" started the General quietly.

"_Hiodoshi_ is of more use as a strategic unit then_ Tianlong. _It would be more valuable in this fight," said Katsue brightly.

"We arrived at the same conclusion. I wanted to hear Lieutenant Colonel Hu's opinion on the matter though, as well as any apprehensions, as less experienced soldiers, you may have. It's harder to be one of two custom units than one of four, even against a weaker force," said Tohdoh in a low voice.

"You shouldn't worry about that. If Katsue says we'll fight there, we'll fight there and we'll win!" Katsumi said with a bright energy, and an enthusiastic nod.

"Lieutenant Colonel?" Tohdoh started, looking at Xuemei.

"I have just as much passion in my being for protecting my homeland as I do avenging General Zhou. I don't care which fight I fight," the girl said coldly, closing her eyes.

"So be it. It's decided," said Tohdoh. "Spend the rest of the day preparing yourselves. This will not be an easy victory."

"Yes, sir!" everyone replied at once. Hiromi's father departed readily.

"Well, this is certainly a mess we're going into," Chaowei said in a low sigh.

"But we'll pull through. We'll have to. We have things to prove," said Hiromi in a low voice."We must prove to the Britannians that defeating Absolution doesn't mean anything to us."

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Katsumi cheered in, confidently.

"Let's just try not to die," said Katsue. "If we, the key pilots, die, Japan is through. We must live though this."

"I intend to live. Not until Yasuko is avenged, not until that damn mercenary woman is dead, not until Chiharu is safe, not until then would I even think of allowing myself to die," Hiromi declared boldly, clenching her fist, a burning drive to win clear in her eyes.

---

Astrid stood quietly at her beloved's side as the strategic planning meeting for the coming operation was reaching a close. It wasn't a full meeting of the Rounds. _Kay, Lamorak _and _Tristan Aegis _were not set to fly. Ava was being cautious since D.D. was kidnapped she wanted to leave some knights for defense of the homeland. This of course meant the room was populated only by Niles Moore, Ulric Cross, Callista Blackwell, Regina Granville, Hildegarde Waldstein, and Margaret Enneagram in addition to Ava and Astrid.

"I trust you understand," said Ava calmly. "Are there any questions?"

"I am nothing but satisfied with my place in this fight," said Regina Granville in a cold voice. She and Lord Moore were being tasked with going over the enemy battleships in order to cripple their force.

"Tch, you sure I can't be more involved in the actual fighting?" asked Cross, who was being tasked with leading the forces that would be securing Japan for Britannia.

"As strong as your body is, Mr. Cross, the doctors say your body is still far from 100 percent. I think it would be unwise to force you into full force combat at the moment," said Ava quietly.

"That's bullshit! I can handle a fight! I know I can!" the cyborg complained.

"Know your position, Mr. Cross. Ava is the Empress. If her decision is for you to fall back, you have no choice but to accept it!" Astrid started boldly, completely fearless. All the fear in Astrid Weinberg had already died.

"Right, right, I got it. I'll follow the fucking plan," said Cross, sighing in defeat.

"Everyone else understands and accepts the plan of attack?" asked Ava, staring up briefly at Astrid in approval.

"I understand, Empress," said Waldstein in a cool, detached voice.

"As do I," said Blackwell. "And I can see nothing but success in our future."

"I wouldn't go that far," said Margaret. "But I understand."

"This operation is critical. Failure is not an option. If we do not eliminate the enemy now, the tides of war will change in our enemy's favor," said Ava, nodding. "And it will not be easy. You must act with caution. Even enemies you have faced before may not be the same now."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the more attentive knights, Margaret, Moore, Blackwell and Waldstein, replied.

"Good, then this meeting can be dismissed," said Ava, standing from the table. She left and Astrid followed after her.

"I think that went well enough," said Ava, confidence n her voice as they walked down the corridor.

"We'll win out there. I'll make sure it happens," said Astrid.

"That means a lot Astrid," said Ava. "I don't like this fight. Too many variables. I'm surely missing one and it could prove critical."

"If you win, it won't matter, and you will win, Ava," said Astrid readily.

"I can't be so confident. I have this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach like something big is about to happen, and it doesn't feel like total victory," said Ava in a somber voice.

"I understand. Losing that woman to the enemy really could change everything for us," said Astrid. "But our knights are strong. We'll make it though, regardless of what they throw at us."

"Confidence like that is assuring, Astrid. Thank you," said Ava, smiling warmly.

"Megami Subarashii has really dealt us a heavy blow, but we'll recover that woman from the enemy. I'll set this mess right, you can count on that," said Astrid assuredly, ready to fight for her beloved until the end.

A/N: end chapter. Yes it's buildup, but hopefully it was still marginally interesting. Obviously next chapter will have a lot of action (though less than some chapter, as there are fewer units left to work with, particularly on the Japanese side). I needed to set things up for that. Ava's meeting with Nemesio was one for the more interesting aspects of the chapter I thought, despite being first. Pocket Geass cancelers are handy, aren't they?. Other than that, we had more posturing for the fight more "Glen" and Margaret fun and a nice Eilith and Callista scene. And of course, some new Geas started to show (and a few older Geas were better explained)

Alain Renard here was designed by MissUzumakiHinata, who I thank for the design.

I am about half done with an extra. It's now 4:30 in the morning and I'm too exhausted to continue with it now though I didn't' want to hold this any longer. I'll finish it when I wake up. It's just one extra. I really like this one. Read it. It's nothing overtly sexual like the last.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Alain Renard


	32. Turn 31: Puppet Show

A/N: So here we have another action chapter. Unlike the massive ones in the past, this one only has about six fights to it (as opposed to the usual 10+) so hopefully there's less drag. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: Cesia: "CreazyNinjaPenguin does not own the source material or the elements contained therein. He only owns the original components."

Deifilia smiled as she stood in her castle flower garden, tending to some of her namesake amaranths with a smile on her face. The peace of that garden was a far cry from the intense war that would be gripping the world only shortly. As she thought that, she hummed a pleasant song under her breath.

"This should be fun, shouldn't it, Signa?" she spoke in a low voice to the girl nearby.

"I do not understand of what you speak, Master," the girl said, as hollow as ever.

"My dreams are finally about to materialize, starting with these battles," said Deifilia.

"Then I am satisfied," said Signa in a low voice.

"I can only hope both these fights go according to plan," said Deifilia, smiling.

"You have left both in the hands of people you trust to serve you, have you not?" asked Signa with no emotion, head tilted.

"Oh yes," said Deifilia. "I almost feel sorry for the Tianzi."

"Those who do not see your vision are your enemies. I do not understand holding any other emotions for them," said Signa, blankly.

"Maybe you're right," said Deifilia with a low laugh. "Ava li Britannia, I can at least say I have no empathy for."

Signa didn't respond and so the conversation faded. Deifilia turned her attention back to her flowers as the smile reappeared on her face. It excited her, if it made her a little anxious. But overall she was confident. After all, by now the world was already a puppet show with her pulling all the strings.

---

Hildegarde wore a stern expression on her face. Battles were hard. Fighting Hiromi Tohdoh the second time had been hard. Everything was harder now. She would have liked to believe, as a knight, she was the same as before, but everything was different without Yasuko. Everything felt more hollow.

This fight too seemed hollow. It was like Hildegarde was just going thought the motions. She had confidence in her strength, but she couldn't deny the brooding darkness within her, even if she tried to silence it. It stayed with her as she sat in the cockpit of the refurbished _Galahad Renascence, _charging through an enemy fleet on path to reclaim Japan for Britannia. It was midway through a charge at a weakened _Akatsuki _that her sword was suddenly intercepted by a much smaller sword, which threw it back with incredible strength.

"It's been a long time, knight," said the nostalgic voice of an old foe. Hildegarde's eyes narrowed on the machine before her. It didn't quite look the same. Where once it had been nothing but sleek and agile, it now had two somewhat heavy looking red cannons grafted onto its shoulders, that stuck out next to the white of the rest of the machine, despite sharing the pink accents.

"I suppose you've tempered your flame, dragon," Hildegarde said in a low voice as she stared the machine, the _Tianlong _down intently. "I wonder if it will help you…"

"Heh, you don't stand a chance. Your Britannia is a murderous empire that thrives on sending good people to their graves. I can never forgive anyone who wields a sword for such an empire," said the pilot, Hu Xuemei, her voice quietly intense with a seething rage that made if clear the words were personal.

"People die in war. Grudges are for naïve fools. As a soldier you should know that," Hildegarde said in a jaded voice.

"You make light of my passion, knight?!" the woman spat venomously. "For that I will see you dead!"

With that, _Tianlong _attacked, it's long Chinese Federation style sword, moving quickly back and then into a full thrust. Hildegarde couldn't evade, and to her surprise, the sword pierced her shields and just pierced her armor. Hildegarde fell back quickly, firing off her ten slash harkens one after the other to put distance between the two while trying to score some hits. Hu's speed was unmatchable though, and she beat back every harken that came at her like it was nothing and began another charge.

Hildegarde decided then to debut one of her new weapons, one of the two built in blasters that had just been installed in _Galahad Renascence'_s palms. It fired a medium power blast that did seem to catch Hu off guard. She fell back at the attack, leaving herself open to a punishing sword blow, which cleaved straight through _Tianlong's _shields and left a massive dent in its chest plates.

Hu gave a forceful battle-cry as powerful beams then shot from her shoulder-mounted cannons. Hildegarde put all her skill as a pilot into maneuvering away. With a little luck, she was able to avoid serious damage, but much of the _Galahad Renascence'_s left leg was decimated. Worse yet, Hu was closing in for a follow up with her sword. Hildegarde caught it on her massive blade. Hu pulled her second smaller blade and lodged it deep into _Galahad Renascence'_s chest. Hildegarde freed a hand from her sword and fired proximity blast, forcibly putting distance between them. She then launched her slash harkens, trying to grab the enemy machine with them. Hu fought them all back as the distance between them only increased.

"Is this all the power you have, knight? Have you really fallen so much?" the woman taunted.

"You haven't beaten me yet. A dragon can't win by just roaring at its prey," said Hildegarde, smirking.

"Don't you have that cursed power in you? Geass." Hu started. "Use it! Search my soul and try and disrupt my drive again! Just try."

Hildegarde closed her eyes as she remembered that details. In her haste to recall this woman as an opponent, she has almost forgotten their last encounter. This was the secret Imperial Child of the Chinese Federation. Her Geass had shown her that. But the limits of her Geass made seeing anything more impossible. She could try, and she would. Recalling her first fight with Hiromi Tohdoh, her Geass had provided a critical advantage, but her Geass wouldn't activate again for this woman, no matter how she strained her eyes.

"I don't need to rely on such things to slay you," said Hildegarde in a low voice, settling on as much.

"Suit yourself. It's your death, knight!" Hu called and then fired off her cannons again.

Hildegarde swept down, under the blasts rapidly and then into an upward full force slash. Hu launched her three slash harkens straight for the blade, grasping it and stilling it. She then prepared her cannons again. Hildegarde put more power behind her blade and cut through the harkens. However, the blasts could not be full avoided. _Galahad Renascence'_s right side was damaged heavily. Hildegarde could hardly move the arm. It's palm blaster and slash harkens were useless. She needed to end this. Geass wouldn't activate so there was nothing else to rely on. She went into a full force charge at the other.

"This is your end, dragon of the Federation!" Hildegarde declared as her sword went thrusting straight for the enemy.

Hu gave a short laugh and moved to the side. Hildegarde wasn't going to allow that. She changed her path accordingly. But _Tianlong _proved itself to be faster and Hu proved herself to be rigidly determined. Her timing was impeccable. She moved just quick enough so as the sword only cleaved her lower legs as she flew over it and rapidly toward the _Galahad Renascence. _

There was no avoiding it. Hildegarde couldn't do anything, but pull her ejection switch as the sword pierced straight through _Galahad Renascence'_s chest. She only narrowly escaped.

"Watch me, Miss Xianglin. You've made me strong!" Hu said quietly as she slashed upward through the machine effortlessly, cleaving it's head as Hildegarde flew back.

"I'm sorry, Yasuko…" said Hildegarde, knowing there was no way about it. Unlike every fight for her thus far, this fight was nothing but a loss.

---

Alain Renard, as was the EU alias he had given himself, sat inside the cockpit of his knightmare, analyzing the complexities of the data being displayed on the sensors as he formulated a strategy. He didn't intend to fight himself. He was nothing if not a novice as a pilot. He never once imagined he'd ever touch a knightmare frame, much less pilot one of them. But it far more efficient to command the EU's armies while amongst them then it would be from a distance. If it was one thing he had learned over the years, efficiency was key to any enterprise.

Which is why his disguise hit hims as wrong somehow. It was extravagant, with its fake hair and eye color, face mask and showy coat. So much of it seemed unnecessary, even if he did suppose it left an impression. That woman had given it to him to wear and he had made the deal to serve her in this capacity. For the sake of his ambitions, he would comply.

And so Alain continued studying the many displays present inside his knightmare, named _Jason, _in reference to one of the greatest of Ancient Greek heros, by that woman, who had it built in secret along with five other models. To her credit, the _Jason _was an impressive unit. It was black in color, with red highlights to the arms and legs and a red helmet-shaped head. It had black energy wings, framed by red. As it's primary weapon, it had a claw shaped like the head of a lion baring its jaws. In its other hand was a large shield.

Alain almost felt bad that such an exquisite unit would not engage in combat today, but then again he didn't want to die on this battlefield, and though the Druid System and keyboard controls made working the machine similar to working a high-powered computer, Alain lacked the confidence to put himself at risk just yet.

"Orders, commander?" a voice started. It was one of the Four Champions, Cesia Moreva.

"Right, C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4. All of you will focus on taking down the Aerial destroyer _Huoyun._" he said in a low voice, thinking about it. There were three targets really. The destroyer, the enemy force being spear-pointed by Tohdoh of Miracles and the _Hiodoshi, _Japan's most current machine, and finally there was everything else.

"Yes, sir!" three of the four EU champions said at once. Something told Alain the fourth, Valeria Giullare was nodding inside her cockpit unaware that he couldn't see her.

"Good," said Alain as he considered who to move out next. There were just two enemy customs but neither was someone to be underestimated. He would make use of that woman's personal soldiers then.

"R-1, X-3, and all units in squad S, take the point. Challenge the enemy force head on," said Alain. "I'll provide rear support if necessary."

"Yes, sir!" a storm of voices sounded. Due to volume controls, two female voices stood out, one soft and eager, the other depressed and jaded.

"Good. X-1, X-2, everyone else, spread out, surround and crush the enemy, and don't stop until there is nothing left," said Alain coldly.

"Yes, sir!" hundreds of voices said all at once.

Alain smirked. This wasn't so bad. He could do this. He would do this. For his effort he would have power over the Britannian throne once more.

---

Margaret Enneagram was ready for battle. _Ywain_ was in top form and ready for battle, improved with rapid fire mechanisms on its guns after having been refurbished, More over she herself was ready for this fight. She was a Knight of the Rounds now. This was her first fight in such a high position, and though it was a lot of pressure, that made her want to succeed even more. Thus she rushed through the skies over Japan, looking for an opponent she would be proud to defeat. She ran straight into a field of restless fire.

Pulling back she analyzed her surroundings. In front of her was a strange machine. It was sleek and curved in overall design, with a dark blue and green color motif. Most peculiarly, it had eight arms, each one holding a custom handgun. Margaret couldn't even fathom the dexterity required to make use of such a setup efficiently.

"Eh… interesting… this looks like a fight," Margaret started with a quiet laugh.

"Heh, so it's _Ywain _who ends up as my new _Baofeng'_s first unfortunate victim," an excited masculine voice said.

"_Baofeng? _I suppose that makes it the spiritual successor of the _Dongfeng _Lady Winfield destroyed," said Margaret, with a harsh laugh. "But does a new paint job and more needless limbs really make it any better?"

"I don't know. You'll have to tell me after this fight is at its end," said the pilot who Margaret knew from records to go by the name of Wu Chaowei. "That is if you're not dead."

"Confidence is good, but I do not intend to lose this fight," said Margaret in a strong voice.

"Then bring it," said Wu. "Prove you can take the heat of the Federation's ace head on!"

Margaret smiled; even if it was a self-proclaimed title, a victory over an "ace" piloting a new unit would more than suffice to prove her worth as a knight of the Rounds. She drew her guns and let her Geass blare. It was rather obvious this man's speciality was gunplay. She just had to match him at it. Guns blared on both sides after that. Margaret was damn thankful for the rapid-fire mechanisms on her rifles, as she abused them while zipping through the air in time with _Baofeng, _either unit trying to ensnare the other and fill it with holes, but most blasts ricocheting off the other's shields which gradually depleted.

But _Ywain'_s shields were depleting faster. It was obvious. His guns were slower and not as powerful, but Wu had eight of them as opposed to two. Margaret had to think of something fast or she was surely going to regret it. The image of her body lined with innumerable gaping holes entered her head. She wanted to avoid realizing that image. Quickly she fired off her Gefjun cable slash harkens, trying to stall the machine.

"Heh! Like hell I'm going to let you freeze me with those!" Wu shouted as eight small slash harkens fired off at once to force the two back quickly, before the barrage started again.

Margaret realized quickly that her shields were gone, as blasts started to shake _Ywain _vigorously, and her systems started to beep and buzz as damages were reported to her. She cursed. Was she this useless? Last time she lost to her over-enthusiastic schoolmate, Miya Ashford, now she was losing to some full of himself loser? She clenched her fist at the thought. She couldn't admit defeat just like that. She wanted to win. She needed to win.

"If I can't beat you at your own game, I'll have to rely on my own strength," Margaret said as she stopped her Geass, stowed her rifles at her hips and unsheathed her two trusty swords. This might hurt. Even so, it was her only chance. She charged in head first through the storm of fire, swords held out. Wu began to back off, trying to keep distance, while keeping up a consistent fire. Holes were finding _Ywain's _armor all over. One pierced the cockpit and hit Margaret's shoulder, the blast was lessened considerably in piercing through the armor, but it still stung like hell.

But Margaret stayed strong. She aimed for the arms. In eight motions, one after the other, she found perfect aim. Somehow, everything worked. Each of _Baofeng'_s arms was cleaved from its torso. Margaret was prepared to issue a finishing blow.

"Damn you! Why can't I win?!" Wu shouted as he made his escape quickly.

Margaret smirked, satisfied as she turned around, ready to find a new opponent, sure they would succeed that day. She didn't have to wait long as it was. Right before her was an all too familiar unit, it's massive lance was barely blocked by _Ywain'_s sword in time. Margaret's eyes narrowed as she looked the unit up and down.

"So, it's you again, Amelia Gottwald?" she said as she stared the all too familiar _Brunnhilde _down, smirking. She didn't care about how odd this was, considering it should have been destroyed by the EU and its Absolution backers were gone, she had wanted a rematch with this unit for a long time now.

"Oh, I suppose it is," Amelia said, her voice more distant than before. Margaret continued smiling.

"I know all your tricks now! I won't make the same mistakes! I've won this fight!" Margaret declared.

"Then prove it," said the other. "Show me you can win."

With that, Margaret shoved off the other's lance. She pulled out one gun and kept one sword, she let the gun blaze as she went into a full on sword attack. Amelia parried it sloppily with the base of her lance and then did something very, very odd. She fired a very bright green hadron converger style blast somehow from the middle of her sword. Margaret hardly had time to react. She survived with her life, but a good chunk of _Ywain'_s lower body was entirely lost.

Margaret growled. This woman had even more tricks? Damn her! Margaret was unsure again. This was a difficult opponent at full strength and yet she was already weakened. She would die if she fought. She didn't want to die. She had people to live for: Mother, Ava…. Why would she be thinking about that guy?! She shook her head and cursed her erratic thought patterns. She needed to use her Geass again and just hope it pulled her through. If she could match this woman's skill she might just stand a chance.

Margaet's Geass started, and she then got the shock of her life. Something in her brain clicked and then a splitting headache ran deep into her brain making her want to scream. At the same time, something else happened to make her want to scream. She looked down. She wasn't' herself anymore. She was… she was him… she was that bastard, Glen Esmay.

"W-what the h-hell?!" Margaret started, shocked to find his voice leave her mouth. "What is this?!" she shouted fearfully as her hands left the controls entirely to grope her own body. Everything was still there as it should be, despite what it looked like. It was strange, surreal.

"Hey, kid! Don't let your guard down!" an unfamiliar voice called to her and she looked up. _Brunnhilde _wasn't_ Brunnhilde _anymore, it was now instead _Lancelot Albion, _which shouldn't have even existed in this time.

Margaret pulled her escape trigger then and there, too confused and freaked out to continue fighting. Her brain swirled as she let go of her Geass. She became herself again, but the crippling headache didn't leave her. She shook her pained head wondering what in the hell had just happened.

---

Megami Subarashii was in a foul mood. Deifilia was forcing her to fight for the EU. The young girl Megami had once loved and protected as a sister had trapped her dear friend with her Geass for that woman, leaving Chiharu at that woman's mercy. This meant Megami was at that woman's mercy. This meant Megami would do what she said. She had no choice. She would not risk Chiharu's safety. Ever. For anything.

So here she was, the shameless mercenary flying her _Onryou _for what would be her third army. She was spear-pointing the unfortunate charge at the order of the suspiciously familiar masked commander, Renard. She hated it. She hated everything about it. But she was trapped again. For Chiharu, for a memory lingering in her past, Megami would not let this defeat her. She would defeat whoever stood in her way.

It just so happened that that someone would be the twin pilots of the _Hiodoshi. _Megami frowned at its sight. Children piloted this machine. The thought of hurting them made her mind flash twenty years into the past. She didn't want this fight, but she had no choice. Renard was acting as Deifilia's eyes. He was keeping close watch on this fight. It was his report that would decide Chiharu's fate.

"No, you're joking?! _Onryou'_s the opponent?!" an enthusiastic voice declared.

"You should be grateful you ended up in this fight, Megami Subarashii. A certain comrade of ours has pledged to do anything for the opportunity to brutally kill you," said a voice that sounded almost exactly like the first, but far more subdued.

Megami knew the name of this comrade without asking. Hiromi Tohdoh had every right to hate her. She deserved that woman's fury. She closed her eyes as she thought this. She then opened them and stared ahead. What she could say was limited. Everything that passed through her speakers was being monitored by Renard.

"I don't fear such things. Come, let's fight. I don't intend to let you win," said Megami in a low voice.

"Status report, R-1?" Renard voice came in through her speakers, obviously picking up her words and curious as to who they were directed.

"Now engaging enemy custom unit, _Hiodoshi,_" said Megami quietly.

"Good, try not to fail. I'd rather stay out of the fight, myself," said Alain, sounding even more strangely familiar when Megami couldn't see him, for some reason.

"Heh! Let's get her, sis!" the cheerful twin called.

"Right, let's, Katsumi," the other agreed. And with that, the fight started.

Megami fell back and fired a blast from her radiant wave shooter. It was diffused on _Hiodoshi'_s shield. _Hiodoshi _then lifted its claws and fired its eight thin beams at _Onryou. _Megami, swerved up and back, avoiding everything she could. One blast nicked her, dealing some damage to her shields. Megami had to win this fight, but even with its nerve controls, _Onryou _was at the disadvantage against the powerful _Hiodoshi_. But Megami, of course, had her infamous trick. She let her Geass blare, and disappeared from sight.

"Whoa! Awesome, she really can become invisible!" the more excitable sister, Katsumi, said.

"Yeah, sis. Just awesome. We have to fight her, you know?" said the other girl, who Megami knew from records to be called Katsue, even if she hadn't ever really talked to these girls.

"Oh yeah, guess your right…" the other sister laughed.

Megami flew up and fired a blast at the girls while they were unaware. This time, the _Hiodoshi'_s shield could be seen wearing thin. Megami gave a nod. The girls aimed their claws upward and fired up their beams. They were horribly close to on point, surprising Megami. The girl working the weaponry had powerful senses. Megami flew around a bit, trying to lose her and then shot three blasts in quick succession while still moving, the last penetrated the _Hiodoshi'_s shields and actually scored a hit on its armor, doing some physical damage.

But the counter was sharp. This girl really did have ace perception. One of the beams actually hit _Onryou _and sliced off some of its hip armor. And who ever was moving the thing was just as good. She didn't miss a beat. _Hiodoshi _was charging straight in her direction like it could see her clearly. Megami wondered if knightmare skills really weren't genetic as she flew to the right of a swift approaching claw. Rapidly she fired off a Gefjun jammer, which connected and gave her a good five seconds to put some distance between her and the twins.

She then fired off another two blasts. The girls actually avoided one of them somehow, despite not seeing where it came from. Megami's respect only deepened after the _Hiodoshi'_s missile launchers suddenly deployed, most of them scoring hits before the fierce machine could cut through the smoke and claw one of _Onryou'_s legs off.

"Wow, we got her! This is easier than I thought!" Katsumi cheered.

"Even I'm impressed, Katsumi. You're so sharp it's scary," said Katsue with a low laugh. "But one hit doesn't equal a win."

"Let's bring this traitor down!" shouted Katsumi brightly.

"Of course," the other girl said quietly.

Megami gave a frown. She was doing this for Chiharu. That meant she couldn't fail. She may have been fighting particularly gifted children, but she'd remind them that they were just children. Confidence found her and that confidence fueled her attacks.

She swept down as she launched a blast straight the beams converged on her location, she pushed back and activated her powerful central hadron cannons. This thus far unused weapon caught the girls off guard, but they were quick. Most of the right arms was destroyed, but it was still attached and just sparking.

"Now, Katsumi! While it's still usable!" Katsue started, panicked.

_Hiodoshi'_s claws locked together strangely and a powerful energy wave built between its palms. The ensuing blast's blast radius was incredible. There was no way to avoid it. She took a severe hit, dead on. Things became hot and she could hear something explode. She swore she was going to die. And thought about those dearest to her, living and dead.

But then she, miraculously, didn't die. She was shoved many, many feet back and everything was sparking and blaring at her, but _Onryou _was still together and still had power. She was surprised. She was also thankful.

"Did we get her?" asked Katsumi. _Hiodoshi'_s damage arm had been torn apart in the blast.

"I-I think so…" Katsue said, unsure of herself.

Megami remained quiet and at a distance. She looked down at the controls and spoke into the comm.

"Commander Renard, I took a heavy hit. I think I'm going to need assistance," she said in a low voice.

No response came. This made her smile. The blast had cut her off from that bastard's watch. Now she needed to convey a message. And to do that, she needed to disarm the enemy. She aimed carefully and quietly, stilling her quivering hand with tremendous effort and pulled the trigger for the radiant wave shooter. It was a direct hit. Both girls gave simultaneous cries as the left arm of their knightmare was sniped off at the elbow joint. Megami then rushed in, as fast as her heavily damage machine could, cornering her opponent.

"Please, before you escape, listen to me! I won't attack again!" Megami called out in a strong voice.

"You're a traitorous enemy and you expect us to believe you?" Katsue scoffed harshly, the disappointment clear in her voice.

"I want you to know that she's safe. No harm has come to her," Megami said quietly.

"Chiharu? Why'd you take her in the first place?" Katsumi huffed.

"It was a mistake. I wanted to help her, and perhaps I did… but it was at a price not worth paying," said Megami in a low voice.

"What sort of nonsense are you babbling?!" Katsue shouted. "How is this possibly helping?!"

"Nothing is what it seems, girl," said Megami in a somber voice. "Things are happening beneath the surface now, nightmarish things. We're all being controlled, our desires, they're being twisted for the nefarious purpose of reshaping the world to the vision of a single depraved individual."

"W-what?! What does that mean?! Stop saying strange things!" Katsumi shouted coldly.

"No, Katsumi… we should listen to this. I don't know if we should believe her, but we should listen," said Katsue.

"Umm… okay, sis," the other girl replied feebly.

"I can't tell you much. I couldn't have told you anything if that last shot of yours hadn't knocked out my long range communications. For my safety and Chiharu's, even now what I can say here is limited, but I will say this. There is more happening than just this war. There's a whole other layer that's threatening to rise to the surface. When it does, there'll be no way out. We'll have already lost," Megami spoke in a very low voice, her words quiet and placed.

"What do you want us to do?" asked Katsue in a quiet.

"The best thing you could do is convince the world to stop fighting," said Megami in an earnest voice.

Katsue laughed harshly. "That's a good joke, woman I suppose it's expected of someone who actually calls herself 'Megami Subarashii'." The girl paused and gave another laugh. "Do you honestly think this war could be stopped by me and my sister?"

"Battleship _Hitokage. _Go there and find Chiharu's room onboard. She told me that she scribbled down some coordinates in a the back cover of her old training manual," said Megami, her voice very subdued.

"And what will we find at the place they point to?" asked Katsumi in a soft voice.

"Someone who may be the last one who could help us," said Megami, her voice weak.

"An absurd story you tell, woman," said Katsue in a sincere voice. "you're a thief, mercenary, kidnapper and all around traitor and yet, for some reason, I'm tempted to believe you."

"This gun still works," said Megami. "If I was lying to you, if my aim was only as your enemy, wouldn't I be firing it?"

"Ha, well enough," said Katsue. "We're ejecting, Katsumi. We've failed. We must hope the General and the rest of the force can handle everything else," said Katsue.

"Right, sis!" shouted Katsumi and then a cockpit flew from the machine's back.

Megami turned back and prepared a fabricated report for the end of the fight to give to Renard. She smiled, a small bit of hope restored in her.

---

Regina Granville's face was blank as she bombarded Japanese Battleship _Hikyuu _relentlessly with everything she had. It was a well built ship, and countless knightmares were pouring out of it to challenge her, but it wouldn't last. _Bedivere Godhand'_s power could not be deterred by such simple machines. Her giant blades moved to effortlessly slay the encroaching enemies, as effortlessly as if she was swatting flies.

And _Hikyuu'_s shields just grew dimmer and dimmer until they were gone. Soon Regina's attacks were finding solid metal. The ship's gun turrets still had a way to go on her own powerful shields and she was well out of the path of its massive hadron cannon and was keeping it that way. There was no defense.

Finally she lit up both her hadron cannons and her converger beam at once. A massive hole was drilled deep into the _Hikyuu _as it was cleaved completely in two. Vicious, fiery explosions ran through both halves and soon it was nothing but fire in the sky, falling rapidly down to the Earth below as the humans inside were rapidly burned to a painful death. Regina smiled at the judgement she had cast and turned around, prepared to do the same thing to the _Hitokage. _

And she caught sight of something peculiar then. Her partner for the mission, Niles Moore, was ejecting from his _Agravain. _Regina tilted her head as she questioned what had caused this. _Agravain _was a powerful juggernaut, not quite on _Bedivere Godhand'_s level, but an acceptable second. What could best it in combat like that?

As Regina wondered this, her eyes found a strange unit in the air. It was white in color with pink accents and was, very strangely, horse-shaped, with bright white wings coming out the back. Regina approached it slowly, ready to shoot it out of the sky. It came galloping toward her.

Something even odder happened then. The horse-knightmare opened its mouth and a long, thick-cabled slash harken shout out. It pierced readily through Regina's half depleted shield and lodged itself just under her armor. Her monitor was promptly hijacked.

"Mwahaha! You can never defeat my _Pegasus _now!!! I can see you!!!" a man appeared on the screen, he was kind of normal looking but at the same time completely insane looking. It was odd. His eyes met Regina's and then strange things got stranger.

She could no longer move herself normally. Everything was in slow-motion. Her reactions took forever. What the hell was this? She couldn't do anything like this. Over the course of what seemed like an hour, all she could do was make inane jerking motions as a very slow beam of white light shot from a cannon that emerged from inside the horse's forehead, and pierced her armor deep.

Then things suddenly sped up to many times their usual speed. Regina was so taken aback by this sudden change that she found it impossible to accustom herself to it a first and took three more hits from the head cannon. When she finally did get around to her super speed, things slowed down again.

Realizing she couldn't take too many more hits and that this battle just wasn't winnable, Regina Granville did something she had never considered doing since the day she lost her Brother. She ran. She found her eject switch and pulled it, as quickly as the time crawl allowed her to. Her ejected cockpit flew to safety as time returned to normal.

---

Cesia Moreva wore a stern expression as she watched the powerful Aerial Destroyer _Huoyun _come crashing down to the Earth. It hadn't stood a chance. As big and powerful a ship as it was, against all four of the EU's champions, it never stood a chance. She closed her eyes in respect of the fallen warriors inside before turning back.

"We've completed the mission, Commander Renard. _Huoyun _has fallen_," _Mayer reported in for the group

"Excellent. Good work," said Renard. "Your orders now are to continue onward. Join up with X-1 and X-2 and plow through the Federation's remaining force. Don't stop until the Vermillion Forbidden City is ours."

"W-what?!" Cesia exclaimed, her eyes wide at the statement.

"What do you mean the Vermilion City? We're nowhere near the capital! You can't be ordering us to capture the entire Federation in a single operation?!" shouted Mayer, clearly as taken aback as she was.

"And why not? Why hold back? Why give our enemy any other chances? Let's take everything while we still can," said Renard in a quiet voice with a low laugh. The words received applause.

"Brilliant! A true genius of war you are, Alain! As expected of my countryman!" Valentin lauded the call, "Let us go forth, not stopping until the Tianzi is safely in our hands!"

"Do the rest of you understand?" asked Renard.

"Yes, sir, Mayer and Cesia responded at once. Valeria remained unresponsive. Ever since her Geass had become active, she had become even less likely to talk to people.

"Good," said Renard. "Good luck. Do not fail me, or the master we all serve."

Cesia snarled at those words and the memories they conjured up.

---

Callista Blackwell had confidence in her eyes as _Morganna _flew across the Japanese skies, destroying anything unlucky enough to cross its path. She knew it would only be a matter of time before that changed. As it was, it was sooner than expected that an opponent stepped before her. Shining, not too far in the distance, was the knightmare frame _Jinketsu, _holding its battle spear rigid and steady.

"So then, my opponent would be the girl called Chiharu Ohgi today, I suppose?" Callista spoke with a smirk.

"Is that some sort of joke, Britannian?" a girl's voice, full of deep-seeded hate, spoke. "Don't tell me you don't know that that's impossible?"

"Oh, was that girl killed? I never heard," said Callista, shrugging.

"You really don't know that you guys took her. She was wounded and yet you Britannians kidnapped her…" the girl said in a low, harsh growl.

"Did we now? I wonder why that would be…" Callista started. It was peculiar. Why kidnap a wounded Japanese soldier, even if she was a reputed Geass user? "So who are you then?"

"Hiromi Tohdoh," the girl replied. "And this is our second time meeting in battle."

"Is it? I honestly lose track of those things," Callista said through a sigh.

"You were the first opponent me and Chiharu ever faced. That day, the day everything started, you humiliated us and killed a friend of ours," said Hiromi in a low growl.

"Oh? You were one of those three? How amusing," Callista laughed. "I'm surprised you lasted this long…"

"You defeated me then… but today… I will settle for nothing less than seeing you dead!" Hiromi said with slow building anger, lining her voice.

"My my, I wonder if you can," said Callista with a short laugh. "But if every fool who I once humiliated with defeat could make good on his promise to kill me, I'd be dead hundreds of time over by now."

"The one I will kill you for is not myself!" Hiromi shouted, unhinged.

"Oh, I butchered one of your loved ones? How fun," Callista laughed cruelly.

"It was your unit that shot down the prisoner transport that crashed into New Pendragon, was it not?" Hiromi asked, in a threatening voice.

"Why of course," said Callista, smiling. She remembered that moment perfectly, the destruction she had caused, the fire it had left in her. It was incredible, achingly satisfying, even if it had led to her being reprimanded by an irate Lady Waldstein… even if she questioned if she should still enjoy such things. "I sent those prisoners, burning, screaming to a delicious and certain death."

"You killed her! You killed my sister!" Hiromi shouted and soon _Jinketsu'_s spear was trying to pierce through _Morganna'_s shields. She pressed back, and made a swipe at the other machine with one of her scythe blades, putting distance back between them as Hiromi evaded it.

"Oho? Did I now? How wonderful. I'm sure her cries were beautiful as her body burnt to ash, confused as to why it was happening to her," Callista laughed evilly, excited for this fight now. She was ashamed of herself. Not even Eilith could change her nature.

"You monster!" Hiromi shouted, a seething, hellish fury in her voice. "Prepare to die!" The girl made another hard slash with her spear. Callista caught it with her to blades, crossed before her.

"That's it. Show me the depths of your anger, your hatred! Show me the beautiful sorrow in your soul!" Callista called, a mad smile on her face as a low cackle escaped her lips.

"I'll show you Hell! That's what I'll show you!" shouted Hiromi her rage admirable, and delicious.

Callista laughed. No words came for a while after that. Hiromi turned to talking with her spear. It spoke just as loudly as she did, with equal fire and intensity. Every blow was fierce beyond belief. Callista had to be careful. Her shields would only last through a few of these. She couldn't take many hits. The girl didn't relent. Callista would have thought she'd get tired of moving her hands after a while, but the girl's bloodlust seemed ready to push her forward forever.

Callista had to move quickly. Locking the spear on one of her scythes, she fired the other off past _Jinketsu _along its harken booster and tried to hook it back and around the enemy unit. It worked. _Jinketsu _was caught in her clutches. Or so she was. Hiromi raised her custom hand gun in her unrestrained left hand and fired it point blank at _Morganna_'s center. As Callista fell just slightly back, she aimed another blast at the scythe harken's cable and shot at that too, destroying it and breaking one of _Morganna'_s key weapons from its body.

Callista frowned as she fell back and turned to her converger beams, letting both blaze brightly on a path toward _Jinketsu. _Hiromi maneuvered herself excellently, but Callista was a smart pilot. She may have had just one scythe harken left, but she knew how to use it. She fired it on a wide horizontal path and then calculated quietly how the girl was going to avoid it. She crossed her other hand over the scythe arm and fired her beam from it, just as the girl started to move.

It was a direct hit. _Jinketsu'_s shield was immediately penetrated and the left shoulder was destroyed entirely, causing the attached arm to crumble entirely. Callista smiled. The rest was easy. This was a defeated opponent now. All she had to do was land the finishing blow. She aimed _Morganna'_s palms steadily.

"I won't lose to you!" Hiromi shouted, as furious as ever, not staying down.

Even with one arm, she was putting all her strength into every motion of her spear. Callista laughed at the girl's seemingly futile struggle. This could go nowhere. It was kind of fun, but she had better just end it. Catching the spear on her blade again, she aimed her free palm. The girl anticipated the ensuing beam this time and pulled off rapidly. Callista anticipated this move and quickly fired her scythe harken on a direct course for _Jinketsu. _

She didn't anticipate the girl's next move though. Hiromi didn't even try to doge the projectile blade flying rapidly toward her. Instead she attacked it at the cable. This was unbelievably risky. The girl had to be damn sure of her timing or the blade would be cutting deep into her armor. That's why, when it actually worked, when Callista's second slash harken was cleaved off from its booster by a well time slash of the fierce battle spear, Callista was nothing short of impressed. Hiromi Tohdoh was serious. There was no fear within her, just a limitless desire to kill. For some reason, this made Callista smile.

She fell back. She had nothing to rely on but her beams now. She kept them blazing as she weaved them back and forth through the sky, while Hiromi did every acrobatic maneuver she could think of to avoid them. She succeeded too. Nothing seemed to hit the girl. She was moving like she could predict Callista's movements before she made them. Callista couldn't explain it: skill, luck, fate, the protection of those she fought to avenge? No matter the reason, the truth remained the same, she couldn't find a hit.

Hiromi could.

"I see. Your hate really was all the strength you needed," said Callista as she stared at the spear blade piercing into her cockpit at a high, upward angle. She had hardly seen Hiromi's reckless, full force spear thrust, which went fast right between her beams before it was too late to put up a defense. Now the blow had been scored. Her knightmare wouldn't survive this. Escaping in time would be impossible.

"Your rein of murder and terror is at its end," said Hiromi in a strong voice. "And Yasuko is avenged."

"You're truly naive if you think that, girl," said Callista. "A sword is not blamed for who it cuts. It's a halfhearted revenge if it ends with me."

"Shut up and die!" Hiromi shouted as she ripped the spear forcefully from _Morganna'_s frame.

Callista closed her eyes. She had regrets, lots of them, but there was no fear of death inside her. There was only one thought that lingered with her as white-hot fired began to explode into her cockpit, consuming her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have known you longer… my dearest… Eilith…"

---

Marcella Belita had something of a smile on her face as she flew her knightmare swiftly through the front lines of the Chinese Federation force, tearing apart every unit that crossed her with incredible ease. She was fighting for Miss Deifilia, and so she was going to make Miss Deifilia proud. Losing was not an option. Nothing could stand in her way.

Her knightmare frame, designed by Miss Deifilia specifically for her in secret, was called _Medusa. _It was a fairly cutting edge model, very small in size, but making up for it in terms of speed and speciality. It was black in color with purple accents, including purple hair cable extensions down the back, and white wings. It's primary weapons were two sharp, piercing thin slash harkens, very long and large in size, that kind of gave the impression of miniature javelins, or hugely oversized nails. It had a large eye visor over its head, much like Marcella herself.

With _Medusa_, Marcella was making short work of her enemies. They were too slow for her. But as she moved through the mass of useless machines, her eyes narrowed on a single machine that stood out in the crowd. It was special. She had seen it in the exhaustive records Miss Deifilia had shown her and recognized it immediately. It was _Zangetsu Tensai. _Looking at it now, something about it seemed oddly nostalgic.

"An interesting unit," a deep, aged voice spoke from the machine, striking a strange chord with Marcella, even if she could swear she never heard it before. "I don't believe I've seen anything like it in the files… I suppose it's something new."

Marcella didn't speak. She had nothing to say to her master's enemies. It was best to end this fight as soon as possible. Yes, that was right. For Miss Deifilia, _Zangetsu Tensai _had to be destroyed.

"Engaging _Zangetsu Tensai, _commander," Marcella reported into the private channel that connected her to EU field commander, Alain Renard.

"Understood, X-3. Be on guard, his unit's a little dated, but the man is famed for making miracles happen," Renard replied in a low voice.

"Right, I'll be careful," said Marcella with a rigid nod.

Her eyes focused intently on the _Zangetsu Tensai, _as she calculated how to approach. She decided using her Geass was in order. There were a lot of generic knightmares in her sphere of influence. Activating her Geass, every one of them became part of a network of eyes for her to borrow. Her visor, which the sage had foreseen her needing before she had even actually acquired her Geass, plugged into her brain and allowed her to process different sights and angles at once. Of course, if she used her power too extensively, she risked damaging her brain.

As most of the extraneous targets were moving and involved in their own fights, they weren't wholly useful. Instead, Marcella focused her attentions on her opponent's eyes and her own, seeing what he saw simultaneous with her own sight. This made predicting his movements easy. She was sure even miracles wouldn't be enough to make up for this difference.

"I don't care if you wish to speak or not," the Japanese General, named Kyoshiro Tohdoh according to documents, spoke. "Let us get started."

Marcella liked that idea. She was ready for this. She charged in swiftly, stabbing at _Zangetsu Tensai _with either of her hand spikes. Tohdoh evaded the first and parried the second with his powerful sword, Seidoutou, effectively pushing her back. She backed up further and then shot the left nail-spike off on a clear trajectory, the thick silvery harken cable revealing itself as it fired toward the enemy unit.

Tohdoh parried this attack and the similar one following it from the right projectile. He then opened fire with his chest-mounted guns. Surprisingly, these had been updated from what was on the data sheet. Machine guns had been replaced by more modern, miniature rapid-fire blasters. Marcella's shields caught the blasts, but _Medusa_ wasn't a defensive unit. She had to be careful with these.

Tohdoh charged her after that, engaging her directly with Seidoutou. Marcella caught it with one of her spikes quickly and took a short jab at the underside of _Zangetsu Tensai. _She started up one of _Medusa_'s special systems. _Medusa _began to hastily drain power from _Zangetsu Tensai_'s energy reserves. Using Tohdoh's eyes she watched as he seemed to notice and pushed back on his controls as an angle. She nodded and fired her second mini-javelin accordingly.

It pierced again, and Marcella claimed even more of his energy before he could pull away and break out his chest guns once more. Marcella scrambled to the side and came to a stop.

"A fearsome ability, your knightmare has," said Tohdoh. "You're a worthy opponent."

Marcella stared ahead, still not saying anything, contemplating her next move as she looked through Tohdoh's eyes trying to figure out what he would do.

"But I will accept nothing short of victory," said Tohdoh. "For the sake of Japan, this war effort and my family, I will defeat you and everyone else who challenges me.

This was admirable spirit, and Marcella honestly felt a little empathy now. Maybe more than she let off. Something in his voice still did feel off with her, like it was resonating somewhere deep inside her that she couldn't even see.

"So, what of you? What do you fight for?" asked the man.

Marcella knew she shouldn't speak but something in her made her feel obligated. She replied simply. "Love."

"T-that… no… I'm surprised, such ferocity in a girl your age," said Tohdoh, his voice revealing a strange apprehension. "But I had two girls around your age, both soldiers, both warriors to be respected… in their own way…"

"They were killed?" asked Marcella, tilting her head at the word "had".

Tohdoh gave a strange, hesitant pause at the question for some inexplicable reason, as if something seemed off to him. He then spoke in a very deliberate, restrained voice. "One was lost in the effort against Britannia. The other still fights."

"I'm sorry to hear that. But as your enemy, there is no consolation I can give you," said Marcella in a low voice.

"Y-Yasu-…" the man started, then came to a halt. "No, that's impossible…" he paused again and then asked in a low voice, "Could I have your name, girl?"

"Marcella Belita" Marcella said, nodding. "Why?"

"Please forgive me, your voice is all but identical to that of my deceased daughter. It has me caught off my guard," said Tohdoh in a solemn voice. Marcella frowned at the words. She didn't want to kill this guy now. He seemed nice, if a little stiff. He was comparing his enemy to his own daughter, that was powerful sentimentality and it set strangely in Marcella's heart.

But she had promised not to disappoint Miss Deifilia. Marcella didn't have her memories, but she knew the realities of war still. She knew that good people had to die for any cause to be realized. This man was her enemy. She was mature enough to understand what that meant.

"I'm sorry," she spoke. "But let's not talk anymore then. We're here to fight."

"Of course," the man replied solemnly, clearly more upset than he let on.

_Zangetsu Tensai'_s guns began to blaze again. Marcella swept down and under them, and then fired both her spikes up at an angle. Seidoutou beat them back and then slashed rapidly through the air toward her. She had calculated the angle from seeing Tohdoh move the controls with Geass and was feet away from him by the time his sword stroke stilled. She decided then that it was time to end this fight.

A very small cannon emerged from out of _Medusa'_s eye visor. It fired a single projectile at the _Zangetsu Tensai. _This projectile exploded into hundreds of tiny machines in the air and floated around the machine. _Zangetsu Tensai _began to fall, the Gefjun particle field encasing it robbing it of all function.

"I'm sorry, sir. You were outmatched today," said Marcella in a quiet voice as a large cannon emerged from out of _Medusa_'s chest.

"I'm lucky in a sense. Even if you're someone different… I at least got to hear my dear Yasuko's voice once more… before the end…" Tohdoh said, a quiet, beautiful emotion in his aged voice.

Marcella's ultimate weapon erupted. Pure white light erupted from out of it, enveloping the _Zangetsu Tensai _completely in a blaze of the purest white_. _Nothing was left when the massive blast cleared.

Marcella felt weak. She felt sick. For Miss Deifilia she had downed a powerful, reputable enemy general, but she hardly felt accomplished. She didn't understand it. Tears were streaming from her was a sad thing, this man's fate, but he was a simple stranger, and what's more, an enemy. Why was she crying so much for him?

Why wouldn't the tears stop?

---

Astrid Weinberg had nothing but strength and passion behind her as she flew to the front of the battle, ready to fight for the sake of her beloved. She had to fight. She had to win. As Ava's knight, losses were no longer tolerable, regardless of the opponent she faced.

Helping her in this new outlook, was a new knightmare. _Mórrígan _was its name, and in a lot of ways it was the antithesis of her shimmering gold _Viviane. _It was black in color, with green accents. In its right hand was an adjustable beam weapon, that resembled a sword in most states, an attempt at mimicking the EU's technology used in _Roland'_s Durendal that ended up a different thing altogether. In its left hand was a medium sized circular shield with a cross of six spikes sticking out of it. Much like _Constantine'_s shield, these spikes were slash harkens.

But the bow motif of _Viviane _had not been abandoned. Astrid was a practiced archer and had always enjoyed it; Ava seemed keen on forcing that into the knightmare's designs. The _Mórrígan_'s most striking feature was the two statue like figures that emerged from its back and sort of perched over its shoulders; each of them held a MVS launcher bow, equal in quality to _Viviane'_s, firmly at an easily adjustable angle. Either of them, along with the main head, had a long mane of black cable hair coming from out its back. The whole machine was surrounded by a black energy mist which propelled her forward at blinding speeds.

It was easy to become wrapped up in the machines awesome power. Extending its sword beam to a length of thirty feet, she made a quick horizontal swipe at a line of _Akatsuki. _None of them survived. Generic units were never particularly challenging, but now they were even a bigger joke. Astrid figured most custom units wouldn't even be able to compare to _Mórrígan. _The unit that appeared in front of her just might, on the other hand.

"Hmmm… interesting…" a familiar voice spoke as a unit approached. Astrid knew this unit. It was the last unit she had faced. It was the _Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. Eight Elements, _looking just slightly redesigned, seemingly lighter and sleeker in parts.

"I was hoping I'd get a chance to face you in battle once more," said Astrid, her voice holding a heaviness.

"Oh, it's you?" Kallen Kozuki spoke, surprised. "I had heard you had survived our last encounter and that Britannia had recovered you in the last battle, but do you really think things will go any differently, even if you have a new machine?"

"_Mórrígan _is not the only thing different now," said Astrid. "Everything is. I'm not the same person I was. My resolve is not so flimsy. I will not be the one begging for my life this time."

"You certainly seem to have found some new confidence, girl," Kozuki spoke bitterly. "But if your new outlook has not let you see the wrong of your empress' ways, than it meaningless."

"I don't care if she is wrong or right. I don't care what the wold says. I'll fight for Ava's sake," said Astrid in an intense voice. "I'll fight for our love!"

"L-love?! W-wait… t-that…" Kozuki seemed surprised and flustered by this bold proclamation. "If it's like that… I can't fault you… there is no choice but to let our knightmares decide who's resolve is stronger."

"Yes. Let us fight," said Astrid, closing her eyes and preparing herself.

"Bring it!" Kozuki shouted and then zipped forward, making a forceful grab at _Mórrígan _with her infamous claw.

Astrid fell to a side and fired her shield mounted slash harkens all at once. Kozuki fired a proximity area blast as they approached, and Astrid pulled them immediately back while lengthening her sword and taking a massive swipe. Kozuki darted around it and fired her long--range claw blast. Astrid jumped up over it and fired two downward MVS arrows, at quickly calculated angles. The first was dodged, but the second pierced the _Guren'_s left leg, completely cleaving it from the machine.

Kozuki hardly seemed phased by this. She rushed forward and made a fierce swipe at _Mórrígan _with her claw. Astrid made her sword more compact and swiped it at the claw. Kozuki fired off a blast. Red light clashed with green light in the air for a long time before a miniature explosion threw both units back. But Kozuki didn't waste a second, her claw arm fired off on its harken booster, ready to make a distant grab. Astrid fell back to avoid it, but then it stopped in midair and fired a powerful proximity area blast. _Mórrígan'_s shields were torn through entirely as the chest armor was broken and distorted heavily. As much power as she now had, Astrid was not invulnerable, this was a clear reminder of that.

Astrid raised her shield and fired its harkens as the arm withdrew. _Guren _pulled its powerful MVS fork knife, now twice as long and sharp looking, and deflected all six spikes in a matter of seconds. She then fired a long-range blast from her claw arm. Astrid barreled to the right and fired two arrows, straight ahead. These were explosive arrows. They detonated when Kozuki slashed at them, causing some damage to her left arm.

Astrid fell even further back and fired four more arrows, all of the MVS variety. Guren flew through them, avoiding any hits. Astrid had anticipated this. She held her sword out straight and let it extend to great lengths, hoping to pierce the _Guren _as it did. Kozuki barely caught it in time. She barreled back, but lost much of her right shoulder plating as she did. As she came out of her horizontal roll she let her arm fire off another quick blast. _Mórrígan _flew upward readily and then charged down, her sword held out. It crossed with _Guren'_s fork knife.

Astrid was surprised her sword was deterred by the MVS blade, as impeccable as it was. While the fork knife held her off, Kozuki's claw arm moved dangerously toward her chest. Astrid raised her shield before her to hold it off. This proved something of a mistake as the claw ended up ripping the shield straight from her. It took some proximity MVS arrows to get Kozuki to back off.

And even when she did, she still had her claw arm firing off after Astrid. Astrid rushed to the side trying to avoid it, but she had trouble losing it. The harken booster attached was very advanced and gave Kozuki incredible control over it. Attacking it seemed like the thing to do, but Astrid knew, the second she stopped to do so, it would fire its punishing blast. She needed to somehow lose it. She became so preoccupied in this, she didn't notice until the very end that Kozuki had suddenly put it into recoil and made a slash with her fork knife. She jerked up a little and avoided a fatal blow, but _Mórrígan _still lost an arm.

But Astrid was willing to make this sacrifice, especially when it provided her with a clear shot. Her right bow fired a single MVS arrow down past precision aim. It clipped Guren's left wing, throwing _Guren_ woefully off balance. Both units, heavily damaged, fell back.

"It really is like you're not even the same person anymore," said Kozuki. "You're now an adversary worthy of respect. A warrior standing with your father, standing with the best."

"I'm not fighting this fight to impress you," said Astrid with a low nod. "And it's yet to reach its end."

"Right, by all means, let's continue," said Kozuki. "Let's see which of us stands victorious in the end."

"I'm ready for--" Astrid started. She cut herself off when some jumbled static blared out of her comm. She adjusted the signal and spoke into it. "Cross! What is it?"

"Yo, Astrid, orders have come in to retreat," Ulric cross spoke in a low voice, sounding displeased.

"What?! Why?!" she shouted.

"Everyone's fucking losing. Waldstein, Blackwell, Granville that old guy, they all got their asses handed to them. The enemy's broken through and all hell has broken loose. The tacticians have decided its not possible to beat them now, with just you and me," said Cross as frankly as ever. Astrid growled in irritation.

She wanted desperately to finish this fight. She needed to prove her strength by defeating this opponent. She needed to secure this win. But she couldn't just defy orders and put herself in danger needlessly. If the fight was already lost, what good would that do? As driven as she was, she was rational enough to realize there wasn't a choice to be made. It was best to escape now while _Mórrígan _could still be repaired fairly easily.

"Understood," she replied to Cross. "I'l withdraw at once."

"What's wrong?! Weren't you going to defeat me?! What's the hesitation?!" Kozuki challenged as she threw _Guren _into gear, rushing at the _Mórrígan._

"I'm sorry. My plans have changed. I must leave this fight for another day," said Astrid, regretfully. "Thank your comrades for saving you from a loss today."

With that, Astrid fired two explosive arrows on crossing trajectories in front of her. As they collided in air and caused a massive explosion, obscuring Kozuki_'_s sight with fire and smoke, she did a pin turn and bolted off in the opposite direction. Kozuki didn't give chase. Astrid grit her teeth in irritation, but she supposed she couldn't complain; it wasn't her who had failed Ava, she had stood on even terms with an opponent that once humiliated her and she would be returning safely. That was the important part, right?

---

Valeria wore a soft smile as she held her gun out. That day had been kind of fun, even if it was kind of loud. She really liked her new Geass power, which let her brain pick up and process electronic signals. Machine telepathy, was perhaps a way to explain it. Using it she had been able to quickly analyze the condition and even the makeup of enemy knightmare frames, and even the destroyer they took down and highlight their weak points. The only thing that scared her about it is that she feared one day she would have to use it against something beautiful like _Brunnhilde._

But now Valeria had been forced to leave _Bellona _behind. Her, the three other Champions and two other Geass users, Bernard Farris and Lyall Gavin, were on foot now. They were running quickly through the corridors of the Vermillion Forbidden City, the palace of the Federation's Empress. Valeria had a gun in her hand. It was her favorite gun, so she kept it shiny. She liked aiming it at the mass of guards and castle servants that tried to stop the six of them and fire it. Cesia and Elischa also had guns and were firing them with a little more caution than Valeria was.

Edouard was at the front with his boring sword, using his Geass to deceive the eyes of guards and slash their throats while they defended their hearts. Lyall and Bernard were easily doing the most damage though. Valeria liked them both; she was a little jealous of them actually. This was even more true of their beautiful friend Marcella, who Valeria hoped to befriend. Lyall had his blades, drawn out from inside his own arms, in hand and was using them to recklessly slash up everything that approached them. Meanwhile, Bernard was at the front. He let the guards stab him at various angles and simply used this Geass to cause them to reel back in pain. He would then make a wide powerful swipe with his immensely powerful arm and send every one of them into a deep, often permanent sleep.

And so they continued on, killing everything with limited effort. No one could stand up to them, it seemed. It was kind of sad really. They weren't able to do anything, and yet they just kept coming. It was kind of like how Valeria felt when generic knightmare frames would come swarming _Bellona _and she had to kill them all, except that was a little sadder.

Making their way through another cloud of guards, the six of them finally found what they were looking for. Two guards were there in the corridor, One was holding a woman's hand as they ran. The woman had long, fine white hair and very fair skin. She was instantly recognizable as The Tianzi, the leader of the Chinese Federation.

Valeria shot one of the guard between the eyes while Lyall gutted the other with his blades. Elischa grabbed the Tianzi's hand and pulled her toward him.

"Your Federation has fallen to us," he said in a stern, tired and perhaps apologetic voice voice. "You are now our prisoner, do not resist and we will not have to hurt you."

The woman didn't say anything she just looked at the man with hate, sorrow and confusion in her eyes and nodded. Elischa nodded back to her as more guards arrived to try and save her. They, of course, would be unsuccessful.

---

Ava sat in her throne, looking rather annoyed as she took in the news that had just been read to her. She shook her head. She couldn't believe it. It felt like someone was mocking her.

"Let me get this straight, Lord Weinberg," she started, looking up at her Knight of One, who had read the message to her. "We attacked a small albeit resource-rich enemy nation that should have still been undermanned from the previous fight with only our strongest cards and we lost?"

"That's right, Empress," said Gino quietly.

"Regina Granville was defeated? Niles Moore, defeated? Hildegarde Waldstein, Margaret Enneagram, defeated? Callista Blackwell... killed in action?" the last bit was said with emotion. Ava had bonded a bit with Callista and it was a very painful blow, especially when she considered what it meant for her new friend, Eilith.

"Yes, that's the report," the man confirmed in a low tone. Ava shook her head.

"And yet, Belisario Nemesio decided to apply enough pressure to capture the entire Chinese Federation in just one day?! You expect me to believe that?!" Ava challenged, eyes wide. She couldn't comprehend it.

"I can hardly believe it myself, Empress," said Gino. "It shouldn't be possible."

"I just can't understand what's happened here…" said Ava. "I half expected the balance of power to change with them acquiring her, but not so gravely. And if the Japanese have so much power now why didn't they aid their allies in the Federation?! If they could stop us, why couldn't they stop them?"

"I'm as confused as you are, Empress," said the knight. "Something in this just doesn't add up no matter how I look at it."

"Yes…" said Ava solemnly. "And we need to figure that out quickly, Lord Weinberg, else I fear Britannia will soon be taken as the fool of the world."

"Understood, Empress. I'll have my best knights on the investigation," said Gino. "We'll get to the bottom of this."

"We had better," said Ava in a tired voice. "We don't have many other options." At that moment she was feeling an unfamiliar fear. For some reason, in the pain it brought, she thought of her mother.

A/N: End chapter. Well, here we had another action chapter, but I tried to make it a little more dynamic than Turns 18 and 26; at the very least, it's not as long, being about standard chapter length. There weren't as many formal fights, and few of them were standard stuff we've seen before. The least inspired of the bunch was clearly Xuemei vs Hildegarde 3, but I made sure to have that one first; you all seem to love Hildegarde anyway, so hopefully it wasn't too dull seeing her again. Margaret vs Chaowei was another standard affair, until someone unexpected popped up in a knightmare frame and Margaret got a little mind-screwed. Megami vs. Kozuki twins was interesting to write; never wrote from the perspective of an enemy of the twins until now and it was interesting; of course, their fight opened some doors a lot of you probably had wished would stay closed; it's a bit of a spoiler, but don't worry; this won't end up being any more intrusive than last time.

Then there was the brilliant stuff with Philip and his horse shaped knightmare, Pegasus, completely and totally screwing over the previously Godlike Regina after presumably doing the same to the not quite as immense but still powerful Niles. Then there was Callista… I hated that decision; I really felt for her, but for the sake of other characters' arcs… it had to happen, and Hiromi seemed right for the job. She hadn't previously had a real moment of shining glory before, and here she got to prove herself at Callista's expense. Perhaps even sadder was the following big fight…. It ended up kind of hard to write that. I like Tohdoh, and found him a pretty cool character, but for emotional impact, he seemed more useful in this capacity then as a sidelined authority figure. Maybe I just like to torture the criminally unlucky Yasuko. She might have been better off if she had stayed dead, like in my original drafts… That fight might have eclipsed what should have been the climax, Astrid in her badass new model fighting Kallen to a standstill. The latter was still a good fight, I thought.

I would like to credit and thank MissUzumakiHinata again, this time for designing the Jason, the knightmare for her "character" (I'm sure by now you realize calling him a full character is really questionable… and if you don't just look at the info page, I'm not really trying to hide it...). And about the incredibly bland knightmare name, yes, we know, but I'm having Deifilia keep to ancient Greek non-deity Mythological names (heroes and creatures basically), and it seemed the best fit. Speaking of the new Greek named knightmares, anyone who can correctly identify the completely and totally obvious source of inspiration for the Medusa is awesome.

A new extra will be ready in a couple hours. Enjoy it. Also, I'd like to inform everyone now that there will be no new chapter next week; I have holiday travel plans and wont have time. I do however hope to get a single Extra out before all that next week. It'll be something seasonal.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Jason

Baofeng

Pegasus

Medusa

Mórrígan

I will also be updating a number of other knightmare frames to reflect upgrades.


	33. Turn 32: Conviction of the Despaired

A/N: sorry for the huge delay on this chapter. I got back from my Christmas trip and became kinda ill for a few days. I couldn't' focus too good, so I couldn't write anything. Ended up having to take a whole other week off. Which sucks. But, ah, well, at least you get a chapter now. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Lyall: "The author doesn't own Code Geass, just the stupid original characters. Got it?"

Eilith vol Britannia sat alone in her cold, empty room within the Britannian castle. She had just been informed of her mother's death in the recent battle. It was hard to bear after having just met the woman. The first person Eilith had ever had a true familiar connection with was gone now. It was heart-wrenching; it made Eilith feel as sick as it did sad.

Callista Blackwell had been an interesting woman. EIlith was very thankful to have had the opportunity to meet her at all. She was grateful for what the women did for her, telling her of her parentage, taking her away from that place and to this beautiful castle. Callista Blackwell had done so much for her in the short time they had known one another. It was pleasant days, those few they spent together. That didn't soften this blow any.

Sitting there in the dark, Eilith questioned what to do now. She was a princess but she felt powerless. She felt weak. Her passionate heart struggled to find a path forward as it sifted through the darkness that had been left all around it. She needed to step forward. She needed to take action. She wouldn't fall apart for this. This would just make her stronger.

---

Katsue Kozuki wore a somber expression on her face as she lie with her sister atop their bed, her arms wrapped firmly around Katsumi's exposed waist, her head resting gently at Katsumi's chest. Some things were just comforting, regardless of what's happening around them.

"So, what do we do, sis?" asked Katsumi, running a hand gently through Katsue's soft, straight hair.

"We're not going to get permission," said Katsue. "Things are too screwed up for that. They're too dangerous. Mother will always just say no."

"What do you think is going on?" started Katsumi in a quiet voice. "What did that woman mean?"

"It's really scary," said Katsue in a low voice. "I almost don't want to think about it."

"She said there was a hidden layer to the war... that the whole thing is being manipulated… but who could have that power, and why would they…?" asked Katsumi in a soft voice.

Katsue had been asking herself these same questions for days now, ever since the fight against Megami Subarashii. She couldn't find answers. They had found the coordinates the woman spoke of, so they were willing to accept the rest wasn't a lie, but it still hardly seemed plausible.

"I wish I could tell you, Katsumi," said Katsue. "But it hardly seems real. I don't even know what to start thinking."

"It is kind of strange what happened," said Katsumi in a low voice, her hand brushing across her sister's cheek. "So much about the last battle makes no sense at all."

"How did Japan win? We were outmatched, clearly. And where did all that power come from on the EU end? How could they possibly have the strength to take the entire Federation in just a day?" Katsue articulated all the questions. "I know, Katsumi, there are so many things that don't add up. So many things that might support what that woman said."

"So what are we going to do, sis?" asked Katsumi, cradling her sister lovingly as she did.

"We can only do so much, Katsumi. We have to go there, to this place. We need to get away, permission granted or not," said the older sister.

"Yeah?" started Katsue.

"Our mother was Japan's hero twenty years ago. Now it's out time to be heroes, Katsumi. This was put in our lap. There's no choice for us but to grab it now," said Katsue in a very soft, easy voice.

"Yeah! Let's go sister, next chance we get. Together, just maybe, we'll be able to do something," said Katsumi with enthusiasm.

"Yeah. I'm sure of it," Katsue replied with a faint smile. In truth, she wasn't as sure.

---

Margaret Enneagram shook her had as she sat in her chair, watching her servant, Glen Esmay, bring a stepladder in to help reach the high places in the room for cleaning. Her thoughts stayed with the recent battle; it made no semblance of sense to her. Her skill had seen her best that new unit, narrowly, but then after that... What the hell was all that? Was Amelia Gottwald really there? Perhaps the remnants of Absolution had joined the Japanese forces; it seemed plausible. Amelia was the daughter of the imprisoned Absolution leader; she obviously still had cause to fight.

But if that was Amelia Gottwald, what the hell was that that happened when Margaret used her Geass? Why in the world did she suddenly take on Glen's appearance? There obviously was no connection between Glen Esmay and Amelia Gottwald, but that went without saying. Her Geass mimics the abilities of others. Did that mean someone out there had the power to make him or herself look like Glen whenever they want? Perhaps it wasn't limited to Glen, perhaps this person can take on any appearance… Perhaps this was Geass, a powerful, powerful Geass. It did make some sense this theory. This Geass was being applied to the knightmare, obviously. That's why, when she looked up, she saw the _Lancelot Albion_.

But even if she could sort of understand, it that did little to ease her. The witch had been taken from Britannia. Now it seemed Japan already had Geass of incredible capability. Considering Moore and Granville had been bested, it was doubtful it had been just one, too. Who knew how many Geass users Japan now had. It was crazy. The Federation had been dealt with by the EU, but in this world where wars were won now by a few ultimately powerful custom units, rather than massive armies, Margaret had to wonder if this fight may no longer be winnable.

Also, why the hell did she turn into Glen? If that Geass can make you turn into anyone, why in the hell did she turn in to that loser? That infuriated her probably more than anything else, especially as she watched the incompetent servant, still struggling to reach the top of a particularly high trophy case, even with the stepladder.

"You really are pathetic," Margaret said, shaking her head and standing, walking a few steps toward the young man.

"I'm sorry… it's just this is really high," said Glen, while reaching.

"You know I don't really care. It's not like I can even see up there," said Margaret in a low sigh.

"But my mom always said to leave every room spotless," Glen said in a strained voice, still stretching.

"Oh wow… you really are a failure," said Margaret. "just get down from there. You're distracting me."

"No, it'll just be a second more," Glen insisted, and continued working.

"Hey, listen to me!' Margaret demanded, grabbing Glen's arm and giving it a tug.

The stepladder toppled over from the sudden force. With it, Glen came crashing down. Margaret broke the fall and came crashing down as well, right on her back. It hurt. Once she was over the pain, she realized Glen was lying on top of her. Her face turned red and she got an awkward pang in her heart. The young man slowly raised himself , but Margaret was still pinned under him. Their eyes met and Margaret felt even more awkward. What was wrong with her? She needed to…

"What do you think you're doing, you bastard?! Get the hell off of me!" she demanded in a fiery voice, pushing Glen back and off of her.

"I'm horribly sorry, Lady Margaret," Glen said, standing and nodding at her.

"Shut up and leave me alone," Margaret stammered. "I don't want to look at you."

"Uh… okay," said Glen before departing, leaving Margaret to herself.

Was Glen on her mind at that time? Is that what it was? She couldn't possibly like that idiot, could she? No. It was impossible. He was pathetic, a failure as a man. But Margaret wondered if there wasn't any other explanation. She wondered this as she smiled softly to herself.

---

Xuemei held a deep-seeded anger in her being as she proceeded down the corridors of the _Hitokage_. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't' believe herself. She couldn't believe any of this. She had bested her enemy, the knight Waldstein, in combat, yet there was nothing to celebrate. Her homeland had been captured. Her empress, her mother, had been taken as a prisoner. She hadn't been there. She doubted she'd have made a difference, but that didn't change the simple fact that she wasn't there to try.

She cursed it all. It was infuriating. It had her blood boiling. She wanted to exact revenge. She wanted to save her mother. She wanted to free her home.

"I just can't fucking believe this," a voice said from behind her. She turned to find Wu Chaowei standing there with a tired look on his face.

"Major Wu?" started Xuemei in a low voice.

"Why'd things have to happen like this?" Wu spoke, angered. "It doesn't make any sense."

"You don't have to say anything, Major. Our Homeland has been captured, our Empress imprisoned. The ire within me surely goes without saying," the girl said in a quiet yet intense voice.

"Yeah… I guess so," said Wu. "I just don't understand how this could happen. I'd understand if we were just overwhelmed and crushed, but--"

"It's disjointed. The EU shouldn't have had the strength to do this. Our forces shouldn't have had the strength to force back Britannia," said Xuemei, coldly.

"I wonder what was up with those units that appeared," said WU, snarling and looking down.

"Hmm. Your report makes mention of seeing several units that shouldn't have been in the area, over the skies of Japan assisting us," said Xuemei. "That combined with General Tohdoh's report, of a peculiar knightmare with a horse shape appearing in time to save _Hitokage _from destruction, make so much of this questionable."

"Something's going on and I don't like it," said Wu. "Now our homeland's fallen to the enemy," said Wu, clenching his fist.

"Well, there's nothing we can do by just complaining about it," said Xuemei, closing her eyes. "All we can do is pledge to free it. Save the Tianzi, set this whole mess right."

"Seems almost impossible at this point," said Wu. "But it's our only course of action."

"Heh." Xuemei nodded and turned around, determination in her eyes. She was resolved. She hadn't been able to do anything to protect Miss Xianglin; she wasn't about to let the same be said of the Tianzi. She was going to rescue her mother, whatever the cost.

---

Jackie wore an easy smile on her face as she walked through the throne room of the Britannian castle. Richter had a formal ban from setting foot on the premises, but Ava hadn't banned her own cousin, it seemed. She was still allowed to enter freely. Or semi-freely, as it was. Guards would follow her around and watch her closely. This didn't matter for Jackie's purposes there that day. She just had a few quiet invitations to give out.

"It's certainly been a while, Jackie…" a less than amused Ava spoke to her, glaring down.

"Quite right. Too long," said Jackie, smiling and nodding as she looked at the Empress and then at the girl standing protectively next to her, her hand atop the gun she wore at her waist in case Jackie tried something. Astrid Weinberg was Ava's personal knight now. The whole concept was disturbing and disgusting, but seeing the protective look in the blonde's eyes only made Jackie feel more ill.

"Where did you go?" asked Ava, her eyes narrowing on Jackie. "My reports state your manor was evacuated on all the last investigations."

"The EU. Me and Richter have taken up residency there for the time being," said Jackie, forced to say it. Ava was using her Geass so readily on her own family. Amusing.

"Why the EU? I banished that man from the castle, not the Empire," said Ava, raising an eyebrow.

"Opportunity. That's where Richter thinks we'll obtain the power needed to regain influence," said Jackie, forwardly.

"He's still trying to get back in. Predictable," said Ava shaking his head. "But surely you've heard by now of the lost princess."

"It was impossible to miss that grand news story. I don't know where you just happen to find princesses, but I don't like it!' Jackie started. "I'll bet she's not even legitimate! You just dragged some random girl out from nowhere to put some extra distance between me and the throne."

Ava shook her head and closed her eyes, breaking her Geass. Jackie gave a sigh under her breath. Ava hadn't extracted anything too harmful. Richter had given her a precaution, in the form of a small device, to use to protect herself in the worst cases. She was prepared to use it next time.

"I assure you, she's as legitimate as either of us," said Ava, with a nod. "But enough of that, certainly you have some message to give if you're here."

"Our wedding is happening the 27th of this month," said Jackie forwardly. "I thought to extend a formal invitation to my dearest cousin."

Ava could be seen withholding a laugh. The nerve of her. Was such a thing actually something to laugh off? It made Jackie furious.

"Isn't it a little more appropriate to give more warning? That's just over a week away," said Ava, in a light voice.

"With everything going on, we didn't have much time to plan. It remains that Richter promised to marry me before the year was out. It's an impromptu celebration, but that's the best we could manage," explained Jackie readily.

"And you likely expect me to travel to the EU for this?" Ava shook her head.

"Will you be attending or not?" asked Jackie forwardly, anger on her face.

"Of course not," Ava said, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Do you honestly think I have time for such nonsense? I must have overestimated your intelligence."

Jackie could feel her blood begin to boil. She gave a low growl and turned away. "Fine! Don't come. I trust you don't mind if I give invitations to some of your subjects."

"If you must," said Ava, shaking her head again. "Feel free. Just leave as soon as possible. Your presence here is disquieting."

"Very well. I'll be leaving then," said Jackie with a smile.

"We should put her on heavy surveillance until she leaves, Ava," said the blonde Astrid.

"Good idea. I don't trust this woman either. As lacking a threat as her and her fiancé are to me at this point, she did just say she was plotting against me," said Ava. She then turned and shouted off to the lightly armed guards around the throne room. "Guards, do not let this woman out of your sight until she is off the premises!"

"Yes, your Majesty!" a few of the guards replied and moved toward Jackie, surrounding her. An escort would make this a little more difficult, but far from impossible.

Jackie began walking toward the exit, the guards following all around her. She turned back to Ava just as she was about to leave. "It was fun seeing you again, cousin."

"Oh yes, lots of fun," said Ava, not even trying to hide her sarcasm.

"Just so you know, I won't be in attendance when the two of you are married," Jackie hissed, nodding at Astrid.

"We won't be inviting you anyway," said Astrid pointedly. This caused the Empress to blush and Jackie to feel like vomiting. She hurried out of there. They weren't even denying it any more.

Jackie stomped swiftly to her target, a room she usually avoided. It was a planning room for the Knights of the Round. It was usually empty save for when meetings were held, but in the wake of a massive battle, Jackie was sure meetings were happening frequently. As it was, a number of knights were present in the room, holding what appeared to be an informal discussion. Namely it was Niles Moore, Hildegarde Waldstein, Gino Weinberg and Rowena Winfield. The door was open so Jackie didn't hesitate to interrupt.

"Princess Jackie? What pleasure do we owe the meeting?" asked the Knight of One, noticing her first, standing to greet her.

"Oh, nothing, I just thought I'd personally pass these out to the esteemed champions of Britannia," Jackie said, pulling three envelopes from her handbag, she passed them out, giving one first to Weinberg, then to Moore, and then to Waldstein. As Weinberg began to open his, Jackie pulled a fourth envelope, this one from a different compartment in her bag, to Rowena.

"This is an invitation to your wedding?" Weinberg spoke, examining it. One of the guards looked over and examined it as well.

"We'd rather like people of influence, such as yourself to be in attendance," said Jackie, with a steady nod. "It's the wedding of a Britannian princess after all."

"Be that as it may, this comes at a somewhat inopportune time," said Weinberg with a sigh. "Especially with the location of the wedding being on foreign soil."

"You can't honestly be serious, handing this to me," Waldstein said, hate in her voice, loathing in her eyes. She looked ready to kill Jackie, like she had apparently threatened to her future husband.

"It's just something to consider," said Jackie, avoiding the woman's deadly glare. "I'm not forcing anyone to go."

"I think I'll have to pass on this," said Moore. "This just isn't the time for weddings. Our attention should be elsewhere."

"You'll at least come?" started Jackie, while looking at Rowena Winfield, a woman Jackie knew well.

"Of course," said Rowena. "I wouldn't miss it. Your mother was a great friend of mine. I doubt I'd have made it to the Rounds so quickly without her recommendation."

"Good to hear it," Jackie said and smiled. "Everything you need to know is in that envelope."

"Right," said Rowena, looking down at the envelope containing her invitation, which Jackie knew to be a little more custom than the rest.

"Where might I find the rest of the knights?" asked Jackie, tilting her head.

"Both Nonette and her daughter are at their home. Granville and Cross are likely in their rooms," said Weinberg steadily.

"Thank you," said Jackie, smiling again as she pulled out two more generic invitations and one less generic. "Hand these to Enneagram and her child if you can." she said as she handed Weinberg the first two. "I'll deliver this to Granville myself."

"So, Cross doesn't get one," said Moore, seemingly slightly amused by this.

"Who in their right mind would want such a man at their wedding?" Jackie scoffed and turned away. Moore laughed, as did Rowena. Jackie began to leave swiftly, and returned to the corridors. She made her way to the room belonging to Regina Granville rather quickly. She knocked.

No response came for a full minute, so she knocked again. This time it opened slowly, and the girl walked out. Regina looked kind of somber, beaten up, less hollow than usual. It was like something had actually gotten to her.

"You are… that princess…?" said Regina, staring blankly at Jackie.

"Jacquelyn mi Britannia," said Jackie with a nod. "I've come to invite you to my wedding."

"Why?" asked Regina, tilting her head. "Why would I go to something like that?"

"You don't have to go," said Jackie, holding out her last envelope. "Read this invitation over closely, and you may decide you do."

Regina very slowly took the envelope and even more slowly opened it. She read it quickly. A smirk appeared on her face.

"I understand," she said distantly. "I just might attend."

"We'd be happy to have you," Jackie said with a nod.

With that, Jackie left that doorway. She was done. She had succeeded in her objective. She was sure Richter would be proud.

---

Hiromi was seething with reckless anger, as she relented blow after blow upon a training dummy hanging in _Hitokage'_s onboard gym. A few other soldiers were present, working out, keeping up their physical condition, but most avoided her, perhaps out of fear of intercepting a lethal punch. Hiromi didn't blame them. She likely would have killed anything that came near her. She was that furious.

Why did things have to turn out like this?! Why?! It wasn't fucking fair! It was sickening. It was maddening. She had been nothing but ecstatic about her personal victory in the latest fight until she was made cognizant of her intolerable loss. Her father had fallen in battle. The man of miracles was silenced forever, his knightmare reduced to dust by some super weapon, nothing recognizable remaining.

It was sickening. First Yasuko, and now her father. Why did this have to happen? What did she ever do to deserve such misery, such pain? She shouted all of this in her mind as she tried to kill the dummy. Blow after blow came but it did nothing to sate her fury. She needed blood. She needed a kill.

In the last fight, she had been able to cross the name "Callista Blackwell" off of her "to kill list", but it had just as readily been replaced. The name of the pilot of the enemy unit referred to as _Medusa _had been recovered by survivors of the Chinese Federation front. Hiromi had instantly memorized it and put it at the top of her list, ahead of Hildegarde Waldstein, ahead of even the damned nameless mercenary woman. Hiromi was absolutely dead set on hunting down this woman, this Marcella Belita, as she was called and killing her as ruthlessly as possible. She would settle for nothing short of tearing her apart.

Her father needed to be avenged, but so did Yasuko still. She hated thinking that Callista Blackwell was right about anything, but her words rang true. She wasn't the end of Hiromi's revenge. For the sake of her beloved sister, she'd kill everyone involved with that operation, right up to the god damn Britannian Empress herself. She'd kill them all. For her family, she wouldn't stop until her enemies were no longer breathing.

---

Miya gave a soft smile as she lounged on the couch in her and Cynthia's apartment. This was really easy. Their orders were to lie low while Sayoko and Amelia worked the field. That meant a whole lot of nothing. It had been a little hard at first, given the situation her parents were in, but now she was able to relax, knowing things would be taken care of in time.

According to Sayoko, the Britannian knights were in turmoil. They had been driven back by the Japanese forces, likely in part due to the information Sayoko was sending to Japan; it really helped that she was stationed in the head researcher'`s home and thus had such easy access to his files. So it was only a matter of time before an opportunity presented herself.

This kind of saddened Miya. She didn't quite want Ava to die yet. Ava was a friend. She wanted her parents free more than anything though, and for that, she forced herself to accept it. Britannia was in a tumultuous spot, they'd become careless soon, and then the Empress would die. It was that simple.

Cynthia seemed a little more uneasy about everything. Miya didn't say anything, but she could tell. That girl had such a singular goal. She was a pure girl, with a good heart, but Miya had to wonder if Cynthia didn't have any other goal in this war but to kill her father. If so, that was kind of sad.

"Hey, Cynthia," Miya started, getting her friend's attention. Cynthia looked up from the book she was reading at their desk.

"Yes, Miya?" she spoke, smiling and tilting her head.

"I was wondering something…" Miya spoke in a low voice, not sure if she should ask her questions.

"Please, Miya, ask me anything," the blonde said invitingly. Miya smiled and nodded.

"Right," she said. "I just want to know if fighting your father is the only reason you joined Absolution."

"I don't agree with what Ava li Britannia has done, Miya. She truly represents darkness to me," said Cynthia, closing her eyes.

"Would you have lifted your gun had your father not been recruited by her," asked Miya in a tentative voice.

Cynthia looked at her a moment, her smile falling as she thought. She closed her eyes. "I can't say with certainty," she said. "I'm not the type who enjoys fighting… no, far from it. I'd rather not kill anyone…"

"It's like I said when we first met, the purest light need not touch the darkness," said Miya, closing her eyes.

"I wonder if I'm really so pure…" Cynthia spoke, giving a sigh.

"What do you mean?" asked Miya, looking down.

Cynthia looked down and spoke in a low voice. "If somehow it was the other way, if somehow, Absolution had recruited my father instead of Britannia, I'd have enlisted with them. I'd have been your enemy."

"Even if you recognize the Empress as evil and us as good?" Miya started, surprised.

"I'm determined to settle this matter, whatever it takes," said Cynthia in a steady voice. "Even if it means betraying my own beliefs."

"That just shows your strong, Cynthia," Miya said after a small pause, smiling.

Cynthia giggled. "Don't you mean stubborn?"

"I find it respectable. You're so committed to your goal, you're not willing to compromise. It's a sign of strength," said Miya with certainty.

"It's single-mindedness. You don't have to explain it away as anything else," said Cynthia, sighing.

"Perhaps, but it doesn't make me think any less of you," said Miya. "You're strong, pure, and beautiful. An amazing friend."

"Thanks," Cynthia said with a light blush. "But I could say the same about you, Miya. Your strength is effortless, your purity infectious, and your beauty engaging."

Now Miya was blushing, and not just lightly. She laughed. "Wow, Cynthia… you're making me all flustered."

"Good," said Cynthia with a sharp giggle. "You're cuter that way."

Miya didn't even know what to say to that. Cynthia was a strange friend, but Miya was nothing but grateful for her. She just laughed and blushed and laid back onto her couch, feeling a lot warmer.

---

Elenie Pallas had an even expression on her face as she stared up at the machines all around. They were excellently sculpted, she had to say, but perhaps that was bias. After all, she was the artist, and she was very proud of her work.

"They operated exceptionally well, Elenie. I am most impressed," a soft, sweet voice, spoke from behind Elenie, an attactive woman in her early thirties, with tan skin and shoulder length raven black hair.

"I'm the best at my craft; didn't I guarantee you that?" Elenie asked with a smile, turning to face the woman behind her. She smiled as she eyed the intensely glamorous blonde up and down.

"I was right to trust you. A successful plan can only be successful with the right foundation," the woman, Deifilia Amarantha, said with a smile. "Belisario's power, Alfred's medical expertise, and your artistic genius; they're every bit as valuable to me as the many who risk their lives for me for me."

"Well, thank you. I'm more than happy to please you," said Elenie with a hard nod.

"So long as I keep you pleased? Isn't that right?" Deifilia cooed and stepped toward the woman, her hand extending to stroke quietly down Elenie's cheek. She felt herself go a little weak at the sensation.

She still couldn't explain this woman's power over her. Never had Elenie been particularly attracted to women, or really people in general, as imperfect as they are. Then one day, after having just graduated, top of her class from the Imperial Colchester Institute, the finest school in the world for studying experimental technologies and knightmare frame mechanics, this woman appeared before her and somehow captured her. After their first encounter, Elenie had become a malleable pawn to this woman, but she didn't care. Designing a Knightmare Frames was like art to her. She didn't care what it was used for, so long as everything, it's shape, it's weaponry, it's movements, was beautiful. It was nothing but a pleasure designing the knightmares for the woman who made Elenie's heart beat like only immaculate sculptures of the ancient gods previously had.

"Yeah..." Elenie gave a very low moan as the woman drew in close for a soft kiss. Elenie could feel any defenses dissolve instantly. She'd let this woman do anything she wanted then and there, if she wanted. Unfortunately, Deifilia pulled back.

"So, does the gift my witch gave you help as much as I promised?" she asked, smiling.

Elenie smirked. She didn't particularly care for that woman who called herself D.D.. She was kind of trashy and tasteless. If Deifilia was comparable to the sculpture of a goddess of antiquity, she was comparable to some cheap, sexualized plastic manikin. Of course, that woman, as hard to look at as she was, had granted Elenie something valuable. With her Geass she could conceptualize things fully and completely in her mind without them having to actually be constructed.

"It's a beautiful gift. It almost gives me an unfair advantage over my contemporaries," said Elenie with a laugh.

"Your first six machines, built in large without that ability, are brilliant," said Deifilia, walking past her to look up at the machines lining the massive garage they were currently inhabiting, her eyes going first to the large, black and red machine. "_Jason_, a perfect commander." She shifted to a absolutely behemoth knightmare of dark gray, holding an enormous blunt sword. "_Heracles, _the strongest of all heroes." Deifilia looked then at a much smaller machines, almost human sized, equipped with a spear and a cannon. "_Achilles, _the greatest of soldiers." Her eyes traced over and up to a slightly larger beautiful black and purple model, equipped with thin spikes. "_Medusa, _a most fearsome and deadly yet beautiful beast." Deifilia nodded over to a just slightly less beautiful blue and black machine equipped with a small, twisted sword. "_Medea, _the cunning and deadly sorceress." A small laugh left the blonde's lips as she found the last machine, a white horse. "And _Pegasus, _a flying horse."

"Yes, each of these is a true work of art. I am pleased to hear they are efficient on the battlefield," said Elenie, smiling.

"I want six more," said Deifilia abruptly.

"Another six..,? Very well…" Elenie reacted with surprise and a little reluctance, but she wasn't about to refuse the living goddess.

"I have a captured pawn without a weapon to point at her former companions, and some of my existing pawns could be put to better use," said Deifilia with a steady nod.

"Understood, I'll get to work right away," Elenie said readily.

"No, before that, I need to reward you for your work thus far," Deifilia said with a quiet giggle, grabbing for Elenie's hand. Elenie blushed a deep red.

"A-as you wish…" she muttered, as the woman led her slowly toward the door, and, hopefully, eventually to a bed.

---

Marcella wore a content expression as she sat at a table in the dining room of Castle Amarantha, eating her lunch. Eating with her was Naida Fiametta, Philip Xander, Bernard Farris and Lyall Gavin. The five of them had all had a part to play in the most recent battle, a part they all played well. Deifilia had granted Marcella incredible praise for her role. It made it easier to bear. Her heart had been put in turmoil by her fight against General Tohdoh, but Miss Deifilia's touch was reassuring. If she just told herself, she was Marcella Belita, loyal servant to Deifilia Amarantha, things were so much easier to bear.

"So guys, flying a knightmare's pretty cool isn't it?" Naida started, breaking a relative silence; she was a woman who liked conversation, it seemed. "I studied the manual so hard, but I wasn't sure I'd get it all down right."

"It was your first time, Naida?" Marcella asked. Marcella honestly didn't know if it was her first time or not, but it felt like it wasn't. She intuitively understood how a knightmare should work. Lyall and Bernard could say the same.

"Yep, me and Phil have never done this before," said Naida, patting Philip, who seemed to be off in his own little world, playing with the food on his plate, on the back.

"Well, that's pretty impressive then, that you both took down Knights of the Round," said Marcella, smiling back.

"Big deal, with Geass as overpowered as theirs, it's no trouble defeating an enemy even when you're a shitty pilot," Lyall challenged bitterly.

"Hey! I take offense to that, you brat," Naida spat back, glaring.

"But it's true. You defeated the Knight of Nine by confusing her when she was already weakened. Your _Medea _allows you to project whatever image you want over it with your Geass. It's a simple trick. Winning by it doesn't prove shit," Lyall said harshly.

"You're a real jerk, you know that, Ly?" Naida said contemptuously.

"You say that, Gavin, and yet, somehow your _Achilles _took far more damage than a unit with its speed rightly should," Bernard said in a stern voice.

"Shut up, big guy. I don't want to hear your crap," said Lyall. "Just because you got a knightmare named after freakin' Hercules, don't think you're better than everyone."

"I don't understand you, sometimes…" Bernard said in a low, restrained voice.

"Eh, I kind of am surprised my Geass got to that girl so much. She seemed really freaked out," said Naida with a shrug, returning the conversation to point.

"Not as freaked out as Philip's enemies must have been…." said Marcella with a quiet laugh, thinking about what it'd be like to suddenly encounter a giant flying horse on the battlefield that went on to mess up your perception of time.

"Yeah, Phil took down two of their best if I recall," said Naida, nodding. "It's kinda cool, even if it's also just a trick."

"No, with that guy, it's more than that. He's a complete psycho. That's more than just a trick," said Lyall, with a smirk.

"You just don't like me, is that it?" Naida challenged. "You do realize I have seniority here?"

"Heh. _Seniority_. I bet without the Geass you really are some old hag," Lyall said acridly, his beast-eyes narrowing.

"That's uncalled for! There's no reason to say such things, Lyall!" Marcella felt herself yell, angered at the man's behavior.

"You think you can challenge me, girl? You wouldn't stand a chance…" Lyall, started with a bold laugh, standing up

"You want to try? I really will fight you, if I must," said Marcella boldly standing to face him

"Easy! Marcy, you don't need to go so far. Jerks, like this aren't worth your time," said Naida, grabbing Marcella's arm and easing her.

"Yes, this isn't an enemy you need make, Marcella. He wants you to fight him. And if you do, he will just exploit you," said Bernard wisely, closing his eyes.

"Heh, I could take all three of you at once," said Lyall, with a low laugh.

"Do you really want to test that theory, Gavin?" Bernard asked, standing up and clenching one of his large fists.

"I'm tempted, believe me," said Lyall, grinning, but nevertheless sitting back down. He normally would have jumped at an opportunity to fight Bernard, but Marcella supposed he was aware of the fact that she was not a marginal threat, and that defeating both of them would be almost impossible for him.

"That settled, I wonder what our next target will be?" started Naida, not wanting the inevitable silence to fall. "I mean I'm not even sure why me and Phil saved Japan. Aren't they an enemy too in the end?"

"Do you think that woman actually tells us anything?" questioned Lyall, shaking his head.

"You know, Marcy? You seem to be called to her room a lot these days," Naida said, turning to Marcella.

"No… she hasn't really told me anything about it," said Marcella, shaking her head.

"She wants the EU to be the ones who take Japan in the end. That's my thought on it at least," said Bernard.

"Ah, that makes sense!" said Naida, smiling. "And when that's done, it'll just be an all out war between us and Britannia."

"That's how it looks," said Bernard firmly.

"Well, guess we'll be seeing a lot more combat then," Naida sighed. "I suppose I'll have to keep studying those manuals…"

"I'll help you train if you need it," Marcella offered, kindly.

"Thanks, kid. That'd be nice," said Naida, nodding softly.

Marcella smiled. Yes, there were enough things going on around that she would be able to make it through. She'd be able to survive through even the bleakest spots of this life.

---

Chiharu felt tired. It had been four days now, and yet she was still feeling the aftereffects of Lucrecia Harrison's Geass. It had been kind of scary being locked within her own mind for a day. That fear was probably nothing compared to what the woman standing next to her felt that day. Megami had been forced to fight. Sure, she was a woman of few loyalties, but, she was fighting for a cause she didn't support. That had to be painful.

The cute but twisted little girl, Lucrecia, was currently leading the two of them to that woman, Deifilia Amarantha, just returned from some meeting. Chiharu could tell there was some history between this girl and Megami, as there likely was between Megami and every one of these people. The child's eyes would linger with Megami, she would show her some of the smiles that usually only Deifilia saw, and she had a habit of referring to Megami as her "big sister". Meanwhile, Megami's eyes reflected a sort of somberness and guilt when looking at the child.

The three moved down the castle corridor slowly. Castle Amarantha was massive. Chiharu still barely had a grasp on any of it. Even Megami, who once lived there, seemed to get lost at times, which is probably why the child was leading. Chiharu wore a somber expression as she stared at the back of her small figure. Even if this girl had imprisoned her, it was hard to hate a child.

"It's Lucrecia, right?" Chiharu started in a cool voice. It was a long walk to where that woman was at. Conversation would make it easier. She was really trying to not be down all the time, their situation was set, after all, but it was difficult.

"Correct," the girl said huffily.

"You don't like me?" started Chiharu, noticing the reaction. "Funny considering, even after what you did to me, I don't hate you."

"Big sis, wouldn't be in pain if you weren't here," Lucrecia said through a huff.

"Lucrecia…" Megami started in a soft voice, sounding unsure of herself.

"The two of you were close, right?" asked Chiharu, forcing a smile.

"It's not something we need to talk about, Chiharu," Megami said.

"I know," Chiharu nodded, understanding. "I won't force you to tell me about those days. Just from what you told me, about that woman... I know it must be hard for you to remember."

"Thank you, Chiharu," Megami said in a soft whisper.

"Next time, I'll do it. I'll fight instead of you, Megami," said Chiharu, closing her eyes.

"C-Chiharu!" Megami started, surprised. "But what if…? What if you have to fight your friends?"

"It's just as painful for you fighting them," said Chiharu.

"No, Chiharu, it's not. I've fought on both sides of this war already. I'm used to it! I don't want to see you fight the people you care about," Megami said with force.

"You can't be the only one to do this, Megami," said Chiharu closing her eyes.

"Hate to break it you two, but Mistress was already planning on having you both fight for her," Lucrecia broke in suddenly, giving another huff.

"Damn that woman!" Megami said angrily, clenching her fist.

"I don't mind, Megami. We'll find a way out of this, I'm sure. Until then, we have no choice but to go along with it," said Chiharu resolutely.

"Chiharu…" Megami said quietly, looking at the girl.

Chiharu didn't respond. She didn't have much more to say on the subject. Besides, they were staring at the door to Deifilia Amarantha's personal study. Lucrecia knocked.

"Yes?" the deceivingly gentle voice spoke on the other end.

"It's Lucrecia, Mistress. I brought those two like you asked," Lucrecia explained cheerfully.

"Oh, yes. Please come in," the woman beckoned. Lucrecia opened the door quickly and smiled. She ran to the woman, sitting in a comfortable armchair and jumped on her lap, embracing her tightly. Deifilia smiled and ran a hand affectionately through the child's hair.

"What did you want of us?" asked Megami forwardly, glaring at the woman.

"I just wanted to extend a congratulations for a fight well fought, Ashlynn," the woman smiled.

"Then you have officially wasted my time," Megami said with a low growl.

"Have I now?" the woman asked. "You think you can honestly say that when it is you who have defied me?"

"D-defy you? What are you talking about?" Megami questioned, taken aback.

"Come now, Ashlynn, you can't keep secrets from me. Don't you know that already?" Deifilia laughed. "Communications with Alain may have failed for you in that battle, but do you honestly think I'd leave your surveillance in the hands of just one man?"

"You had me bugged, or something?" Megami snarled, looking down.

"Of course. I'm nothing if not careful," Deifilia said with a pleasant smile, stroking the cheek of the child on her lap.

"So, how will I be punished?" Megami scowled.

"Punish you? Now what would be the point of that?" Deifilia laughed. "You're more useful to me the healthier you are. Why would I do anything to damage you?"

"Then what?!" Megami snapped.

"I honestly don't care," said Deifilia. "Do you think I don't know about the other source? Do you think that man is so well hidden, he has eluded me all this time?"

"W-what are you--?" Chiharu started, but cut herself off.

"That hermit warlock is useless. He values his contracts more than any other source this world has ever seen. The other source remaining in this world, quite comically almost, devalues her contracts more than any source this world has seen. As such, the two are not equable at all; my source is the key to limitless power, while yours is just a stubborn ghost," said Deifilia bluntly. "What will sending those beautiful children to that ghost get you? He may give them Geass, but what's two Geass compared to an army of Geass? And even if he did somehow flip out of his current way of thinking and make a bigger move, do you honestly think we wouldn't be there to stop him?"

"Y-you…" Megami growled under her breath.

"So, your attempt to defy me in the end amounts to a laughable display of futility, Ashlynn," said Deifilia. "I'd be more tempted to reward you for the amusement than punish you in anyway."

"What exactly did you want to see both of us for?" asked Chiharu suddenly, not liking to hear Megami mocked at such length.

"Right, right, you'd want to know that, wouldn't you?" Deifilia laughed. "It's simple. In two weeks time, the EU is conquering Japan. I want you, Chiharu Ohgi, at the front of the charge."

"Y-you--! You, monster!" Megami stammered, her anger visible.

"And refusal isn't an option?" asked Chiharu, her teeth clinched together.

"Do you honestly think refusal is ever an option?" Deifilia said, clearly amused.

"Is this necessary? Why must you make Chiharu look like a traitor to her country?" Megami challenged, furious.

"No particular reason. It just seems fun this way," Deifilia said with a laugh.

"You're evil, pure and simple," Megami said, with obvious loathing.

"It's about perspective," said Deifilia. "Cruel, this might be, it's just a minor detail in my plan. A plan that will save this world from it's deplorable existence."

"Spare me the details of your madness," Megami spat. "I don't want to hear it."

"I understand what you want me to do. Can we leave yet?" Chiharu said, bitterly.

"But don't you want to hear more? I've just returned from commissioning for you a top of the line knightmare. Don't you want to know more about the plan?" Deifilia questioned, smirking.

"I don't care to learn. There's nothing I can do to change it, after all," Chiharu said, closing her eyes.

"Very well," Deifilia sighed. "Lucrecia, show these two back to their room."

"Yes, mistress!" the girl leapt to her feet. She began to race toward the door, when she tripped and fell forward, her skirt flipping up to reveal her undergarments, in this case, a somewhat provocative thong. Chiharu shook her head. There was something seriously wrong with this place.

"Here," she said while offering Lucrecia a hand.

"Hmmph," Lucrecia stammered as she beat the hand back and stood by her own power. She was blushing as she hurried past Chiharu to the door.

Chiharu and Megami followed her out.

---

Ava gave a sigh as she sat on her throne. She was confused. It was apparent that something was amiss in the world. If Japan had so much power, why was the Federation sacrificed? Where did the EU suddenly get such strength? There were too many questions and not enough answers. It was starting to get to her.

"What do you make of it all, Astrid? This confusing mess?" Ava started, looking up at her lover, who stood at her side.

"We can't trust the EU. Not at all," said Astrid quietly.

"I suppose not. That's what this was. Belisario Nemesio was flexing his muscles, showing the, strength he had behind him, trying to intimidate us," said Ava. "He'll be our enemy next."

"Yes. I agree," Astrid said with a rigid nod.

"But, can we really beat the force that conquered the entire Federation in a day, if we can't even beat a weakened Japanese force?" Ava questioned, a bleakness in her voice.

"I don't know," said Astrid. "It will be a difficult fight. But we have to try, Ava. I don't plan on giving up now."

"Neither do I, Astrid," said Ava. "Believe me."

"Something still bugs me, though," said Astrid in a deliberate fashion.

"What's that?" Ava asked, tilting her head.

"Granville and Moore. Their 'horse'," said Astrid, nodding steadily.

"It is rather strange," Ava said in a slow voice. "That our enemy would make a knightmare like that, I'm surprised."

"But I'm not sure Japan _would_ make a knightmare like that," said Astrid, deep in thought. "And they both said they saw the pilot, and he looked and spoke like a Britannian."

"It's probably an Absolution holdover. Just because we defeated that enemy, doesn't mean there weren't some remnants still clinging to its fight," said Ava, shrugging at the idea.

"But that unit's never been seen before," Astrid reminded in a low voice. "Would Japan really build a new unit for and give a Geass to an outsider?"

"A strong pilot is a strong pilot, Astrid. You know that," said Ava with a nod. "Geass is surely only being given to their best."

"Fair enough," said Astrid, nodding. "But where did that unit come from? Japan should have been too busy rebuilding their force to build something new."

"It could have already been in the works," said Ava. "It doesn't seem so odd."

"But why a winged horse? It just seems odd for a Japanese built machine. The unit is about as far as you can get from the style of machine one would expect from their R & D," said Astrid, still obviously concerned by this.

"So what do you think about it, Astrid? Where did it come from?" asked Ava, trying to arrive at point.

"What if it's an EU machine?" Astrid asked, closing her eyes. Ava knew this was the point. It made her feel uneasy.

"They sabotaged our effort so they can take Japan for themselves?" Ava laughed. "Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes. I believe it might be so," Astrid asserted in a strong voice.

"It's a distinct possibility, but not one I like," said Ava. "If it is true, we'll just have to take Japan first. Fight them for it if we have to."

"This war is going to get a lot more difficult," said Astrid quietly. "But I'll always fight for you, Ava."

"That means more than you could know," Ava said very softly, letting her hand find Astrid's holding it warmly.

It was then that their privacy was interrupted. An unannounced visitor had appeared before the Empress. Unlike the princess who had met with Ava earlier that morning, this princess was allowed to roam freely around the castle. Ava smiled as she stared down at Eilith, though her heart held a lingering somberness.

"Hello, Eilith. How have you been holding up?" she asked in a subdued voice.

"It's difficult. This roller-coaster my heart's been put on these last few weeks, it's certainly left me in a bit of a mess, but I'm sure… I'll come out of this stronger," said Eilith in a low voice.

"Your mother was a valuable soldier and a valuable friend. None of this would have been possible without her," said Ava, feeling a little cold. "Believe me when I say my heart is with you."

"She liked serving you. She had faith in you," said Eilith, her eyes closed. "She thought you'd change Britannia for the better. She was prepared to give her life for that."

"You got to know her well in your short time together," said Ava, her voice solemn.

"I am lucky to have," said Eilith. "And I will never forget her."

It was then that Ava noticed the strength in the woman's eyes. She had been younger, Eilith had known her mother for a far shorter time, but Ava couldn't help but contrast the strength she saw in Eilith at that moment to the incredible weakness she felt in the aftermath of her own mother's fate being announce to her. It was unsettling to think this woman could be so much stronger.

"She'd be pleased to see you so strong despite her loss," said Ava solemnly.

"I want to become stronger," said Eilith with great passion. "I don't want to sit still. I don't want to wait around."

"What are you suggesting, then?" asked Ava, tilting her head.

"I want to fight, Ava. I want to learn how to enter this battle as a participant," said Eilith forwardly. "I want to use my strength to change this world out there."

"It's not typical for a princess to participate in the fighting," said Ava, closing her eyes.

"Your mother did it," said Eilith in a low voice. "She clearly had talent, and I may turn out to just suck, but I at least want to try."

"As you wish," said Ava quietly. "I'll let you fight for me, Eilith. I'll be happy to have you."

"I won't disappoint you," said Eilith resolutely. "My strength will help push Britannia forward."

"I'm glad," Ava spoke in a weak voice. "Because Britannia needs all the help it can get."

A/N: End chapter. Yeah, this one was a little slow; I know. Mostly just aftermath type stuff, collecting everything that happened last chapter and explaining how the various characters feel about it. Perhaps it was good considering how long it's been since the last chapter. A bit of a memory refresher. But it's not like nothing happened at all. Jackie was back in Britannia, up to something, Eilith got herself together quickly and decided she wanted to fight, Hiromi unknowingly pledged to kill her own sister, Deifilia decided Chiharu's going to lead the charge to conquer Japan, and Elenie Pallas made her debut appearance. She's a quickly concocted character, if ever there was one. I was coming up with these cool (ad not at all Fate/Stay Night influenced…) knightmares for Deifilia and thought they needed a face attached as the designer. I thought a woman Deifilia was buying off with sex would be more interesting than another man she had somehow saved from the brink of death. She'll have a lot more interesting knightmares available to Deifilia soon enough.

Anyway, not much else to say. I don't have the energy for an Extra this week. I was going to put out something controversial there this week, but I'll have to save that for next time. I mostly just want to update, since it's been so long. As it turns out, the Christmas extra turned out taking placed after this chapter, rather than during it, so you could just read that again.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Elenie Pallas

Heracles

Achilles

Medea


	34. Turn 33: Fear and its Enemies

A/N: Sorry for another lengthy wait. This time, it's all my fault. Distractions (the PS3 fighting game, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, which I got for Christmas, chief among them) kept me moving very slow with it the week after I posted Turn 32. I was still prepared to post it Saturday morning that week. But, as fate would have it, that wouldn't happen. Friday evening, my computer crashed. I had never saved the document. I don't usually actually turn off my computer, and that week I had taken to just bringing it up and writing the thing in short bursts whenever I had a half hour or so to kill. My computer (a MacBook) has crashed like twice since I've had it (about three years now), so it's not something I could have predicted happening. The ultimate result was me having to type this entire chapter a second time after having all but completed it once. Needless to say, this was not a very quick process. It was very hard to find the enthusiasm to type it out a second time. Sorry for the long delay. I hope you all understand and enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: Rowena: "The author of this trash does not own the original material. This is a fan work. Nothing more."

Eilith grinned as she held the sword in her hand steady. The girl facing her was closing in, a similar, blunt-tipped, flimsy fencing sword in her hand. Ava li Britannia was incredibly skilled at this. It was disquieting. Eilith's initial impressions of the girl had her as the type to neglect training her body for any sort of physical activity in favor of just reading, but the girl really was good. It was almost overwhelming. Eilith could hardly even keep up.

Eilith was physically fit and able. She always had been. She wasn't unaccustomed to fighting either. She was generally cool-headed, but when people challenged her, she wasn't the type to ever back down. Her good looks and her strong opinions earned her a fair share of enemies. On the instances where it came to violence, she had always come up pretty easily on top. But this here was different. A fencing match wasn't a fight. It had rules. Rules that kept Eilith's true strength from her. As a result, she was being dominated.

"Keep sharp, Eilith! This is important!" Ava started as she made sharp thrust after thrust in perfect form. Eilith used her entire body to evade them but was exhausting herself quickly. She couldn't keep this up much longer.

This was all for the sake of her training. Astrid, who was standing close by, watching, had reiterated the importance of doing something like this to keep her senses sharp if Eilith wanted to be a first rate pilot. This made some sense to Eilith. Operating a custom knightmare frame efficiently was said to put quite the strain on a person; more than an untrained body could bear. Still, this training was brutal.

"You're putting too much into your movements. Practice more restraint if you want to stand any chance!" Ava demanded as she did a back step followed by two quick thrusts in succession. Eilith sidestepped and tried a quick counter, but Ava met her blade and overpowered it. "Not good enough!" she shouted as she forced Eilith's sword from her hands and placed her own at the girl's neck.

"Heh," Eilith said, shaking her head and sighing. "Looks like I lose again."

"At this level, I doubt you're ready to pilot a custom unit," observed Astrid in a low voice.

"Tch, I don't get it," said Eilith. "This isn't how I'm going to fight when all said and done. It's just not my style."

"So you'll give up then?" asked Ava, a smirk on her face.

"No, of course not," Eilith shook her head. "I'm just saying maybe I should be learning from someone else. This doesn't suit me."

"You are the crown princess of Britannia. It would be unbecoming of you to learn from someone outside the castle," said Ava, nodding.

"Ah... right.... even so... some of the Rounds are here all the time, right?" Eilith started, scratching her head.

"I'd prefer not to have to burden my trusted knights with such a thing," said Ava, nodding and smiling. "Besides, I was having fun."

"Yeah... and you're probably the only one," Eilith said in a low sigh.

"You don't get to fence much as the Empress. I missed it. It's comforting to spar with someone again," said Ava with a soft smirk. "It helps ease other troubles away."

"Yeah... but I kind of suck at this," said Eilith. "I don't think I'm making any progress against you."

"You've just started. If you work hard at it, you'll surely prevail," said Astrid in a steady voice. Eilith looked at her.

"You're the one who actually flies a knightmare around, Astrid. I kind of question why I'm not learning from you," she started in a quiet shrug.

"I use archery to train my senses rather than fencing. Where that could maybe work for you, this seemed more direct," said Astrid, nodding.

"I see," said Eilith quietly. "That explains the bow motif on your knightmare."

"It's often like that. A custom knightmare will be designed to mirror the pilot's combat expertise," said Astrid steadily.

"So Ava's knightmare would be a fencing type, then?" asked Eilith, checking if she understood.

"I suppose so..." Astrid said with a cute laugh. Ava blushed a little. Eilith became curious.

"Come to think of it, I know she's the Empress, so I know it's uncalled for, but wouldn't Ava make a good pilot herself?" she asked, following the signals.

"Perhaps," said Astrid. "But Ava gets motion sickness and has a minor fear of heights, so I'm not sure it would work so well."

"Astrid! Y-you, don't need to say all that," said Ava turning a deeper red as the other girl giggled at her expense. Eilith gave her own laugh.

"Regardless, I don't think my knightmare would be a fencer or an archer," said Eilith, shaking her head.

"Well, you said you wanted to join the fray as soon as possible," said Ava quietly. "This seems like the most direct means to moving you along."

"Yeah... but," Eilith started with a reluctant sigh.

"Come now, Eilith. Grab your sword. Let's try this again," said Ava, twirling her own sword about briefly.

"Fine..." Eilith sighed and moved to pick up her sword. "Let's get this over with."

The two of them faced each other down once more, sword in hand. A complex series of thrusts, parries and evasive moves began. Eilith remained at the disadvantage. She just couldn't get a shot in. It was frustrating. Exhaustion was catching up to her again, yet Ava seemed unfazed. her footwork remained perfect. She went in for a sharp thrust, and there was no way she could stop it. No way except pivot her body into a quick, sharp kick just as the thrust was coming at her. Perhaps unwisely, she did this. Ava was pushed back and fell on her rear.

"That's not allowed!" Astrid started angrily, rushing to help Ava up.

"I know... it was just a reflex..." said Eilith. "Sorry, Ava."

"You really are determined to break all the rules, aren't you, Eilith?" Ava started, shaking her head as she lifted herself up with Astrid's aid.

"A real fight has no rules," a new voice suddenly said. "And that was a fucking sweet kick."

Eilith turned around to find the source of the voice. She found a figure emerging into the open Castle courtyard they had been using from the shadows around one of the doors. It was a somewhat gruff, handsome man a little older than Eilith. She recognized him as the Knight of Twelve, Ulric Cross.

"Heh, was it?" Eilith started.

"You got some tight reflexes, princess," said Cross. "But they're definitely not meant to be constrained like this."

"Oh? So you think you understand this girl's abilities then, Cross?" asked Ava, smirking.

"Perhaps," the man replied. "I'd have to get a little more hands-on to say for sure though, if you know what I mean."

"Heh. I'm willing to give it a go," said Eilith. "Nothing can be worse than what I have been doing."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Princess," said Cross, smiling. "With my body, you'll never be able to beat me. I'll have to hold back, but even that won't cut you much slack. It's sure to be pretty fucking brutal." He looked her up and down one last time and then said, "I don't particularly like fighting girls, so you at least have that to your advantage."

"I think I can take it," said Eilith, quietly.

"Then put down the toy sword and come at me," said Cross simply, entering a battle pose.

"Right," Eilith replied before handing Astrid her sword. She stepped toward the man.

"Let's do this!" Cross called before leaping forward and into a swift kick. Eilith was alarmed by his speed, but still somehow reacted in time to jump back and avoid the blow. He didn't relent though. After the kick, he moved in for a fierce punch. Eilith stepped to the side quickly and tried to get her own punch in, but with stunning speed, the Knight of Twelve caught it. The pressure from his hand was enough to cause an intense pain.

It was about at this point, Eilith began questioning what she had gotten herself into. This man had inhuman strength and speed and she clearly wasn't a match for him. This free form fight was a little more fun though. As daunting as Cross was, challenging him left her somehow amused. As he threw punch after punch that Eilith had to avoid, despite her exhaustion, she found she was enjoying herself, even when one of Cross' blows finally did connect with her shoulder and sent her into severe pain.

"Too much for you, Princess?" Cross started playfully. "And I'm holding back a much as I can..."

"I'm not done just yet!" Eilith declared and charged forward into her own barrage of fists. Cross avoided them with a series of very small, pinpoint movements. But Eilith just kept at it. She needed to score at least one hit. Cross was grinning at her resolve, but he wasn't just going to stand as a target. In fact, just as exhaustion was catching up to Eilith, Cross backed up and went for a powerful straight punch.

Just as he did this, Eilith slid to her knees under it, and delivered a hard fist to Cross' stomach. It was like punching metal. It hurt. But it was satisfying. Cross jumped back and nodded. Eilith stayed at her knees, finding it difficult to move.

"You really ain't half bad, for a princess," the Knight of Twelve said.

"Heh, you think so?" Eilith laughed between heavy breaths.

"You got a shitload of potential for this," said Cross. "You just need to push it in the right direction."

"Perhaps you could guide her in that, Mr. Cross?" started Ava, taking a step forward. "She certainly seems more responsive to your methods."

"Heh. I suppose I wouldn't mind," said Cross.

"Great, then it's decided," the Empress nodded.

"Great...." Eilith sighed, really unsure of what she had gotten herself into.

"Come Astrid, we're done here, for now," said Ava nodding.

"Are you sure this is wise, Ava?" Astrid started, tilting her head.

"What? The Crown Princess of Britannia learning to fight from a simple street fighter?" Ava started, smirking. "I couldn't be any more sure."

"Whatever you say," Astrid said in a low sigh.

Eilith grinned. She supposed she really was an atypical princess.

"Heh, alright. No audience now, but I think it's about time we start again," said Cross, nodding.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Eilith, muttered, still finding it hard to even stand.

---

Rowena Winfield had a firm expression on her face as she found her way slowly to a large room in the back of a beautiful old chapel deep in the EU. Her mind was still on the ceremony that had just taken place there. Princess Jacquelyn mi Britannia had just been wed. Her new husband was a staunch young man from a business background. It had been a very simple ceremony; alarmingly so. It was hardly the extravagant affair Rowena would have expected from the daughter of Arienette mi Britannia, a woman Rowena had know quite well and considered to be a good friend.

It was a peculiarly subdued affair for the wedding of a Britannian princess. Rowena supposed this was understandable. Britannia was at war and the wedding was on foreign soil. The spineless nobles who would normally flock to such an event wouldn't dare risk the trip. There were just a few Britannian of influence Rowena recognized, exceedingly wealthy people of importance.

But it wasn't just Britannians in attendance. Sticking out to anyone, was the President of the EU's Universal commission himself, flanked by his four champions. This had raised a flag for Rowena as she questioned what Jackie had asked her to meet with her in private after the ceremony for. Also sticking out was a peculiar group of characters Rowena didn't recognize. They were seated like they were important figures, but Rowena had never seen a one of them.

Feeling a tad uneasy and entirely unsure of what was about to happen, Rowena knocked at the door she had been called to. She spoke in a low voice, "It's Winfield, here as called."

"Please come in," Jackie's voice beckoned. Rowena turned the knob to open the door. She walked in.

Her eyes went from face to face as she entered. Jackie was there, still looking beautiful in her elegant, pure white wedding dress. Richter was there as well, looking equally sharp in his immaculate tuxedo suit. Along with the two of them, the room also contained the somewhat rugged looking priest who had married the two of them, the young girl who had acted as the flower girl, and the peculiar group that Rowena had noticed earlier, which included an attractive blonde woman, an albino woman, an old man, and a second blonde second woman was someone Rowena had met previously. She was the kidnapped witch, D.D.. The only other face in the room was that of Regina Granville, the only other Knight of the Rounds who had attended the wedding.

This was another unsettling thing for Rowena. Why would Granville of all the knights come to see Jackie be wed? It didn't make sense to her. Granville was a pathetic character. She was a girl of such intolerable weakness that she let herself become entirely broken after her brother's death. It was almost sad, really. It was mind-boggling to think that such a character would care in the slightest about this ceremony. Yet the simple fact remained that this girl had done what the other Rounds hadn't and had come here.

"Thank you for coming all this way, Rowena," Jackie said, smiling in her direction.

"I wouldn't have missed this, Jackie. Congratulations to you both," said Rowena nodding at the girl.

Arienette had been a great friend. She had done a lot to get Rowena established in the Rounds. But Jackie wasn't very much like her mother. Arienette was a simple woman; a woman very easy to understand. Jackie was like her mother in the first sense, but not the second. She was hard to predict. The girl operated on malice. This malice was somewhat frightening; with intelligence, ambition behind it, she would likely become dangerous. Glancing at Richter Novak quickly, Rowena wondered if it didn't have that now. Even still, she liked Jackie.

"Yes, thank you," Jackie said again, nodding.

"So, what is this all about?" asked Rowena, looking at Richter and the strange woman at the center of the crowd.

"In two months time, my wife will be the Empress of Britannia," said Richter directly, closing his eyes. Rowena was, needless to say, taken aback.

"What is this? You're conspiring against the Empress?" she started, taking a step back.

"Does that displease you, Rowena?" asked Jackie, tilting her head. "You know what sort of character that girl is. Would I not be better suited to the throne?"

"I-I..." Rowena started, thinking it over. She had no real loyalty to Ava li Britannia. Her loyalty was with whoever would take her the farthest. Even so, something in this didn't set right with her. As disagreeable as she was, Rowena Winfield didn't actually _disagree_ with the current Empress, while something had set off with her about Jackie, and more particularly, Richter, since the death of Arienette. Even so, there was no other response to give in this situation. Rowena recognized this.

"Of course you would, Jackie," she said with a nod.

"Good. Even if you didn't believe so, fate is already set. The current regime will fall and we will rise to take its place," said Richter, nodding. "But before that, we're giving the two of you a chance to join our side."

"Heh, is this an invitation, or something mandatory?" started Rowena, looking down.

"What do you think, Lady Winfield?" a voice asked. Regina turned slightly to see the blonde woman step toward her.

"I'd wager it's the latter," Rowena said, closing her eyes.

"Correct. Either way, you will not be returning to Britannia," said the woman. "You will stay and serve us, or I will kill you right now in this room."

"K-kill me?!" Rowena started shocked. She glanced at Jackie, but received no help there. "Just who are you?" she asked, sizing the blonde up.

"I am called Deifilia Amarantha. Over the years, I've more or less been an observer, but now I have a dream which I am trying to make reality," the woman replied in a soft voice. "These are my colleagues: Father Lazarus Cain, Lucrecia Harrison, Eldridge Delaney, and Signa Norrell," she added, motioning the priest, the child, the old man and the albino woman in turn.

"This sounds pretty crazy," sighed Rowena. "But if I have no choice, I suppose I don't mind."

"Good. We are glad to have you," said Amarantha quietly. "And you, Lady Granville?"

"I will comply. If it means destruction, I care not which master I serve," said Regina colorlessly, nodding.

"Great to hear it," said Amarantha. "Now, Eldridge, you know what to do."

"Yes, Miss Amarantha," the old man said, stepping forward slowly. He walked up to Granville and looked her in the eye briefly. He then did the same to Rowena. It was creepy. She really had no clue what was going on. But soon the old man had pulled back and turned back to the woman. He gave her a simple nod.

"Do the two of you know what the power of Geass is?" asked Amarantha suddenly. Rowena was surprised by the question.

"Of course. That's the trick Ava li Britannia used to claim the throne," said Rowena, nodding quietly.

"You're an idiot if you think that's all that Geass is," the young child, Lucrecia, started harshly.

"Correct. Geass is a hugely variable power," said Amarantha. "And it can't be written off as a simple trick."

"Really?" Rowena started, still skeptical. She had never believed too strongly in the significance of the Empress' ability. It seemed useless to her, as did the abilities of the Knight of Nine and the Knight of Four.

"Lazarus, I believe a demonstration is in order for our friend here," said Amarantha, nodding to the priest. He stepped toward her.

"As you wish, my Liege," he said, grinning crazily, as he neared.

"Just what are you going to do?" Rowena questioned as she leered at the man. Their eyes met and soon Rowena got her answer.

Her entire world changed in an instant. The small room was gone. The people within it, save for her and the damned priest appeared as just shadows before her. Appearing as her new reality was a bleak image of some kind of hell. Everything was dead, drained of life, a mix of grays and blacks. The open gray sky was populated by winged demons and towering hell beasts dueling with angelic soldiers clad in bloodied armor.

All of it seemed real. None of it could be real, logically. Rowena of course knew this. This was just an illusion brought upon by Geass. But it didn't feel like an illusion. The illusion was perfect; complete. It wasn't just visual; there were sounds, smells, Rowena could swear she even felt the wind off the wings of a monstrous looking fiend hit her as it flew over head. No, this was clearly not a simple trick; fighting here would affect even the most talented of fighter.

"I see... so this is Geass..." said Rowena, stunned and humbled.

"Have you had enough of my nightmare?" asked the priest. "Do you wish for God's mercy so you may walk among the light once more?"

"Yeah... I think I've had enough," said Rowena, eager to make the horrors go away.

"Very well," the priest said solemnly and shut his eyes and bowed his head. Suddenly, the room was back.

"Geass really is what you say it is," said Rowena, convinced.

"So then, how would you like to have your own?" the witch, D.D. said with a giggle as she stepped forward. Once more, Rowena was taken aback.

Taking on her own Geass ability? Power was power was always Rowena's philosophy. Powers such as Geass were clearly no exception. But for some reason, she had hesitations about accepting such thing into her being. She had made it as far as she had purely on her own dedication, her unbreakable drive to make it to the top. She had never had to rely on something such as Geass, and for some reason it scared her. Agreeing to accept the power gave her the strange suspicion that, in doing so, she would be shortening her own life.

"What do we have to give in return?" started Rowena, highly suspect.

"Oh, you needn't worry about that," said Amarantha. "I'll be fulfilling the terms of your contracts for you. It's completely free so long as you serve me."

"I accept the offer," Granville spoke in a low tone, stepping forward.

"Excellent," D.D. purred quietly, stepping forth suddenly and putting her arms around the girl. To Rowena's shock, the witch bent forward and placed kiss on her lips. "Contract granted."

"So, what about you, Lady Granville?" asked Amarantha, smiling as Rowena stared.

"Is the kiss necessary? I'd rather avoid such an act," said Rowena, trying to sound strong and confident when she felt anything but. D.D. laughed and walked forward.

"But that's the best part, sexy," she cooed in a low, sexualized voice before jumping on Rowena and all but lodging her tongue down Rowena's throat. Rowena gave something of a cringe as she tried to break away, but it was already over by the time it had begun. The woman had pulled off of her, leaving her feeling violated in ways she couldn't explain. "There you go," the woman giggled.

"Excellent," said Amarantha, nodding. "Eldridge here will train you in using your Geass; you will debut in the next fight under the direct command of Mr. Novak. You are free to stay in his service when the agreement between he and I expires."

"I see..." said Rowena. "But wouldn't it makes sense to return to Britannia and wait until the fights start to betray them?"

"It will hardly matter," said Amarantha. "I have a brilliant sculptor already at work at making knightmares for you which far outclass the useless things Britannia provides you, and any additional damage that an ambush could provide will be negligible in the onslaught."

"Oh... I see..." Rowena muttered in a quiet voice. They really already had everything set. Any sort of choice was an illusion. The two of them had been marked for this. Nothing else would be acceptable. That made Rowena feel sick.

"Then the two of you may be dismissed," said Richter in a steady voice. "Someone from the EU will meet you and explain your new living arrangements."

"Understood," said Granville, before turning to leave.

"Y-yeah..." said Rowena, feeling depressed, as she turned away, staring at Jackie in her white dress one more time. The girl's expression was blank.

As the two left that room and began to walk, Rowena's thoughts swirled. It really did feel like she had signed away her life. She didn't know what to think. She believed them. That priest had Geass, likely so did the old man, the little girl and the quiet albino girl. The blonde herself probably had one as well; hell, it would hardly be a surprise to hear Richter or Jackie had one now. With that much power, Britannia was dead.

Rowena thought back to the promise she made; the promise that had defined her life. Her mother, on her death bed, had told Rowena to reach the top. Mother had clearly only wanted her daughter to escape the downtrodden life at the bottom that had killed her, but Rowena had taken it literally. She didn't have to, but it was a good a goal as any. Why shouldn't she strive to be at the top of the world? Why shouldn't she become the best there is, if she could? It was worth it to try, right?

Joining Richter Novak, joining Deifilia Amarantha, clearly was the way to the top in the future. Even so, this felt wrong. Something in this felt so off. Strength prevailed was always her philosophy. She always sought to be on the side of strength. But something in this was hard to take. Something was nagging at her and it wouldn't let go. She felt weak; she felt hollow.

She felt something like she presumed the girl walking parallel to her must always feel.

---

Katsumi's eyes stayed sharp as she stayed hidden behind some boxes within the knightmare hangar onboard _Hitokage_, her sister beside her. The two of them were about to do something drastic; probably stupid. But it needed to be done, so they'd do it. They had already come to that decision.

"I really hope this works," said Katsue in a very low whisper.

"You gotta have faith, sis. It'll work just like we planned, if we believe it will," said Katsumi in a little louder a voice. This didn't matter too much, as the room was full of noise already. _Hitokage _was currently docked to pick up some knightmare frames, including a rebuilt _Hiodoshi. _This is what the twins had their eyes on.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," said Katsue, sighing.

"We have to right?" started Katsumi. "Mother wouldn't listen to us. That woman left this in our hands. If everything she said was true, we're the only ones who can do anything now, Sis."

"I know," said Katsue, shaking her head. "I am the one who drew up this plan... it's just, really daunting actually being here."

"I know what you mean," said Katsumi in a low voice. "If they catch us, we'll be in so much trouble with mom. I don't even want to think about it..."

"Then let's make sure we don't get caught," said Katsue, nodding.

"Sounds like a plan," Katsumi replied.

The two of them continued to watch the scene before them. They were in position. They would strike when the _Hitokage _was preparing to lift off. Right now, things were hectic, but they'd become even more so then. They'd capitalize on that chaos and strike.

A few minutes passed in heated anticipation, before a man came running from inside the ship, informing the knightmare mechanics to prepare everything for taking off. Katsumi's heart sped up, as she waited for the perfect moment to move. It soon showed. After a few minutes of chaotic movement, there was only a single man in front of _Hiodoshi, _as the others went to attend to other units. Katsue jumped out from under cover and approached this man.

"Lieutenant Kozuki?" the mechanic started, using Katsue's new rank, surprised to see the girl. he was completely caught off guard. This made things easy.

"Sorry," Katsue giggled as the man stared at her, confused

Then Katsumi jumped out of cover, brandishing a wrench she had picked up and whacked the poor man with it in the head. He fell over at once, completely unconscious and Katsumi snickered. Before the first person noticed what happened and came rushing toward them, shouting, Katsumi grabbed her sister's hand and rushed toward the nearby machine, climbing inside together quickly. They started it up immediately. A small crowd of shouting soldiers and mechanics formed in front of _Hiodoshi, _but it quickly dissipated when the machine started moving.

Soon they were taking off, exiting the still open hangar door at an easy turned the comm system off immediately, before anyone could contact them. It was best not to say anything to anyone until this was done. Mother would be worried, but this still was necessary. Hopefully she'd understand in the end. Katsumi was sure she would.

Katsue increased _Hiodoshi'_s speed and sent it flying into the sky at great speed. It would be a long flight to the Chinese Federation. Katsumi smiled. After it had been completely destroyed in the battle for new Pendragon, _Hiodoshi_ went though a few design changes, chiefly to the cockpit. It was now meant to comfortably seat two. Luckily, this did not mean just giving it two standard seats. Instead, it had a motorbike type seat, similar to their mother's _Guren, _but with a slightly raised second seat behind the first. katsue now sat at the front, driving the machine while leaning forward. Katsumi claimed the back seat and sat more upright, using the weapon controls at either side of her.

Of course, when there were no enemies anywhere around, she didn't have to sit up there with her hands on the controls. Wrapping her arms around Katsue and embracing her comfortably from behind was much more enjoyable.

"That feel's nice, Katsumi," Katsue said softly as her sister leaned into her back.

"Yeah," said the younger sister, enjoying the beautiful warmth.

---

Amelia wore a smile as she dutifully cleaned the bedroom of Margaret Enneagram, her disguise well in effect. There was something really relaxing about this job. Amelia wondered if it was right to think this. She wasn't here to be a house servant, but here to spy and acquire trust in hopes of uncovering opportunities for an eventual assassination plot. Still, sometimes she found herself wishing she wasn't. As much as she was committed to the mission, as much as she disagreed with the Empress, as much as she wanted to free her father, she still could not enjoy fighting. A simple job like this was so much easier on her heart.

But that's not to say it was easy on her heart. Amelia guess she must have a particularly vulnerable heart. She cursed it. The fact was, she had failed. Stealing a glance at Margaret Enneagram, she couldn't help but know this to be true. She had fought this woman twice. once to a loss, the other time to what would have been a loss, if Amelia hadn't used a means to win she'd have rather not. Even still, she found she could not hate this girl. She was flawed, she was prone to anger, she was not always agreeable, but Margaret Enneagram was a very good person deep down. Amelia wished she could in honesty keep close with the girl.

But today, Margaret seemed down. Her fire was gone. She seemed more sedate, more somber. Something had been off with her since the last battle, but it just seemed to get worse as things progressed. It was strange, but Amelia knew better than to say anything. Margaret had scolded her when she seemed concerned before. As it was, to her surprise, eventually, Margaret opened up to her.

"Hey, you," she started in a low voice, getting Amelia's attention. She was the only one in the room.

"Yes, Lady Margaret," Amelia started, tilting her head.

"Can I ask you something?" the girl continued.

"Anything you wish," Amelia replied.

Good. I know you're probably too stupid to know anything about anything, but I really don't have anyone to talk to about this sort of thing," Margaret sighed.

"Is it about your last battle?" asked Amelia, nodding.

"Maybe you're sharper than you look," said Margaret with a laugh. "It's a pity that's not saying much."

Amelia wondered if she'd be more offended by these insults if they were aimed at the real her or if she'd still be able to tell they weren't completely heartfelt. She was adept at reading emotions, so she doubted it'd matter. It might hurt a little more though.

"So, what happened anyway?" asked Amelia, smiling.

"I defeated my first opponent. It was a tough fight, but nothing extraordinary, but during the second things turned weird," said Margaret in a low voice.

"How so?" Amelia asked, curious.

"I defeated my opponent and then I looked up and saw a unit that shouldn't have been there," said Margaret, closing her eyes. "It was the knightmare of one of my former enemies. _Brunnhilde, _a machine piloted by a girl named Amelia Gottwald."

Amelia suppressed her shock the best she could. She hadn't been anywhere near Japan much less fighting, and _Brunnhilde _had been destroyed. This was definitely strange. "Maybe you were mistaken. It could have been a different unit," she said.

"I'm sure it was. Amelia Gottwald is likely still fighting, but _Brunnhilde _was destroyed with Absolution," said Margaret. "Besides, what happened after that confirmed it wasn't her."

"What's that?" Amelia asked, not having to fake curiosity.

"You know what Geass is?" Margaret asked, smirking.

"Yeah. That's the power the Empress has," said Amelia, saying only as much as Glen might know.

"Yes, but I have it too," said Margaret. "Not the same ability, but it's still Geass."

"I think I understand," said Amelia, trying to seem a little surprised. "What can you do then, Margaret?"

"I can use the abilities of others," said Margaret. "My Geass gives me access to my opponent's techniques."

"Well, that's pretty cool," said Amelia, trying to act like she didn't already know this.

"Eh, it's a handy trick," said Margaret, sighing. "But I have to remind myself that it means I fight on borrowed strength. I admire people like her, that girl I mentioned, Amelia Gottwald."

Amelia blushed. She couldn't help it. She wasn't sure why she did, but she was just so taken aback that it happened. Luckily, Margaret didn't seem to notice. "R-really? Why's that?" she asked, trying not to smile too much.

"She's achieved such incredible strength, strength I can't even begin to truthfully compare to, and she did it all on her own accord. I beat her once, almost twice, but I was really just borrowing her power," said Margaret in a low, self-defeating voice.

Amelia liked hearing herself, her real self, be praised by Margaret, especially when she could tell it was sincere. She however did not like hearing Margaret sell herself short. She needed to say something. "But you still won. If you truly had all the same power she did, that means you have a stronger heart, Lady Margaret. That's the important part."

"Oh god!" Margaret exclaimed. "Are you honestly trying to cheer me up saying crap like that? I already said, I'm not sleeping with you."

"I really mean it," Amelia insisted.

"Then you're a total failure as a man," said Margaret in a huff. "Regardless, we're well off point here."

"Yeah, so what happened when you saw the _Brunnhilde?" _asked Amelia, quick to return to point, as she was quite curious.

"I used my Geass. Rather than taking on Amelia Gottwald's powers. Something completely strange happened. I took on the appearance of y--" Margaret started, only to cut herself off. "I took on the appearance of someone else," she finished with a light blush.

"Take on appearance? You mean like change shape?" asked Amelia, finding this peculiar.

"Not really," said Margaret. "I was still me, I just for those moments, looked like y-... someone else..."

Amelia restrained a laugh at the reactions Margaret was having. Still, the topic of conversation was enough to distract her from that point. "So that would mean that's the ability of the person in the fake _Brunnhilde; _they can make themselves look like anyone."

"You really do have a brain," Margaret laughed. "And it was obviously being projected to the knightmare too. When I looked up, I saw the long gone _Lancelot Albion_."

This made sense. But then again it didn't make sense. Amelia knew the Japanese army. They didn't have anyone with such an ability. The only Geass user was Chiharu, and the information said she had said the poor girl had not only been paralyzed, but also kidnapped. The simple fact was that this didn't add up.

"So, is it common for people to get Geass like that?" Amelia asked what sounded like a harmless question.

"Not at all," said Margaret. "But it's not too surprising Japan might have Geass users."

"What makes you say that?" asked Amelia, surprised.

"Remember I told you of the woman who was kidnapped from the castle?" Margaret started, tilting her head slightly.

"Yeah..." Amelia said.

"She was the witch, the one responsible for giving out Geass contracts," Margaret explained, causing surprise in the other.

Would Japan kidnap the Geass giver? Obviously she was the most valuable person inside that castle. But the plan just didn't seem to fit their profile. Besides, who that Japan had could infiltrate the Britannian castle? It'd be a serious struggle for Amelia or her mother to do it; she doubted anyone normal could pull it of. Again, it was only Chiharu in her mind, but that girl was written out of the picture.

"How did Japan kidnap someone from inside the castle? I thought it'd be defended..." Amelia started, tilting her head.

"That's a good question. Hadn't thought about it too much," said Margaret deliberately. "It's certainly a feat. I can almost see that Gottwald girl managing it, but even that seems like a stretch."

"But if Japan has someone who can give out a power like Geass, why'd they let their allies in the Federation fall?" asked Amelia, narrowing her eyes. Something was definitely off about this.

"Wow, you actually watch the news? Surprising for someone of such a simple existence," said Margaret smugly. "But you are right. It's odd..."

"What if this fake _Brunnhilde _wasn't Japanese?" asked Amelia in a slow voice.

"You mean someone else took her and that someone else intervened in that battle to turn it into a loss?" Margaret started, her eyes shooting wide.

"Y-yeah... maybe..." Amelia said, trying to be as indirect as she could, so as not to break character completely.

"The EU!" Margaret started, positive of herself. "Suddenly they have such strength. It's obvious. They intervened and made us lose. Those bastards want Japan for themselves!"

"Wow, you think so?" Amelia started. She thought so too. Things were being manipulated. The EU was up to something serious.

"I'm sure of it now," said Margaret, angrily. "And I don't like it. We're being manipulated by those bastards! it's no wonder they joined us despite being historical enemy number one. They had this in mind all along."

"You should probably tell the Empress," Amelia advised. She honestly meant it too. Ava li Britannia's aggressive nationalism didn't rest well with her, but something made her wonder, if this EU that kidnaps to line its force with Geass users and manipulates their allies fights for their own benefit wasn't worse.

"That girl is sharp. I'd be surprised if it's a brand new idea for her," said Margaret. "But I should bring it up; you're right. She'll know to investigate it further the more people she hears it from."

"Yeah," Amelia nodded.

"But seriously, why am I talking to you of all people about this?" said Margaret, shaking her head. "I must be pretty damn desperate for a conversation."

"I'm always willing to listen," said Amelia, smiling.

"I really do hate you," said Margaret. sighing loudly. It couldn't have been a more obvious lie.

"I know," Amelia said, turning back to her cleaning ."But I don't hate you."

"Whatever," Margaret said in a low voice. After a very long pause, she added in a barely audible voice, something Amelia almost missed.

"Thank you."

Amelia froze at the words. They genuinely surprised her, and in the end, left her feeling somehow warmer.

---

Richter Novak's expression was completely level as she approached the woman alone at the center of the old castle hall. He didn't trust this woman, Deifilia Amarantha. He couldn't trust her. She didn't trust him. She couldn't trust him. Yet here, for some reason, they were working in tandem. Their goals at the moment overlapped. In the future that would not be the case. But for now, he had no choice but to serve this woman.

A few days had passed since he had been wed to Jacquelyn. Nothing felt any different. If anything it just made the woman more needy and annoying. But she was the key to Britannian power so he bore it. Parts of it were mildly amusing anyway.

"You called for me, Deifilia Amarantha?" he started, glaring at the woman.

"Of course, Richter. We still have some time before the next battle. As we wait, I've been thinking on many things. I wanted a second. opinion on a few of them," said the woman in a casual voice.

"You're looking for help? Never thought I'd see that," said Richter, looking down. "But why me? Surely you have enough capable persons serving you that wouldn't need to seek help from someone like me?"

"It's because you haven't pledged your loyalty to me that I value your opinion. Our goals are the same right now, so you will not lie to me, but you have no fear of me either," said Deifilia, nodding.

"Very well. What is it you want an opinion on?" Richter said in a low voice.

"Am I missing anything?" she asked. "Is there any lose ends I've left in all of this?"

"Nothing major," said Richter. "The fight is pretty much won."

"Oh? What makes you say that?" asked Deifilia.

"We have far superior pilots. Geass gives us a distinct advantages. The number of units that pose any sort of threat to us can be counted on one hand," said Richter, closing his eyes.

"Then do so," said Deifilia. "Explain to me the units we still need to worry about."

"_Bedivere Godhand _is lacking a pilot now, so that leaves but _Dagonet Foresight _and _Mórrígan _posing any threat. The rest are negligible. Japan only has the _Guren,"_ said Richter, sure of himself.

"What of Britannia's Geass users? Don't they pose a kind of threat?" Deifilia started, smiling.

Geass was an amusing power. Richter couldn't' claim to understand it completely. Deifilia wouldn't give him Geass. Eldridge Delaney had looked him in the eye and advised her against it. This was somehow satisfying for Richter. It proved this woman, as powerful as she believed herself to be, had reason to fear him. It made up for not being granted an ability.

"Hildegarde Waldstein is capable but easily toyed with. her emotions are destructive. Send her to combat with Gavin or Belita and she'll fall apart," Richter said steadily.

"Oh? If she's emotionally charged, I can understand how Lyall's Geass would be effective," Deifilia said, curious. "But why would my Marcella have such an effect?"

"That girl's real name is Yasuko Tohdoh," said Richter, thinking back on his encounters with the once imprisoned girl.

"Tohdoh? You don't mean..." Deifilia was noticeably surprised.

"Correct. She is a daughter of Japan's Tohdoh of Miracles," said Richter, nodding.

"The very opponent you sent Marcella to slay in the last battle?" Deifilia asked.

"Yes," Richter responded simply.

"You did so knowingly?" Deifilia raised an eyebrow.

"Of course," said Richter. "it's simple strategy to take such a thing into account. Tohdoh's unit was old, but he had a very able mind for battle. A moment of hesitation in him was a moment of vulnerability. It seemed the easiest way to have him neutralized."

"You really are a cold man, Richter Novak," Deifilia said, shaking her head. "But I honestly don't see the connection. What does Yasuko Tohdoh have to do with Hildegarde Waldstein?"

"The Knight of Four rescued that girl from the Absolution attack that destroyed Britannia's military prison. She was moved to the castle. The two of them bonded with time, forming what appeared to be a romantic bond, until I gave the order to have the girl burn with the other prisoners," said Richter. "I'm honestly surprised to see her alive now."

"My, so that's why Marcella responds so wonderfully," said Deifilia. "It's a sad thing that such a love would have to be cut short. I think I'd prefer you send Lyall after this knight."

"I can't say I'll alter my strategies to comply with that," Richter said.

"I wouldn't expect you to," the woman replied. "But what of the other Geass user? How much of a threat is she?"

Richter gave a rare laugh. He shook his head. "I cannot comprehend any scenario where someone like you should have to worry about someone like Margaret Enneagram."

"The Knight of Nine is that small a threat?" Deifilia seemed surprised.

"She lacks intelligence. She's a parasite. She's a mindless follower with no place in the big picture," sad Richter coldly, memories of that girl's annoying pestering bubbling to the top of his mind as he did. "Power in the hands of a fool is rendered moot."

"I've never known you as the type to let your personal feelings about someone mar your judgment," said Deifilia, strangely satisfied. "You're more human than I thought, Richter Novak."

Richter was less amused. "Is that all you wanted me for?" he asked staunchly.

"Is that all you had to say?" Deifilia started. "It wasn't very substantial. Surely you can think of something I've overlooked."

"Absolution," Richter said, closing his eyes.

"Absolution? They're dead aren't they? Britannia destroyed them with our aid," said Deifilia, surprised.

"Yes," said Richter, "But they're not all accounted for. Intercepted Britannian records suggest that one of the former masked leaders alluded capture. Moreover, several of their known top operatives, the pilots chosen for their custom units, have been marked as neither killed or captured."

"The remnants of the fallen Absolution may have a plot in the works, you say?" Deifilia said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," said Richter. "It's quite likely."

"The entire plan would be destroyed were Ava li Britannia to be assassinated prior to us being able to get to her," the woman started, displeased. "This is a very serious threat. One we cannot take lightly."

"The masked woman's identity is unknown, but the unaccounted for custom pilots are documented. Tracking them down might be possible," Richter explained, straight-forwardly.

"Oh? then we shall do so," said Deifilia. "It should lead us to the leader in the process."

"Of course," said Richter. "The agents in question are three young girls. The daughter of Absolution's one time head, Amelia Gottwald, the daughter of the Knight of Eleven, who likely seeks his head, Cynthia Moore, and Miya Ashford; a girl I know personally."

"Another powerless fool, perchance?" Deifilia laughed.

"She's an odd sort, but doesn't lack her own sort of strength. She's not so easily written out," said Richter, nodding.

"I see," said Deifilia sternly. "Signa!" she suddenly called.

Signa Norrell stepped forward suddenly from the shadows in the corner. Richter would not have even known she was in the room had he not already figured out that Deifilia Amarantha was never without a guard.

"Yes, master?" the girl started, completely hollow.

"Retrieve Naida, Philip and Lazarus. I have a mission for them," Deifilia said, nodding.

"As you wish," the girl said, bowing.

"And do it quickly. I don't trust to be alone with this man," she added, smirking.

"Always," the girl said and then turned and departed.

"You really think there's anything that I could do to you?" Richter started, smirking himself.

"It's best not to chance anything, Richter," the woman said. "We must always be prepared."

"Right," said Richter solemnly.

"You're free to excuse yourself, if you'd wish," she said.

"I believe I shall," Richter said simply before turning to leave.

---

Megami gave a low sigh as she sat on the bed in the room her and Chiharu shared. Normally, it would be great to sleep in the same bed as Chiharu. No, it still was great, even if Megami wasn't in the mood to try anything too heavy. She was trying to go through life, not despising every second of it, but it was hard. There was so little good in her life at the moment. All of it could be summed up in one word: Chiharu.

The girl sitting on the other side of the bed was the only bright spot. Being in this place again was painful for Megami. She hated it with a passion. But Chiharu made it bearable. She made Megami want to at least try and smile. She made Megami unable to lose hope. She made Megami trust that things would soon turn around.

"So, you got any ideas yet?" started Chiharu suddenly, giving a low sigh.

"You mean about getting out of her?" Megami said, giving her own sigh.

"Yeah..." Chiharu replied.

"It just doesn't seem possible yet," said Megami quietly. "Right now it looks like we'll be forced to comply, as hard as it is to bear."

"So that means I'll be forced to fight them," Chiharu said in a somber voice. "A true nightmare..."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, kid," started Megami deliberately, her heart feeling weak. "This really is a nightmare."

"You still blame yourself, don't you?" Chiharu asked, her voice low and placed.

"Yeah..." said Megami, defeatedly. "I know it's my fault the two of us ended up here. I really should have known better than to go back to her, when I knew her evil all too well."

"I can't blame you," said Chiharu. "You were willing to bear this all by yourself for my sake. I can't forget that." She smiled for a moment after that. "Besides I doubt you could have known any of this would go so far."

"That doesn't change the fact that because I brought you here, you're now going to be forced to fight the people you love," Megami said, angrily, motioning to stand. Chiharu grabbed her hand and kept her on the bed.

"I don't place the blame for that on anybody but that woman, Megami," she said, shaking her head. "I don't want to see you blame yourself either."

"But Chiharu--" Megami began to say, her voice high and insistent.

"I like you better when you're smiling, Megami," said Chiharu. "I like the fun Megami, who could make me smile even when things became so impossible to bear."

"C-Chiharu..." Megami stuttered, surprised and blushing. What happened next, only amplified the effect. Chiharu turned around on the bed until she was facing Megami. She smiled brightly and bent forward, kissing the other. No, it wasn't a full kiss. It was a simple, harmless cheek kiss that lasted only a brief second, but it was enough to open Megami's eyes fully.

"I have to fight the ones I care about," said Chiharu, smiling. "But there's someone I care about with me here still. I want her to stay the woman I know."

Megami's face quietly morphed from embarrassment to shock to intense excitement. She snickered and smirked. She then pounced. She pushed Chiharu down on the bed, pinning the girl under her.

"Chiharu!" Megami all but sang as she looked down at the stunned and confused girl beneath here. "I didn't know you could be so cute!"

"M-Megami...? W-what are you--?" Chiharu started helplessly, struggling under the other.

"But that kiss, just won't cut it," Megami said, playfully. "How about another one? This time for real..." she cooed as she lowered her lips slowly toward Chiharu's mouth.

"Stop!" Chiharu commanded, before punching the girl in the gut. Megami reeled back. She began to laugh loudly. Chiharu joined in more quietly. She muttered quietly, "Please don't get ahead of yourself."

"Fine, fine," said Megami in a soft coo. "But now I'm positive you'll warm up to me eventually."

"I'm not sure I'd count on that," said Chiharu, shaking her head. "But feel free to delude yourself otherwise."

"Heh, you truly are an amazing girl, Chiharu," Megami said. "I shouldn't let fear, hatred, disgust... I shouldn't let them dominate me or else I'll never break free."

"If we're going to do this, it's going to be together," said Chiharu quietly.

"But seriously, I can't believe you actually kissed me," said Megami, punctuated by a laugh.

"Think nothing of it," Chiharu said, shaking her head. "You just needed a little encouragement. That's all it was."

"Whatever you say, sexy," Megami started with a playful sigh. Chiharu rolled her eyes and gave a short laugh.

They'd get out of this .They'd break free. Together with Chiharu, Megami would be unstoppable. Not even Deifilia Amarantha would stand a chance.

A/N: IT"S OVER. Yay, It feels like I've been writing this one chapter forever. I am so glad to finally be done with it. Thank you all for your patience with me again. Sorry it had to be so late.

I almost don't want to comment on this chapter, it's contents have been in my head so long. But yeah, it had some good moments. Eilith takes a few steps forward with the help of someone a little unexpected. Richter and Jackie get married in the background while I try to develop Rowena for some reason (giving her and Regina Geass in the progress). Twins embark to find some help. More tsundere romance, this time from Amelia's POV. Richter and Deifilia scheming, setting the crosshairs on the Absolution girls. And finally some real cuteness from Megami and Chiharu. A little more eventful than the last chapter.

Obviously, I'm not about to screw with an extra at this point. I promise to do some more in the new future.

But in interesting news, I have decided to open the long planned character poll for voting. Please go to my poll and vote for your favorite class 2 and up characters. I'm still not sure I gave Eilith enough time to become familiar, but I felt like starting this up. It'll be up for several weeks.

Anyway, strangely enough, there is nothing to add to the profile page from this chapter. That's a first.


	35. Turn 34: The Trials of Love

A/N: Argh, I still cant' get a timely update out to save me. I have no excuse for it this time, I'm just horribly unfocused at the moment. I don't know what it is. It's not writer's block, since I know what's going to happen in the story. It's also not a lack of interest or enthusiasm for it, as that's definitely still there; I'm thinking about this thing all the time. It's just hard for me to sit down and just focus on writing it out at the moment. Hopefully it's bearable. Anyway, hope this chapter is enjoyed.

Disclaimer: Lazarus: "Small as it may be before the eyes of God, the original characters in this story were created by CrazyNinjaPenguin. He makes no claim of the character belonging to others."

Kallen Kozuki was upset. She had every reason to be. She still couldn't believe it. Her daughters had stolen the _Hiodoshi _and flown off to somewhere unknown. It was unthinkably dangerous. Kallen hardly could keep track of her emotions. She was furious at the girls for doing something like this, but above all else she was frightened. They were all she had.

"So, where was it you think they'd head?" asked an approaching Nagisa Tohdoh, looking very much concerned. Kallen felt sorry for this woman. She knew true loss, having had both her younger daughter and husband taken from her recently. She nodded and prepared an answer.

"They told me something about intercepting information from the enemy. That for the greater success of our effort, they needed to check out some specific coordinates," Kallen replied readily.

"Did you write down these coordinates?" Nagisa asked, hopefully.

"No," Kallen said, shaking her head. "The coordinates were somewhere in the occupied Chinese Federation. I gave them a flat 'no'. It was too dangerous to consider."

"They went to the Federation?!" Nagisa exclaimed in surprised. "Honestly, what could they be thinking?"

"I don't know," Kallen said, "But it's certainly troubling."

"We should have every one on the ship interrogated. Maybe they spoke of this to someone?" Nagisa started.

"I'm not sure those girls need to talk to anyone else," said Kallen, looking down. "If they agreed that it needed to be done, that would be enough for them."

"Even so, there aren't many options," said Nagisa. "We have to do what we must."

"Yes, I agree," said Kallen, nodding. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much there is to do."

"Should we organize a party to search for them?" asked Nagisa, in a low voice.

"It's a serious risk. Sending multiple units in there might be interpreted as an act of war if they're intercepted," said Kallen. "It's painful, but I'm not sure how much we can do."

"Shouldn't we at least send someone?" asked Nagisa. "As their mother, wouldn't that at least be of some comfort."

"I'm their mother, but I'm also now the head General of the Japanese force," said Kallen quietly. "All we can do at the moment is monitor the _Hiodoshi'_s signal and hope it remains strong. I have faith in those girls to make it back."

"I hope you're right," Nagisa said with a sigh. "For your sake, I really hope you are."

"Thank you," Kallen replied in a somber voice, closing her eyes to think.

---

Naida Fiametta wore a soft smirk as she approached her two comrades, Philip Xander and Lazarus Cain, with an easy nod. They had left for Britannia immediately and had arrived only half a day ago. She had been hard at work since then, gathering the requisite information as best she could. She had determined the location of Cynthia Moore and Miya Ashford simply enough. She had pictures of all three girls she was looking for, ripped from Absolution records. A couple hours spent searching the lower-cost apartments in closest proximity to the castle, she had found an apartment manager who gave her a yes when she showed the pictures, but only to those two.

Amelia Gottwald was far harder to track, even with Naida's skill at such things. She had initially figured the girl was using a separate apartment, staying with the formerly white masked Absolution leader. That search proved fruitless, so Naida got another idea. She recalled how that girl had impersonated a maid in her attempt to assassinate the Empress. As unlikely as it seemed at first that she'd use the same disguise, if tending to a house was her only skill set outside of combat, she would come back to it. With those thoughts, Naida decided to impersonate a noble she had once encountered and ask about maids who had been recently recruited.

There were just three leads. Only three noble families of significant status had hired servants immediately after the fall of Absolution. The first was what appeared to be a clear dead end. The family had little direct connection to the Empress despite their wealth; the woman hired was rather old and stout, not looking like she could possibly be Amelia, even with heavy disguising. The second lead seemed more likely; the Asplund family apparently had a acquired a "young, beautiful" maid with flowing blonde hair. It seemed this was it, but it was curious. This woman was taller than Amelia Gottwald and had a clearly different body type. She more resembled the woman that had only been seen in a mask.

Naida almost immediately discounted the third lead. The subject in question was a man. This normally would have ruled him out entirely, but further questioning piqued Naida's interest. This young man was supposedly "very small and cute, just like a young girl" in the voice of the obnoxious noble woman she had questioned about it. His reported height matched Amelia's. The more Naida heard, the more she became convinced. Amelia had failed the first time. Disguising herself as a completely different person, and a man no less, seemed to make sense. There was little doubt in her mind anymore that the young male servant to the Enneagram house was the girl her master had marked for death.

"So, have you completed your task?" asked Lazarus in a grim voice.

"Sure have. I got locations on all three, and potentially the fourth," Naida said, cocking her head proudly. "Aren't I totally the best at this sort of thing?" She giggled. Collecting information was the one thing she really excelled at.

"Your sins do not deserve praise," said Lazarus darkly, looking down on her.

"Geez, what's wrong with you, Laz? I lie to gain information directly from people, but it's not like you haven't done much worse," she said through a sigh.

"I have been chosen by God. My actions are guided by His hand," said Lazarus solemnly. "They may appear as sins to mortal eyes, but instead they are holy judgement."

Naida sighed. "Whatever you say, Laz."

"Where shall we find the false unicorns? Destruction seethes inside me, calling for their tainted blood!" Philip suddenly said with a harsh laugh.

"Here," she said handing a slip of paper to the crazy man. "Cynthia Moore and Miya Ashford are using the same apartment. That's their address. I'll leave them to you two. I'll follow the lead on the other girl."

"Is it not true that Amelia Gottwald is the most proficient in combat?" asked Lazarus.

"No, that's right," said Naida. "But I'm not 100 percent on this lead. If it turns out to be a dead end, you two would be lost or not even notice. Besides, as my fight with that girl over Japan proved, actually fighting strength doesn't automatically determine who wins. I can mess with people's heads just as well as either of you can."

"A bold claim, comparing yourself to one who hears God's voice," said Lazarus in disdain.

"Alright, I may not be as good as you at it, but I think I can break a little girl if I try hard enough," said Naida smirking.

"Do not disappoint out Liege," Lazarus said in a cold voice.

"Yeah. I know," Naida replied, shaking her head. "Just worry about your own marks for now." She nodded. "For something like this the best opportunity might be to wait until they split up. These two have different buttons to press."

"I've read the file on them," said Lazarus, closing his eyes. "I know as much."

"The false unicorns will see the light! Whether they may be saved or damned the light of the fairy king resides within this mighty horn!" Philip declared boldly, raising his warped staff into the air.

"Yeah, you do that, Phil," said Naida, shaking her head. "Anyway, I'm off. Good luck."

"May God be with you," said Lazarus in a quiet voice.

"Heh, thanks," said Naida, smiling. She turned and walked off.

Her hand went to the gun at her side. It didn't matter how skilled this girl was. Reports said she was emotionally a little fragile. Breaking her wouldn't be too hard, and once that was done, killing her wouldn't be any harder. Naida could do this job. She would do this job. Just like the princesses, just like every other person she had killed. Just like all those other people she had never known and never seen until they fell lifelessly to the ground before her.

It was her job after all. She didn't like it. It made her sick. But what else was there? The world where no one knew her, the world where she'd be alone? She'd pass on that. She owed that woman freedom and life. She didn't agree with her, no of course not, but what right did she have to refuse. How could she betray anyone when she had seen the results of making such a rash decision unfold before her very eyes?

A little shaken, her perpetual headache flaring up, Naida pulled the small container of ultra-strength pain killers from her coat pocket. She threw a number in her hand without counting and swallowed them down in a gulp with the aid of a bottle of water she was carrying. She panted a bit as she calmed down. The Enneagram house wasn't far from here. She'd hide in the shadows there and emerge when her mark did.

---

Cesia Moreva wore a stern expression as she entered the room being used by the field commander of the EU's chief force, Alain Renard. She hated this man. She hated reporting to him. Why couldn't she still report directly to the President like always? Something about this guy just rubbed her the wrong way. His outlandish dress and deceptive nature, it was like he was an avatar for everything she hated about what was currently happening around her.

"Ah, Miss Moreva? What have you to report?" Renard asked, hardly looking up.

"Reports indicate a single Japanese custom knightmare frame penetrating the borders of the Chinese Federation early this morning, heading due west," Cesia reported militantly.

"Oh? You don't say?" Renard spoked, closing his eyes. "Which machine is it?'

"Sources in the field say it looks to be _Hiodoshi, _sir," Cesia said while nodding.

"I see," said Renard apathetically. "Thank you for informing me. You may be dismissed."

"Dismissed? Already, sir?" Cesia started, narrowing her eyes. "This is a serous matter. The enemy is likely doing spy work. Don't you need more details? At the very least, shouldn't I send someone in to receive orders on it?"

"This issue is hardly a concern," said Renard in a strong voice. "You needn't pay it any mind."

"Hardly a concern?!" Cesia exclaimed, boldly. "What are you saying, sir?!"

"I'm saying it's already being handled, Miss Moreva," said Renard coldly. "It's already being taken care of."

"You already knew?" started Cesia, surprised, here eyes opening wide than narrowing.

"Not exactly," said Renard smugly. "But I suspected this might occur. Miss Giullare and Mr. Valentin are already in place to counteract it."

"I see..." the woman replied, confused. It just didn't sit right with her.

"You may go now," the man reiterated.

"As you wish, sir," Cesia said with a firm nod before turning around and walking out the door.

As it was, she found herself immediately facing Belisario Nemesio, President of the Universal Commission. She blushed as she fumblingly gave a salute.

"Ah, Cesia," he started in a quiet voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I had news to report to Commander Renard, sir," she started with a firm nod.

"Ah, an enemy on the move, perhaps?" questioned the distinguished man.

"Yes, sir," said Cesia at once. "A single enemy. A Japanese custom model. It's current objective is unknown, but it has breached the Federation's borders."

"Ah, I see," Belisario said, smirking and giving a light nod. "So she was right then..."

"Who was right?" Cesia started. She already knew the answer.

"Never mind that," the man replied, shaking his head. "I trust Renard is taking care of it."

"It seems that way," said Cesia with a quiet nod.

"Excellent," said Belisario. "A bright young kid, that one."

"I suppose," the woman said, averting her eyes slightly.

"You seem troubled, Cesia," Belisario then started, taking a step toward her. "Is something the matter?"

"You know I don't like this..." she muttered quietly, her voice weak and fragile.

"What don't you like, Cesia?" the other responded in a casual voice.

"Who are these people? Who is Alain Renard? Who is Deifilia Amarantha?" Cesia gulped a little. "How can we put so much trust in them?"

"Sacrifices need to made to achieve a real change, Cesia," Belisario said, a charming smile on his lips. "That woman is going to change the entire world for the better. It's given that it won't be the prettiest thing in the process."

"Better? What kind of world is she trying to make?" asked Cesia, surprised with the answer.

"A freer world. A fairer world," was all the man said. He started walking past her.

"Sir, I don't understand," Cesia called.

"It's hard to appreciate a beautiful thing without seeing it for yourself. Words are often meaningless," said Belisario with a quiet laugh. "For that, I see no reason to say any more."

Cesia thought of calling again, but she stopped herself. What more was there to say. She straightened herself up and watched as the man walked away before turning around. Freer? Fairer? Beautiful? She wondered what these words could mean. She wondered what was happening. She wondered why she continued to go along with it. She wondered if anyone had power to stop it.

---

Cynthia Moore had a quiet expression as she sat upon the couch in her apartment, Miya right next to her. It was quiet. She was finishing up a book, Miya was watching something on TV. It was peaceful. It felt nice. Comforting. Cynthia liked living with Miya. The girl was fun, bright, cheerful and an all around good person. Being around Miya could make her forget about a lot.

It could not however, make her forget about what had happened. She couldn't let go of that day. She couldn't let go of the feeling that sprung from out of it. She was still eternally hunting her monster. Her soul wouldn't be able to rest until he had been slain. As much as being friends with Miya masked this need of hers, it couldn't get rid of it entirely.

She knew that if they succeeded, if Ava li Britannia was assassinated, that if a kinder leader took the throne, he would be judged. His crimes wouldn't be ignored. He'd likely see his end. Cynthia could then leave his fate in the hands of others, just as she had before he had been released from his death sentence. She didn't know why she couldn't just do that then. Maybe she wasn't as strong as she hoped she was. Maybe she was a monster too.

But Miya Ashford, the girl sitting next to her, was the purest sort, the fairest sort. Miya was good for her. Miya could maybe suppress the dark urges in her. Thinking this then, she was surprised. Their relationship was so warm and open, that it seemed strange to think about it changing in any sort of way. But perhaps, just maybe, it was time she tried.

"Hmm," she started in a low tone. "Miya?"

"Yeah?" the girl said with a smile turning back toward her.

"Have you ever liked someone?" she asked rather forwardly. "You know, had an honest, deep desire to bring them close to you and hold them tight?"

"Hmm," Miya started, a finger going to her chin. "I never really thought about it before..." she said with a big grin. "I bet it's nice to feel that way about someone."

"What sort of person do you think you'd like to feel that way about?" asked Cynthia in a soft voice.

"Someone I like," was all Miya said in reply.

"You want to like someone you like?" Cynthia giggled. "Only you could give a response like that, Miya."

"Really?" Miya chuckled. "I thought it was a pretty good response. Who cares what sort of person they are, if I like them I like them. It's that simple."

"How very true," Cynthia admitted, smiling.

"What about you Cynthia? You ever have someone you liked?" asked Miya, nodding several times.

"I had a few childish crushes prior to that day..." said Cynthia in a soft, solemn voice. "Nothing since."

"So what sort of person would you be looking for now?" asked Miya, scratching the back of her head.

"Someone bright, fun, strong, pure, and free..." said Cynthia in a quiet voice. "Someone kind of like you, Miya."

"Kinda like me?" Miya laughed. "I'm kinda strange. Don't know where you're gonna find one of those."

"I know where I can find one," said Cynthia, blushing.

"Oh wow, is this a confession?" Miya started, blushing as well.

"I don't know right now," said Cynthia quietly. "I'm confused. I still have things I want to see done." She closed her eyes and said deliberately, "I'm not sure I'm ready to do anything for myself just yet."

"And I say you forget all that," Miya giggled happily, causing the other to open her eyes. "Not really forget, but just put it aside. You deserve happiness too, Cynthia. I know it's important to you, but don't hold back because of that."

"Miya, what are you--?" Cynthia started, surprised at the words. She was even more surprised at what cut her off. Miya had bent forward and placed a soft kiss at her lips.

"I'm stubborn you know. When you put suggestions in my head, they don't just go away," Miya said after breaking the short kiss. "And the more I think about it, the more I like the idea."

"M-Miya..." Cynthia stuttered. "You mean you want to--?"

"I like you, Cynthia. So I'm willing to like you if you want to like me," Miya said in a very cute voice. Cynthia smiled.

"I think I might really like that," Cynthia said with a soft laugh. "I do like you too, Miya. When we first met, I thought you were the most beautiful person I had ever met."

"Wow, that's a major compliment. Thanks!" Miya blushed. "I've kind of wanted a reason to kiss you back ever since that first one you gave me back then."

"You're a fine kisser," said Cynthia, blushing.

"Thanks," Miya giggled affectionately. "Expect a lot more."

Cynthia smiled. This might just be enough. Miya might be all she needed. She felt happy. Miya Ashford might be enough to get her through this all.

"I wait in anticipation," she replied with a giggle.

"I'd give you more now, but it's getting a little late. I don't think we have much around to eat. Want me to go get us something?" started Miya, smiling.

"Ah, I suppose you're right," said Cynthia, looking at the clock. It was late and she was pretty hungry. "I think I'd like that."

"Any preference?" Miya questioned.

"Not really. I'll let you decide what to get," Cynthia replied quietly.

"Awesome. Will do," Miya chirped. "I'll be back soon. Don't want to be away from my new girlfriend very long after all."

Cynthia blushed. She supposed it was official now. It still felt so weird hearing it, even if it was what she wanted.

"Yes. Don't keep me waiting, or else I may get lonely," Cynthia giggled.

"I would never want that," Miya replied, with a nod, jumping to her feet. "I'll be back in no time."

"Please be safe," Cynthia said, as the girl moved to the door.

"Of course," Miya replied. "Thanks."

And with that, Miya was gone. Cynthia relaxed into the couch and thought. Miya was at the tip of it all. Daydreams saw minutes pass. Everything was at peace ten minutes after Miya left, which made the sudden change even more drastic.

The door began to open. This would mean Miya was back, Cynthia initially thought , but if it seemed early for that. Miya had locked the door and yet it was being unlocked. They had made copies of the key. Sayoko and Amelia each had one in addition to Cynthia and Miya, with the only other key being held by the landlord they were renting from. Cynthia went on guard. It was likely Sayoko or Amelia with something to report, but she could never be sure. She wasn't in the right mood to shoot someone, but she grabbed her gun just in case

And when the door flung fully open, Miya's worst fears were realized. It was a stranger. A man she had never seen before. She fired her gun immediately, but he seemed prepared for this. He raised a sturdy metal knight's shield, with an ornate cross on it and blocked the bullet. He then leapt forward, pulling out a thin saber, also with a cross motif, and placed it at Cynthia's neck. He was that fast. All she had managed was one shot and he was ready to kill her.

"Cynthia Moore, It's a pleasure to meet you today," the man spoke. Cynthia was finally able to look at him. He was garbed in the robe of a priest, with black hair and glasses covering his cold eyes. "I am here to spread unto you the word of God."

"Who are you?" Cynthia choked out, backing up slightly, so she had room to breathe. The man allowed this.

"I am Father Lazarus Cain. I am a priest by trade, but it is not my only area of expertise," said the man with a faint smirk. "I follow the will of someone chosen by God. It is by her will that I have come for you."

"You're here to kill me then?" asked Cynthia frightened. This man could obviously overpower her. She was dead if he wanted it. There was no questioning that.

"If it comes to that, yes," said Cain, with a quiet laugh. "But humanity is a race of sin. Among these sins, no greater is taking life where it can be avoided." Cain nodded at her. "God has chosen me to do His work, so my sins are pardoned, yet I still see no need to kill needlessly when I could instead help a sinner find repentance."

"Then what do you want me to do?" asked the girl, focused.

"Are you devout, miss Moore?" asked the priest in a low voice.

"I'm spiritual, but not Christian," Cynthia replied blankly.

"Then maybe I will kill you. What use is sparing a soul already chained to hell?" Cain laughed bitterly.

"Tell me why first. You can kill me, but don't I at least get to know what for? What does your 'God' have against me?" asked Cynthia in a soft voice.

"It's not so personal, MIss Moore," said the priest. "My Liege has marked your comrades for death as well."

"Miya!" Cynthia tensed up as she shouted, horrible thoughts entering her mind. "Tell me you're not going to kill her!"

"Miya Ashford?" started the priest. "That girl will be killed. Our information places her as being of no potential use to us. Unlike you, death is her only end. I would be surprised if she still breathes now."

Cynthia didn't want to believe this. She didn't believe this. She couldn't. But still she felt a pain inside her, an incessant stabbing pain at her heart.

"Why am I different?!" Cynthia demanded. "Why am I a potential use to you?"

"Because you have your own desires," said the priest forwardly. "Your friend's sins are not so plentiful, yet your little head is home to many blasphemies against our Lord."

"Shut up!" Cynthia screamed curtly, jumping back and lifting her gun up to fire. She was about to when something peculiar happened. The scenery changed. She was no longer in her apartment. She was in Hell.

Or that was her first thought. It did seem to match her picture of what the Judaeo-Christian Hell would look like. Sparse, barren. Pillars of fire erupted from out of the earth at various points, and spurted into the sky. Cynthia could feel the heat from them. What's more, there were demons. Impossible creatures not like anything she had seen before. They were numerous; they were hideous. The largest rose up into the clouds, and the smallest barely made it up to Cynthia's knee. Yet every one of them looked evil and demented like it was a ravenous beast with a unquenchable thirst for her blood. They were encircling her.

"What do you think, sinful girl? It is this sort of world in which you will dwell if you continue to defy God," Cain's voice boomed at her. He was farther from her now. The illusions were impressive, but that's all they were. Cynthia could beat this. She aimed her gun at the man and fired three times.

None of them hit.

"You honestly think it'd be that easy?" the priest asked. "You can't kill me in this world, girl. No one can but God Himself should He choose!"

"You monster! You're a Geass user?!" Cynthia exclaimed as she pieced it together. This man had geass. The most powerful, deadly Geass Cynthia had ever heard of.

"Patricide," Cain started suddenly. "There is hardly a crime for which God weeps more than seeing one take the life of their own blood."

"How do you know about that?!" Cynthia screamed, unloading more bullets at nothing.

"Information is easy to acquire with the right natural gifts," said Cain quietly. "Putting it together is not so difficult as you might think."

"Why go through the trouble?!" Cynthia demanded, her voice harsh and totally unlike it's normal tone.

"Isn't this an odd place for you?" asked the priest. "Your true goal is that mortal sin. Ava li Britannia doesn't truly matter to you. At least not as much. Yet you stay here. You plot against her. You ignore that unclean, impure lust for sin you hold so deep to the core of your soul! And for what? Are you scared? Are you afraid you lack the power to strike that man down?"

"I-I..." Cynthia started. "I don't need to hear this from you!" she shrieked.

"You will find power in God's light!" said the priest. "My Liege has the support of the one God His holiest of gifts. Niles Moore is just a sinful man. You could send him to hell."

"Power? Geass? That would be enough. That would make up the difference. Her painful loss still clung to the back of her mind. She needed strength. She needed something.

She didn't need this.

"I'd sooner die than join you!" she screamed, rejecting the priest entirely.

"Are you sure about that?" asked the man. "Your friends are already dead. You're alone. If you seek death and I don't provide it, what then will you do? Continue this plot on your own? What reason have you? Your heart isn't in it! Japan will fall before you have a chance to go there. Your only choice then will be us or your father. You would truly reject us then?"

The priest's words were like daggers. Cynthia didn't know what to think. The heat was getting to her and she felt weak. She felt sick. This man sickened her. But was he right? Without Miya, would she have no other course of action but to follow him? But Miya wasn't dead. Miya couldn't be anything but alive. Cynthia refused to accept otherwise. As long as she had Miya, Cynthia had no need for this false priest.

"I refuse," said Cynthia solemnly, standing still.

"Very well," said Cain. "Perhaps, Satan's minions may convince you beyond what I have."

Cynthia didn't reply. She had seen them. She knew they'd be there then. Many demonic fiends hand encircled her over the course of the conversation. They were all upon her now, brandishing deadly weapons, stained with blood. They were illusions. They likely couldn't damage her body physically. They likely couldn't kill her. They'd still try.

A bulky red demon with two massive horns coming from it's head moved in first, holding a jagged sword. When it was face to face with her, Cynthia noticed something. It had her father's face. They all did now. The bulky horned demon raised it's blade and i let it come down. The cut across her back felt real. As did every one that came after it.

---

Amelia Gottwald wore a soft smirk as she walked down a peaceful street. It was evening. The head cook of the Enneagram had sent her to buy some groceries for dinner since she hadn't any other task left for the day. It was still weird walking around in public as Glen, being seen as a boy, attracting the attention of girls, some of which she could hear squeal at how cute she was. It wasn't bad, just different.

She hummed a little as she approached the grocery store. then her eyes caught something that surprised her. It was a familiar face. It was her mother, in her Sophia Godwin disguise. Amelia gave a little giggle as she walked up to her.

"What a coincidence running into you here?" Amelia greeted with a smile.

"Hehe! I guess we can never guess when things like this might happen," Sayoko said in a soft voice.

"So how are things going over there?" asked Amelia, smirking happily.

"Well enough," Sayoko answered. "Perhaps we should discuss it somewhere slightly more out of plain sight."

"Ah, of course," Amelia giggled. A grocery store parking lot was hardly the most private location for would be assassins to discuss their plot.

"Then follow me," Sayoko said, nodding. Amelia listened. She followed her mother closely, all the way to the back corner of the store, which was quiet, no one in sight.

"So, any developments to note, mom?" Amelia asked, tilting her head.

"Not really. It's been more of the same. How about with you, dear?" asked Sayoko placidly.

Sayoko seemed a little off, Amelia noticed. No gushing over her disguise. Not a single minute detail to report when she was usually so thorough regardless of whether something truly of note had occurred. It was strange.

"Yes! I found something big, mom!" Amelia exclaimed brightly.

"Please do tell, dear," Sayoko started, smiling affectioantely. Amelia was a little put off by her, but she was too excited to contain it.

"Britannia's been betrayed. The EU is pulling their strings. They kidnapped the Britannian Geass giver and have granted likely numerous soldiers Geass. They manipulated the last battle in Japan so they could claim it for themselves and now they plan on setting their sights on Britannia."

"My, my, Amelia," Sayoko started quietly. "However did you find out this information?"

"I concluded it. With Margaret's help we sorted out the details. It may sound unscientific, but I'm positive!" Amelia nodded several times.

"You're a smart girl, you know that?" Sayoko started, in a completely foreign tone, raising her her hand. Amelia could hear the sound of a gun cocking. She pulled a knife from her sleeve and deflected the bullet as it fired.

"Who are you?!" Amelia demanded, her eyes becoming focused like a hawk on the impostor.

"What do you mean, Amelia? You know who I am," Sayoko said, but then she wasn't Sayoko. She was someone else now. She was Astrid Weinberg. She was the dear friend Amelia had made what seemed like so long ago.

"You're not Astrid!" Amelia started. "Astrid would never try and shoot me, even if she is my enemy!"

With that, Amelia went into a running slash with her knife. She'd find out who this person was after they were dead.

But then she stopped. The person had changed again. She couldn't attack anymore. She wasn't real, but she still couldn't attack her. How could she let her knife slice through Margaret? How could she kill the one who made her hear flutter in so many strange ways? She stopped. Two bangs sounded and a sharp pain ran through her right shoulder and then her left thigh. She fell to the ground on her knees.

"I'm surprised. You like your 'master' so much?" the woman mocked her in Margaret's voice. It wasn't like Margaret mocking her though. It was so much harder to bear, especially with the bullets lodged in her painful wounds.

"I was prepared to try so many more," she said, shaking her head. Amelia looked up. She was too weak to move. She looked at the enemy. "Like this." She took the form of her father. "Or this." Now she was looking at Miya. "Or maybe this." Cynthia. "But I suppose this would be the best to finish you off."

Amelia was then looking at herself. She was staring at Amelia Gottwald, a blood crazed look in her eyes. As she toted a gun at her face.

"How does it feel Amelia Gottwald? Not many assassins get the opportunity to be assassinated by themselves," the woman giggled. "In fact, you just might be the first!"

A third bang sounded against the cool evening sky.

---

Miya Ashford wore a pleasant expression on her face as she walked home, a bag of fast food hamburgers under her arm. She was eager to get back home and snuggle up with her cute new girlfriend, so she had just went to the closest fast food place to the apartment. It still wasn't super close. The area their apartment was in was mostly for nobility. It was near the castle. Most of the restaurants around were upscale and full service. It was a fair walk, but Miya liked a little exercise.

She was almost there. She just needed to pass by Vortigern National Park, and she'd be home free. She wondered if she shouldn't greet Cynthia with a big kiss to start. She'd surely like that. She snickered. Yep that'd be really nice. She hastened her step. A cold wind blew as she skirted the park. It was mostly dark now, and there was hardly anyone out. It felt so lonely.

But there was at least one other guy it seemed. Looked like a pretty nice guy. Dressed casually, ordinary appearance. Poor guy had some sort of cane or something though. Not over thirty and disabled. Had to feel sorry for people with such bad luck. But there was nothing Miya could do. She stopped staring and continued on her way.

Or she would have. Instead, she started to run. The guy had raised his cane in the air and then darted towards her like a lunatic. Was he going to mug her? This was kinda scary. Then she remembered she had a gun on her. She was told to carry a weapon always when she went out. She pulled out the small handgun and pointed it at the approaching man, dropping the bag of food to the ground in the process.

"Stop! I'm armed! I will fire if you attack me!" Miya started, in a sharp voice. The man came to a halt and straightened himself out in front of her. He really was an ordinary looking man, with brown hair and thick glasses. The "cane" was some sort of warped staff. It looked heavy.

"You needn't do that, child," he spoke, in a deep voice, punctuated by an odd laughter.

"You don't look homeless given your clothes," Miya said, studying the man. "What do you want from me? Sex?"

"Your soul," the man replied simply.

"My...?" Miya started, absolutely shocked.

"The idol who holds the blood of the holy unicorn has deemed you a parasite! You shall be eliminated so that peace may be restored to the balance of the tranquility of the forces that bind destiny to fate and fate to nature!" the man shouted, cackling madly. He was completely insane.

"Please, you need help. I"m sorry, but just leave me alone," said Miya, shaking her head.

"I will smash you like the false unicorn you are!" the man declared boldly, rising his staff and rushing forward. Miya fired her gun.

She missed. She always missed. She didn't know how Cynthia did it, but she just couldn't get the hang of it. Her aim was abysmal as always. The heavy staff crashed down on her left arm, causing incredibly pain. Miya wasn't sure the bone wasn't fractured. At the very least it would be heavily bruised.

Then things went from bad to worse. Just as she was going to counter and find a point black shot, things got really screwy. The world became incredibly slow. She could hardly move. Sure, the man wasn't moving any faster, but it was still insane. The hardest part to bear was the pain. In the slowed down world, what was likely a second of pain lasted the better part of a minute. She felt it all and it was numbing. After what felt like an hour suspended in the painful time trap, she felt faint and sick, but there was still no way out. She couldn't do anything. The pain was blinding and she thought much to fast for her to move her body in any efficient way.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the time trap, obviously a Geass, shifted to the opposite side. Now things were flying past. She fell to her knees, the pain more than she could take. The heavy staff came crashing down on her again. It hit her across her chest. It came down again and again, all in what seemed like under a minute. Miya coughed blood. She was going to die. She had been so happy only moments ago, and now she was going to die.

But the awaited blow to her head didn't come. She fought to get back up to her knees and looked up. A sword was holding off the staff. It eventually fought it back. Miya grabbed her gun. She had to do this. She fired, intent on killing her assassin.

She hit him this time. It just wasn't in a vital area. She had aimed at the heart, but instead hit the left upper arm. This was enough to break the time Geass and return things to normal speed. She looked up at the man, he was bracing his arm. He looked at Miya and then at the one who had saved her.

"The Unicorn frowns upon this!" he declared angrily. He then turned and ran. Miya hadn't the energy to even try another shot, especially when it would surely just miss. The guy standing next to her wasn't giving chase either.

"Are you okay, miss?" he asked. It was then Miya decided to finally look at him. He was an older man with sorrowful eyes, dressed in a noble's clothes. Something in his face was very familiar. As was his voice. Miya couldn't place it though.

"Well, not entirely," said Miya weakly, the pain pretty horrible. "But I think I can stand," she said. She did just that. She almost toppled over, but she got to her feet. God, she felt horrible. She seriously hoped nothing was broken. She hoped Cynthia would be okay with the bruises she'd surely have all over.

"That is good," the man said. "It's dangerous this late, girl. Predators like that are not a rare occurrence."

"Thanks for jumping in, old man," she said. "It was real luck you were around."

"I enjoy walks through this park sometimes to clear my head," the man replied. "I saw him and I couldn't simply watch. As a knight it is my duty to protect those who can't protect themselves"

"Well thanks," Miya started. "Guess I needed it tonight."

"Is it typical for a girl your age to have one of those on her?" the man said, nodding at the handgun.

"Girl's gotta protect herself, you know?" Miya forced a laugh. "It's just I'm such a bad shot it doesn't make as much a difference."

"Tonight was unfortunate, but in all honesty, I sometimes admire those who don't know their way around an instrument of violence," said the man. "I envy those who have never had to fight or kill." He then sighed. "But I suppose in your condition, you're in no mood to hear an old man complain about his life."

"It's okay. I owe you for saving me just now," said Miya. "That guy was seriously out to kill me, I'd be dead without you."

"You really think so? I had taken him as a common mugger or rapist. Such people are rarely directly after your life," said the knight, nodding.

"No, he said he'd kill me. Guy was serious. Anything but common," said Miya, smirking.

"Are you daughter to someone of influence, miss?" asked the man.

"Not anymore," Miya replied quietly.

"Then why should you be targeted for assassination?" he asked.

"I-I.. I can't say," Miya started, realizing she was blowing it. This was a Britannian knight. She couldn't just say who she was.

"You conceal information from the one who saved you?" the man started. "As a knight, it is my duty to see those who need protection get it."

"We're not exactly on the same side, you know," Miya admitted quietly. Guy seemed understanding. She could reveal that much.

"You're behavior and manner of speaking were so naturally Britannia I failed to notice. You're Japanese, yes?" the man asked, closing his eyes.

"Yes, by birth. But I'm a Britannian before that. I'm not with Japan, I'm not officially with anyone anymore," said Miya quietly.

"You are a remnant of them then?" the man sighed. "A dangerous job for one so young. But i see why not one such as you would be marked for death by an unknown party?"

"Guy doesn't work for you guys?" asked Miya. "He had a freaky Geass power and everything..."

"Then he surely doesn't," said knight said morosely. "Britannia has but three Geass users and I know them all personally. I've never met that man before."

"Well, who they are isn't so important right now," said Miya. "You'll let me go right?"

"In all likelihood, the one this Geass user works for stole something important from Britannia. They are our enemy. For that reason, I'm more inclined to offer you support," said the old man.

"Awesome! I could sure use it," Miya nodded. "I have friends close by who might be in serious trouble."

"Then let us go to them," the man started in a low voice. Taking a step forward. Miya had recovered a lot of strength in the time it took to collect herself. She began to walk as well.

"We should probably go check up on my friend Cynthia first," said Miya as they walked. "She's in an apartment close by."

The old man stopped walking. Miya turned to him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"On second thought, I probably shouldn't come with you," he said. "It's best I don't get involved with this." He held his sword out to the girl. "Instead of me, take this with you to rescue your friend. It's a lightweight sword, one even an old man can wield to some effect. It should better suit you then a gun you can't hit with."

"Eh, thanks. You want this back eventually?" Miya asked, taking the sword. It was a nice sword. Looked fairly expensive. It had character to it. Not heavily decorated, but not plain either.

"No. It's yours to keep, girl," the knight said quietly. "Use it to protect your friend."

"Will do!" Miya declared brightly with a nod, holding the sword tightly. "Thanks a lot Mr... uh..."

"You shouldn't' concern yourself with my name," he started. "Please, just take care."

"Yes, sir!" Miya called back before running off.

It wasn't that much further until the apartment. She prayed nothing had happened with Cynthia, but she supposed maybe that was asking for too much. She held the sword firmly. She'd be strong. She was in a lot of pain, but she was still functional. She'd save her girlfriend for sure.

She ran swiftly up the stirs to her apartment upon arrival. The door was open. She cursed. It was as she had feared. She jumped in. A man was standing there. Cynthia was on the floor, howling in pain most absolute, though it looked like nothing was physically wrong with her.

The man seemed entirely too focused to notice her approach. She thrust the sword at his back. He reacted in time to save himself, but just barely. The sword cut deep into his arm as he turned around and pointed his own sword at her.

"You?! That fool failed to kill you then?" the man started angrily. "And now you dare interrupt the work of God!"

"I'll kill any God who hurts Cynthia!" Miya declared boldly, her battered body holding surprisingly firm against the man, who seemed more affected by his bad cut then he let on.

"Perhaps you'll join her in Hell, then?" asked the man in a low voice. Miya closed her eyes and went for a sort of sideways random thrust with her sword.

It found point. The sword pierced into the man's shoulder, fairly deep. He drew back. His power seemed to weaken. Cynthia stopped howling so much and sort of began to calm down. He was losing strength. He could no longer maintain his Geass.

"Think about the things I've said, Miss Moore," the man spoke to her, before making a break for the door. Miya wanted to kill him, but was too tired to move so fast. She felt like collapsing.

Instead she crawled over to Cynthia and looked at her. She seemed to pale. She seemed so broken. Miya prayed the damage her mind had incurred wasn't permanent.

"Cynthia? It's Miya... you with me?" she asked in a low, hopeful voice.

"Mi...ya..." Cynthia replied in a feverish voice. "Miya..."

Miya smiled and bent forward. A soft kiss was placed on Cynthia's lips. This seemed to ease the girl quite a bit.

---

Margaret Enneagram gave a curse as she sat in the backseat of a car, on route home. She had been right. The Empress already had arrived at the same conclusion as her. The EU were behind everything. She had agreed that her and Astrid had already decided it was a very strong possibility. She seemed glad to hear the idea from Margaret though.

But there was a problem. The Empress was still dead set on conquering Japan. The EU was clearly more important and a far more serious threat, but that girl wouldn't hear of it. She kept saying she'd let them make the first move, that letting them have Japan would be inexcusable. Margaret wondered if this was wise. It didn't set right with her. She gave a long sigh as she peered out her window.

Something flashed before her eyes as she did. It was something, no someone, familiar. She just caught it, but she was positive. Just as they were passing by a local high end grocery store, she saw him. She saw her servant, Glen Esmay following some showy blonde woman behind the store. What the hell was that about? It was infuriating. It made her so... Jealous? No, that couldn't be right.

"Driver! Turn the car around! Take us into that parking lot!" Margaret demanded of the man driving the car.

"Uh, sure thing, Lady Margaret," the man replied, seemingly surprised and confused, but not about to refuse a direct order from his employer's daughter.

The car did a u-turn as quick as possible, doubled back and then turned into the parking lot. Margaret got out of the car very suddenly and ran. She didn't really know what she was doing. It just pissed her off that's all. He was her servant! Hers! What right did he have to meet up with random blonde sluts at times like this when he should be waiting for her at home? She was so going to chew him out.

Halfway through her sprint, her concerns changed entirely. There were two gunshots in quick succession. Her heart leapt so hard it seemed ready to rip from her chest. She ran as fast as she could the rest of the way.

Then she was on scene. What she saw shocked her. Glen was on the floor, shot, bloodied, perhaps dying. Standing above him, a gun raised in her hand was none other than Amelia Gottwald, Margaret's enemy. She felt like crying. This was cruel. Why do this to Glen? He was a nobody. He didn't deserve this. She unsheathed the thin rapier she had worn at her side as part of her official Knights of the Round attire.

She charged. Just as the gun was about to fire, Amelia saw her. She moved back and the shot wound up hitting nothing. "You bitch! Just what are you dong to my servant, Gottwald!"

"L-Lady Margaret?" Glen stammered, surprised as hell to see her before him.

"How amusing," Amelia started, laughing. "To think, you'd show up."

"I'll kill you this time! This boy belongs to me! I do not take lightly to you harming him!" she declared coldly, her sword pointing straight.

Amelia then pulled out a second gun. One was pointed at Margaret, the other at Glen. "I'll kill him. If you move, I'll kill him. If he moves, I kill you. it's that simple."

"You monster!" Margaret shouted, frustrated. There was still too much distance. She couldn't move fast enough. She needed to try something. She needed to use Geass. If she had Amelia's skills, she could maybe get an attack of some sort in before she fired. It was worth a shot at least. Her Geass activated.

Nothing seemed to click inside of her at first. Then she got an all too familiar sensation. It was that blistering headache she had gotten in the last battle. Also just like the last battle, she now looked like Glen Esmay. This wasn't Amelia Gottwald.

"Oh, how cute. You two must love each other bunches," the fake Amelia snickered. "But for trying to pull one over one me, I'm afraid you die now!"

The gun fred. Margaret didn't have time to react. She couldn't move out of the way. The bullet was going to connect. It would have, but it was intercepted. Glen jumped in front of her. He took the bullet in the same arm in which he had already been shot once. and then fell limp to the floor. Margaret feared he was dead. She looked down at him, into his eyes. Those eyes seemed so weak but pure.

"You can do it, Margaret..." Glen spoke very weakly as their eyes locked.

Margaret found then that her disguise vanished along with the headache. More than that, there was a familiar click. Next thing she knew, she had jumped into the sky for a forward flip kick. It took the enemy (and Margaret herself) completely by surprise, sending her to the ground. She readied her sword and made for a stab with it. The woman then changed form. She was now Glen. Margaret hesitated.

That was all the enemy needed. She grabbed and fired one of her guns, which she had let go of after the kick. Margaret was somehow fast enough to doge the bullet, narrowly, but it was enough distraction for the woman to make an escape cleanly. Margaret didn't give chase. She fell to her knees in front of Glen. His eyes were closed. he wasn't moving.

Margaret feared he was dead. She bent before him and started to cry like mad. "Why?!" she screamed as she looked for at his pale face. "I love you, you know..." she cried as she bent down and placed a kiss upon his lips, her tears trickling down onto his face.

"I... love you too..." Margaret's heart stopped at the sound of a faint reply. She hugged him. She could feel his heartbeat, weak but there, his breathing, slow, but constant. he needed treatment.

"Please... don't die..." Margaret begged as she pulled out her cellphone and quickly dialed an emergency number.

---

Valeria Giullare had a blank expression as she kept her _Bellona _hiddenbehind a mountain. it was quiet. Peaceful. She was ready. The mission they were given was about to commence. She spied a fast moving target on the horizon. She started her machine up.

"Hold now, Valeria," Edouard Valentin, her partner for the mission started. "Our orders have changed."

"Huh?" she started quietly, tilting her head back at _Roland._

"We're not engaging immediately anymore. The commander insists we let those girls get to where they're going," he said. "We survey them while they make their visit and engage depending on what unfolds. If all goes well, we simply crush them when they're leaving."

"Oh..." Valeria said in a low sigh of a voice, bringing _Bellona _back down.

"Don't understand it much myself," said Valentin. "But it's decidedly cruel, letting them find hope only to crush them shortly after." He laughed. "So I can't help but fancy the idea."

"Hmmm...." Valeria started quietly. She could see _Hiodoshi _flying overhead. "Pretty..." she commented in a soft voice.

"Hehe, such an odd girl you are, Valeria," Valentin commented in a dray voice.

"Really?" Valeria questioned blankly.

"Yeah. Definitely," the man responded.

"Okay," was all Valeria said in reply.

---

Katsue smiled as she looked at the _Hiodoshi's_ instruments. They were almost at the coordinates. Just a few more minutes and they'd land. Katsumi was sleeping on her back. It was surprising almost. No enemies. Absolutely no one had attacked them. Was the occupied Federation that poorly manned or did they just somehow not notice them? It just didn't seem right.

"Hey, Katsumi!" she called and shook her sister by moving her back

"Huh? Y-yeah?" Katsumi started, picking herself up and giving a yawn.

"We're just about there. I'm starting the descent," said Katsue, pulling up on the controls, forcing it to descend.

"Wow, already? Awesome!" Katsumi cheered, becoming alert.

"Don't you think it's odd, Katsumi?" asked Katsue in a low voice. "I'd have thought we'd see combat on the way here."

"You don't think they've laid a trap there? Do you, sis?" asked Katsumi, concerned.

"I'd say it's exceedingly likely," said Katsue somberly.

"So, we're potentially putting the one we're here to see in danger?" Katsumi started with a low sigh.

"I'm afraid so," the older sister said softly.

"Well, nothing we can do about it," Katsumi laughed. "We've come all this way, and we need to see them regardless. It's important, right?"

"You're very right, Katsumi," said Katsue, nodding. "We don't really have a choice anymore. We're already here."

"Hopefully we'll make it through this alright," Katsumi said, nodding.

"There's a clearing there," said Katsue. "I doubt we're going to find one big enough any closer," said Katsue. It was true. The terrain grew exceedingly rocky as they flew toward the nearby mountains. It soon wouldn't be level enough to land. The number of trees was also increasing. There likely wouldn't be another good spot to land.

"Cool, take us down, sis," Katsumi said excitedly.

"Got it!" Katsue responded, and did just that. It was a quiet, simple landing.

The two left _Hiodoshi _as soon as they could. Katsue hoped nothing would happen to it while they were away. It was a pretty isolated area, but it still wasn't very safe to leave it here for long, this deep in enemy territory. That in mind, Katsue moved quickly, following behind her sister as she led the way. A few minutes past of nothing. Katsue was beginning to hope they got the coordinates right. But then suddenly small home nestled against the mountain entered her sight.

"You think that's the place?" asked Katsumi, cocking her head.

"I would think most likely," Katsue laughed.

"Let's go!" Katsumi said, starting to run. Katsue sighed. Her sister could be so excitable at times. She had trouble keeping up. Katsue was completely exhausted when they finally made it down before the home.

"So, you think we should just knock?" Katsue asked, unsure of herself.

"Yup, not much else to try," the other replied.

"Alright," said Katsue, a little shyly. "Here goes nothing. She knocked at the old door."

No one came after a number of seconds. She knocked again. Still no response. Awesome. They had come all this way and they weren't even home.

"Maybe they'll be back in a while," said Katsumi. "Let's find somewhere to wait in the meantime."

"You got it," Katsue said, shaking her head. They both turned around at the same time. it was only then that they noticed him.

A young man with black hair was standing in front of them, pointing a shotgun in their direction.

"Who are you to be trespassing on someone else's propert--!" the man started in a dark voice. He cut himself off suddenly, looking completely astounded.

"We're not here for anything bad, we promise," said Katsue. "We just were told to get help from someone here."

"Kozuki..." the man said in a low voice.

"Wow! Can you read minds or something?!" Katsumi started excitedly, beyond impressed.

"It's not so complicated," said the man. "I am a specter of her past. You are her mirror images."

"You look just three or four years older than us. How could you be in mom's past?" asked Katsue, skeptically.

"What are your names, girls?" asked the man.

"Katsumi. Katsumi Kozuki," Katsumi called cheerily. "And this is my sister, Katsue."

"Very well. I broke a promise with that woman back then... I don't know why you've come to me, but for that reason. I'm willing to listen," he said in a quiet voice. "But it's not safe out here. Come with me. Let's go inside."

"Alright. We have a lot to discuss," said Katsue, closing her eyes. The two of them followed the strange man into his home.

A/N: Odd chapter. First one ever with not just no Ava/Astrid, but no Megami/Chiharu and also no Deifilia. Absolutely none of my "class 4" chapters appeared. The chapter was actually acutely focused on minor characters. And not very many of them. I wanted to include more characters, but this chapter was more about these fleshed out scenes I had in mind. I didn't want to include superfulous scenes just so I could put mroe characters in. Particularly, the focus was on the Absolution girls. I hope no one hated it as a result. I'm willing to admit the Miya/Cynthia side-plot is not one of my strongest; I doubt any of you count it as a favorite plot. I think in this chapter, more happened to advance that plot-line then had previously happened throughout the entire story. Maybe I'm starting to bring people around to it. Margaret/Amelia is a more popular side-plot from what I can tell, and I also did a lot to advance that. Next chapter should advance it more. The only other important plot point was the twins arriving to meet with our mountain warlock. Of course, I cut that off before it got good.

I'm surprised with my initial poll results. I had thought Ava was more polarizing, yet she's at the top with Astrid. I guess the people who don't like her aren't reading anymore at this point. The other top vote getters aren't so surprising: Ulric, Chiharu, the twins, Amelia and Megami. All very likable characters. I'm surprised Hildegarde wasn't more popular. I thought she was a fan favorite. I guess she's just been quiet so far this half of the chapter. But the poll's still just getting started. I'm leaving it up for multiple weeks.

Anyway, again, nothing new to add to the profile page this chapter. Probably a good thing since that would just delay me more.


	36. Turn 35: Reflections

A/N: bleh... Another two weeks between updates. I still can't get on a regular schedule. Forgive me. I really wish I could, as I have a lot of good extra ideas, and I can't get to those at all when I can't even get the chapters out on time. I don't know what's wrong with me, as I said it's just hard for me to actually start writing. I've just been generally off task and unmotivated. I seriously had to force myself to even start this chapter which seriously makes no sense to me, as I'm excited for everything going on in this chapter. I forced myself (and will continue to do so). Hope it's still good.

Disclaimer: Edouard: "The one calling himself Crazyninjapenguin does not truly own the elements on which this story was based, only the elements invented specifically for this story."

Katsumi had a smile on her face as she sat down in a wooden chair. Here they were, at the coordinates Megami Subarashii had led them to; the coordinates Chiharu Ohgi had scribbled in the back of her flight manual with no explanation. Katsumi didn't know what to make of the small, humble hut it had led them to. She didn't know what to make of the dark haired man who had shown them in. The man was living in the heart of the Federation as a hermit despite clearly being of Britannian decent. The man had claimed to know their mother but looked so young.

Also curious was the woman. The twins hadn't met her until they entered the house. She stared at them peculiarly, just as the man had on first sight, as if she had seen something eerily reminiscent. The woman had mid-length green hair. She looked around their mother's age, maybe a couple years older, yet still retained a certain beauty to her.

The man had instructed the two of them to sit. He had yet to say anything to the woman. He looked at her as Katsumi and her sister settled in their chairs.

"Strange things certainly can pop up from time to time..." the woman said in a low voice.

"No need to be so impolite to guests, dear," the man spoke. "Allow me to introduce Katsue and Katsumi Kozuki."

"So you honestly think you have to?" the woman laughed, shaking her head. "My eyes still work pretty good, you know."

"Please excuse her behavior," said the man. "My wife also has something of a history with your mother."

"Wait!?" Katsumi exclaimed. "This is your wife?!" her eyes went wide. There had to be at least a twenty year age difference.

"I wonder if we can really say any--" Katsue started under her breath, laughing. She was cut off by the man.

"I am an immortal," said the man suddenly. Katsumi looked back up, blinked twice and tilted her head.

"I-Immortal?" she started.

"Mother is rather tightlipped about a lot of things that happened twenty years ago. For so long she refused to say anything about it. I think she was convinced it was best we truly believed the act Lelouch vi Britannia left playing on the stage after his death," Katsue said, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the man. "But I did overhear something after Ava li Britannia unmasked the actors. I overheard a conversation between her and the late General Tohdoh. She said something about a woman. An immortal woman who had given out power. She pondered if this woman wasn't behind Ava li Britannia, but was convinced otherwise, deducing it must be someone else."

"Tohdoh of Miracles is dead?" asked the man, closing his eyes. The one thing he picked up out of Katsue's words was surprising to say the least.

"You haven't noticed your lands are under new management yet? Tohdoh fell with the Federation, killed by a reputed Geass user in the EU," said Katsue sternly.

"Your mother... she couldn't have allowed you to come this far into enemy territory..." the man sighed.

"Something sickening is happening in this world. A woman close to Chiharu Ohgi told me to seek you out at all cost. That you were what we needed to maybe set things right," said Katsue in a somber voice.

"I am immortal," said the man. "But that is hardly the gift you'd think it'd be. I'm still a simple hermit. I purposely set it up so in the end I'd be powerless. I am but a ghost. I may have been someone once, but that was a long time ago. Like most ghosts, I'm dead to the world, I can see things as they happen if I chose, but I can no longer directly intervene."

"You'll watch the world become twisted then," said Katsue, pointedly. "You gave Chiharu Geass. You're the one she promised she'd set the world right to. You may not be able to intervene directly, but does that mean you don't still wish to intervene?"

"You're cool-headed and observant, girl. I'm impressed," the man said. "There was finality in the path I chose. There was no room for oversight. I don't know what's happened in your world to turn it on its head, but its not something I could have predicted. So it's gotten the better of me. I've already made myself this ghost. This sentinel."

"Sentinel?" Katsumi started, tilting her head again.

"Tell me, how many Geass users would you guess exist in the world?" asked the man.

"Let's see... there's the Empress... two others on Britannia's side... Chiharu... Megami... and who knows how many the EU have..." said Katsumi, thinking it over.

"It truly is an unforgivable oversight. I was to kill Geass. I was to be the last connected to the cursed power alive. I was to guard over the power that could destroy peace for eternity," said the man in a low voice, his voice somewhat dark.

"Oversight is still failure," Katsue said harshly. "The fact is, Geass is probably more prominent now then it ever has been. Thanks to Ava li Britannia, it's a word known by the populace."

"You really are direct with your opinion," said the man. "So like her and unlike her at the same time."

"We're not here to reminisce about our mother," Katsue said forwardly.

"I rather agree," the woman spoke up, reminding Katsumi of her presence.

"My, twenty years later and you still have doubts, dear?" the man laughed. "You were always the one I'd--"

"Whatever you say," the woman said, coolly, glaring a bit. Changing the subject, she started, "Are these girls staying for dinner?"

"It'd be rude to not offer it," the man said, shaking his head.

"Thank you for your hospitality..." said Katsue.

"I'm hungry," Katsumi simply said.

"Right. Then I'll get to work," the woman said, leaving with a smile.

"Back on point," Katsue started, only seconds after the woman had left. "Geass is poised to warp this world. Ava li Britannia shattered the peace, but if I can believe the things told to me by someone I'm not sure is a friend or an enemy, that is nothing compared to what is happening behind the scenes."

"One Geass can alter the entire course of history. I understand your point then. Multiple Geass could distort our very reality into something that only vaguely resembles its current self," the black-haired immortal said, nodding.

"Then don't you see what you need to do?" Katsue started, becoming a little more intense. "The enemy has multiple Geass users! We need Geass users of our own to combat them. We need you to give us that power."

"Fighting fire with fire, eh? With the sort of flame Geass is, I'm not sure that won't set the entire world ablaze. The world doesn't need so many more Geass users. It will only further distort things," said the man. "Geass is both absolute power and absolute despair. It's a curse more than it is a blessing. It is not some sort of simple weapon to distribute."

"Then what? We give up? We let them kill us, kill Japan, kill mom, kill everyone and take it all over? We don't even try and fight?" Katsue started, on the verge of shouting.

"Let me ask you a question," the man asked, surprisingly turning toward Katsumi. She tilted her head. "If one Geass can alter the entire course of history, if one holds so much power, is much more really necessary?"

"Hmm... I guess you're right. I mean if we stay strong. If we push forward, staying committed to our goal, that's power in itself," said Katsumi boldly. "Mother was always the best, but she never had Geass. Even absolute powers can be toppled with enough courage."

The man laughed. "The quieter one seems to have her mother's spirit." He smiled.

"Chiharu Ohgi is in enemy hands," said Katsue, closing her eyes. "Right now, we don't even have one Geass user."

"I see," the man said. "How unfortunate. You hope to take her spot in the meantime?"

"Someone has to," Katsue said in a low voice.

"I'd rather it weren't you," said the man. "Girls who look so much like her... placing this curse in their hands... its unthinkable really."

"We're strong," said Katsumi. "Me and Sis, we can do this."

"I'm kind of a little curious really," the man said solemnly. "Geass in identical twins... I wonder how it will manifest."

"You'll do it then?!" Katsue exclaimed.

"If I do, you will be visited by sorrow," said the man quietly. "There is nothing more integral to the life of a King than despair."

"It's a small price to pay, right Katsumi?" Katsue started.

"Right, sis!" Katsue declared with a nod.

"To think, I'd be breaking the vow I made to you again so soon..." the man muttered as he reached for either girl's hand. "I wonder if I should try both at the same time..."

"I'd like it that way," Katsumi said forwardly.

"Very well," the man replied and grabbed both hands. Something strange flowed into her slowly. Something strange also flowed into Katsue. Katsumi didn't just surmise this; she somehow knew this. It was like, for that moment, her, Katsue and the immortal man were connected.

"There. The contract is done," said the man. "And for this, you will preserve this world as best you can? You will fulfill that promise?"

"We promise," Katsue said immediately. Katsumi nodded enthusiastically.

---

Margaret Enneagram was gripped by worry as she sat in a hospital waiting room. Her heart was pounding. She could hardly contain herself. She couldn't sit still. She was twitching horribly. She felt sick. It had been many hours now since it had happened. The ambulance had arrived in a timely enough fashion. Glen had still been alive when they brought him out. They were going to remove the bullets and try and bring him to a stable condition. She hadn't heard anything in a long time.

"Lady Enneagram," a voice called suddenly, forcing her to high alert. She looked up. A doctor was standing at the door which led back to the emergency room. She smiled very tentatively at this man.

"Yes, Doctor?" she started, standing.

"I'd like a word," he said in a solemn voice. Margaret had no clue how to read this. She followed him back through the door into a hall.

"Yes, sir?" she started, quivering a bit.

"Well, I don't really know how to say this," the man spoke in a slow voice, his eye twitching slightly. Margaret could feel her heart explode.

"W-what? N-no... please tell me... please tell me he'll be okay. T-that it's not too late.." Margaret said, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Oh!" the doctor said, shaking his head fervently. "Excuse me, milady, that's not what I meant. The wounds are bad, but the patient's life is not in danger at this point. She'll make a complete recovery."

Margaret beamed with happiness at these words. "Really? You're sure? She'll--!" it was only then that Margaret noticed an anomaly in the doctor's words. TIlting her head, she asked, "Excuse me, did you say '_she'll'_ be okay?"

"Yes. I did," the doctor said, closing his eyes.

"But Glen's a boy," Margaret said, thoroughly confused.

"I honestly don't know what to tell you..." the doctor spoke in an uneasy voice. "But the patient you brought me is undoubtably female."

"W-wait?! W-what?!" Margaret started, her head feeling numb. "But that's impossible..."

"We were first alerted of this when removing the clothing. We discovered what was undoubtedly a female body. During the operation, the facial mask she was wearing began to peel off. We removed it," the doctor explained.

"Mask?!" Margaret started, her eyes wide.

"A very advanced sort of face mask, that looks and feels exactly like human skin yet contains some strange technology. I'd never seen anything quite like it before," the doctor replied steadily.

"So I saved a fake...?" Margaret said in a low voice, her mind racing. "That person wasn't really Glen, but some girl disguised as him...?"

"It's not my place to speculate, milady," the doctor replied. "But that girl did ask to speak to you by name last time she was awake."

"I-I..." Margaret started, unsure what to say, unsure what to think.

When she had called mother, mother had made no mention of the real Glen or anything. She had actually been concerned over the boy and pleased to hear Margaret had found him. So it was rather obvious. The real Glen had been abducted, possibly killed by this spy girl and she had taken his place, likely for insidious reasons. Margaret had no way of deciding when the switch had occurred though. She couldn't remember any grand shift in Glen's behavior. It could have even been tonight that it happened.

Margaret told herself this, but somewhere she didn't believe it. This girl had jumped between her and a bullet. She was the one who...! Certain thoughts caused Margaret's face to turn red. She returned to a state of supreme confusion as she racked her brain for answers.

"Ummm... Is she awake now?" Margaret asked tentatively, shaking slightly.

"She's heavily medicated, but stable now," said the doctor. "She won't be entirely lucid, but she is conscious and able to speak."

"I'd like to see her..." Margaret decided, gulping. "How severe are the injuries?"

"Not as bad as one might think. The shot to the thigh was glancing. It avoided the bone entirely. The arm was not so lucky, but the fractures that exist look like they will heal up in a few weeks, even without surgery," said the doctor. "The girl is strong. Even with the damage and all the blood lost, she seems to be in far better condition than most would in her situation."

"I see..." Margaret said, unsure what to think.

"Right, well, follow me," said the doctor stepping through the hall, toward a room at the end of it. Margaret followed, her heat beginning to pound again. She felt almost faint as she walked through the door.

"Lady Enneagram, here to see you as you requested, miss," the doctor said before turning to leave. "I should probably give you your privacy to sort this all out..."

"Thank you... doctor..." a very soft, weak voice said from the hospital bed in the room.

Margaret's eyes moved toward the bed slowly. She examined the girl lying there. She was clearly very young. She was cute too. She had soft brown hair, medium length, a small, lithe body, with softly tanned skin. The smile on her face looked so fragile and delicate as her soft orange eyes stared at Margaret apologetically.

It was only after about a minute of actively examining the girl lying there that something in Margaret's brain clicked. She knew this girl. She had seen her before. Her expression then had been entirely different, but this was undoubtedly the same girl. This girl was a spy and a would be assassin. She was Margaret's enemy. She was Amelia Gottwald.

"W-why?!" Margaret started shakily, feeling like someone had played a cruel joke on her. "Why is it you...?"

"I'm sorry... Margaret..." the girl spoke in a low voice, the pain she was in and the pain killers she was on making her voice strained and shaky.

"How long?" Margaret asked, struggling to clear her throat. "How long was it you...?"

"Always," was the girl's answer. "Glen Esmay... he wasn't real..."

Margaret could feel her heart sink at hearing it spelled out so clearly to her. How was this possible? It felt unfair. The boy she had come to fall in love with... He was a fabrication? A ruse played by her enemy?

"H-how... how could you...?" Margaret started weakly, tears beginning to stream from her eyes.

"I-I... we... never intended for it to go like this..." the girl feebly started.

"Y-you...!" Margaret started, miserably; broken. "I really hate you..."

Amelia seemed to pale slightly at this. She blinked and looked straight ahead. "I don't hate you, Margaret..." she said, her voice still so fragile, maybe even more so, as she seemed to choke on some of the words. "I was supposed to... I was... but I never did..."

Margaret's heart stopped at these words. They were so soft and sweet that she could not find any anger inside of her for this girl. What's more, they triggered that not too distant memory for her once more. The one she had kissed. The one she had confessed to. The one who had reciprocated that confession. It was all this girl. These thoughts made her head feel blank.

"I-I... I don't even know what to think..." she admitted. "You say that... but you're a liar..."

"I lied to get close to you... yes..." said Amelia weakly. "But it wasn't all lies. Over the months we spent together... I really did come to care about you... That's why... please don't say you hate me again... I can't take that much..."

Margaret let out a weak sob. She couldn't bring herself to hate this girl. Not when she was like this. No. She couldn't hate this girl at all. She wanted to. She was her enemy. She had lied to her. She had schemed behind her back. But she couldn't find it in her to hate.

"Why did you do it?" she asked, choking on some words herself.

"It was an order... we were defeated, but we still had some personnel, myself included, that might have succeeded..." Amelia said, giving a short cough.

"That's not what I meant..." Margaret started. "Why did you protect me?"

"You protect me too... you drove that person off..." said Amelia in a low voice.

"But it was only with your strength I did so," said Margaret, shaking her head, the one mystery she hadn't even thought about, the surprising physical skill she had used to fend of the shapeshifter, now having solved itself before her.

"Even so, you fought desperately when you could have just ran," Amelia said softly. "Why did you do that?"

Margaret felt cold. This was obvious enough. Blushing slightly she said, "Because I loved Glen..."

"Well... Glen loved you too..." the girl said, blushing more than slightly. "That's why..."

"But Glen wasn't real... so--" Margaret started, cutting herself off shakily.

"I'm really a poor actor..." said Amelia suddenly. "Mother and Father always taught me to be strong... but I'm maybe not as strong as they'd like me to be... I get close to people too easily... I can't help it... especially when it's someone I really like...

"What are you saying?" Margaret started, trembling.

"Glen was disguise... but beyond the technology, not a very good one... " she said. "Glen might not truly exist... I might have lied to you about certain facts... but I... I'm not good at lying when it comes to emotions..."

"A-Amelia..." Margaret started, unsure what to say. This girl had albeit subtle, pretty much just confessed to her.

"I understand if you can't accept that," said Amelia. "I am a liar. I am your enemy. I just ask that you try not to hate me..."

"Idiot!" Margaret barked, a strange warmth in her heart. "It's okay. I've decided. You and Glen are the same person, so it's only natural." she gave a slight huff, blushing. "I'm not happy that I was lied to, but my core feelings are the same as they were before."

"But is it possible... we're on opposite sides... you know?" Amelia choked.

"Are we?" Margaret started sharply. "Obviously, in simplest terms, yes, but think about it a moment if you can. Do you know who it was who attacked you?"

"No, not at all. They were constantly changing in appearance. They were clearly a Geass user," said Amelia, shaking her head.

"I'm completely positive right now, that that was the same person I fought with in Japan," said Margaret, nodding forcefully.

"The one we decided was from the EU?" Amelia started. "I guess it is similar, but what makes you so sure."

"My reaction when I copied the power was the same. Exactly the same. The witch once told me the same powers manifesting in multiple people is exceedingly rare. Usually, even for similar powers there is some minute difference," Margaret said, nodding.

"But why does the EU want me dead?" asked Amelia, shaking her head. "They're clearly Britannia's enemy. We shouldn't concern them. In fact, shouldn't they encourage our activities?"

"I don't have an answer to that," said Margaret in a low, quiet voice, feeling emotionally drained.

"I'm worried about my comrades..." Amelia commented softly.

"How do you usually contact them?" asked Margaret softly. "I'll help..."

"Margaret... you don't have to--?" said Amelia, shaking her head as she sat up slightly, only to wince in pain.

"I want to help you, Amelia..." Margaret replied. "If what you said to me is how you truly feel... I want to help you..."

"The clothes I was wearing when I came in... I think the doctor put everything I had in them in the corner over there. My cellphone should be among it all..." Amelia said in a low voice, pointing at the far corner of the room with the hand of her good arm.

"Right..." Margaret said as she turned around and followed the lead. She spied a small pile of personal belongings on a small table. Sure enough, among them was a cellphone. She picked it up.

"Open it," said Amelia. "Turn it on."

"Eh... sure," Margaret followed the instruction, flipping out the phone's screen and pressing the key to power it on. Immediately she was greeted with a notice screen. "This says you have nineteen messages."

"From who?" asked Amelia quietly.

"Eh... 'Mom'..." Margaret said, almost laughing.

"Call her... put it on speaker and leave it by me..." Amelia instructed, her voice weak.

"Alright... got it..." said Margaret, following the command quickly. Soon the phone was the ringing the number.

"Amelia?" a woman's voice started promptly. It was filled with worry.

"Yeah... it's me mother..." Amelia spoke in a strained voice.

"Thank God..." Amelia's mother sighed in relief. "When you failed to communicate your position for so long, I had feared the worst."

"I'm... I'm in the hospital, mother... I was... someone tried to kill me..." Amelia said in a tired voice.

No response came for a while. When it did it was heavy and placed. "I had feared as much. Attempts were made on both Cynthia and Miya as well."

"W-what?!" Amelia started, the emotion she put into it, clearly hurting her. "Are they both okay?"

Again a pause sounded. Amelia's mother spoke slowly. "It's pretty bad. Miya has some broken ribs and extensive bruising, but is staying strong. Cynthia is physically unharmed, but mentally has not been the same since the attack."

"That's... horrible..." Amelia said, frightened and concerned.

"What about you, Amelia? Are you going to be all right?" the woman asked, her voice softening.

"I took three bullets... but I was treated promptly," Amelia said. "The doctor said I'll be fine in a couple weeks."

"But... being treated..." the woman sighed.

"My identity was discovered," Amelia finished the thought.

"Who knows besides the doctor?" asked the mother, her voice taking a deadly tone.

"My mark... Margaret Enneagram," said the girl in an emotional tone.

"And why was she notified?" asked the girl's mother, her tone still serious and hostile.

"Because she was the one who drove off the assassin... she was the one who got me help... she saved my life..." Amelia admitted, choking on the words. It made Margaret begin to feel emotional herself.

Another pause sounded, this one longer than the others. When it ended, the woman spoke. "Your phone is on speaker... She's in the room, listening, isn't she?"

"Yes..." Amelia responded softly.

"She's with Britannia... She may have saved you, but you know what that means..." the girl's mother chided.

"But the people who tried to kill us... the ones who almost succeeded.... they're not Britannians," said Amelia.

"Miya said something similar. What makes you so sure?" asked the woman.

"Margaret had fought my assassin before... in Japan..." said Amelia in a quiet voice.

"Japan?! Just what are you saying, Amelia?" the mother started in reply.

"It's the EU... or someone affiliated with them. They stole Britannia's Geass granter. They now have an undisclosed number of Geass soldiers. It seems they've been manipulating things for a while now to unknown purposes..." Amelia explained in a low voice.

"That's some pretty powerful information..." said the girl's mother. "Where did you get it? Why wasn't I informed sooner?"

"I wanted to explain it to you in person next time we met...." Amelia explained. "Me and Margaret arrived on it while we were discussing peculiarities in the recent failed conquest of Japan."

"Multiple Geass users..." Amelia's mother started, her voice solemn. "A threat like that..."

"I think... for the time being... we should join up with Britannia..." Amelia suggested suddenly, surprising Margaret likely as much as it did the girl's mother.

"Amelia?! You can't be serious. Ava li Britannia is the reason Absolution was formed in the first place... to join her now... would be..." the woman started, unable to even phrase what she felt on the matter.

"I know, mother. But what other choices do we have?" Amelia asked. "Give up? Keep trying and let those assassins kill us? Can't we just swallow our pride and do what we can to help Britannia beat this threat?"

"Britannia has your father imprisoned, Amelia. Are you forgetting that?" asked the girl's mother, not sounding happy.

"I'm going to talk to the Empress. Margaret can get me an audience," said Amelia softly. "Maybe, if I explain our situation, they'll let him go..."

"Amelia... are you honestly that naïve?" the girl's mother insisted. Margaret glanced at Amelia. She looked so tired, like she was going to fall asleep any moment.

"I apologize, Miss Gottwald..." Margaret commented, as she lifted the phone from Amelia's bed. "But I don't think your daughter is in any condition to continue this conversation."

"I see..." a reply came. "Thank you... for taking care of her..." With that, the woman hung up.

Margaret placed the phone at a table at the side of Amelia's bed. She looked down at the girl, now sleeping by all appearances. She really was cute in that light. Amelia Gottwald; just what was this girl to her? She was an enemy. She was someone strong Margaret respected. She was friend. She was someone beautiful Margaret admired.

Margaret turned and stepped toward the door. When she was almost there a very quiet voice called out to her. "Margaret?" it said.

"Yes, Amelia?" Margaret replied pleasantly.

"I really meant it... when I said I still love you..." the girl said softly, her voice so weak and fragile. Margaret teared up a little.

Love? It was still so odd for her hearing that words. She had used that word the previous night. She had told "Glen" she loved him, and she had meant it. She had now said her feelings for "Glen" were the same as hers for Amelia. She still wasn't sure what that meant. It was still so jarring, so different, so new. But something in her heart told her what she needed to say.

"And I meant it too, Amelia. I love you," she said, crying from the emotion. "Now please, get some sleep. You've exerted yourself far too much."

With that, Margaret made her exit.

---

Niles Moore wore a stern expression as he stood at a window of one of the Britannian castle's towers, staring out into the distance as he thought. The world was an interesting place. Cruel and twisted, but occasionally kind. It was a lot like the men that inhabited her supposed. It was a lot like him.

"Ah... Lord Moore... sorry to intrude," a voice started from the door to the tower room. Niles turned his head. Hildegarde Waldstein was standing there, looking ready to leave.

"If you came here for the view, you're free to it," Niles said, shaking his head.

"Heh," the girl started, stepping toward the window. "I suppose for a moment..."

"Places like this really are ideal for clearing your head when it is troubled," said the man solemnly.

"What places are best for mending your heart when it is broken?" asked Hildegarde in a light voice. The words were honestly a surprise. Hildegarde Waldstein came off as anything but a romantic.

"I only wish I could tell you that," said the man darkly. "I only wish I had an answer..."

"What good is being a knight when you can't even protect the things most important to you?" the girl asked, her voice heavy.

"It's a knight's oath to protect but what we are taught is to destroy. it is only natural then that we fail, that the ones we love get destroyed by our own hands along the way," said Niles. "A knight and a simple killer are not so different. It's only the knight who still believes he kills for the sake of others."

"Which are you, Lord Moore?" Waldstein asked, her voice low.

"Again, that's a question I've pondered at length," said Niles. "I suppose it depends on whether or not I have a weapon in my hand."

"I only feel like a knight out there anymore..." said Waldstein. "Only when I'm fighting, when there's death all around me, do I remember that there's anything still worth protecting."

"Then we are fundamentally different, Lady Waldstein," said Niles. "But perhaps that is for the best."

"I heard your story..." said Waldstein quietly. "I can understand. There's a sick part of me that sometimes thinks about that sort of brutal revenge..."

"You lost a beloved?" Niles said, shutting his eyes.

"Yes. A casualty not to the battlefield but of negligence in our own leadership," said Waldstein bitterly. Niles sighed. It was a difficult story to hear.

"The story they tell of me is only partly true," said the man. "They didn't kill her. My actions did."

"I-I see..." Waldstein started, somewhat alarmed.

"You're right to call that urge in you sick," Niles said. "It's that sickness in me that drove her to death."

"I didn't know," said Waldstein solemnly shaking her head.

"The lies aren't nearly as damning as the truth and yet most of the respectable knights here avoid me," said Niles. "I'm surprised you're so intent on conversation."

"I no longer see the need for such prejudices," said Waldstein. "No... perhaps I felt we were similar now..."

"As despair closes in, sometimes a stray light will still shine through," said Niles quietly.

"What was that?" Waldstein spoke, head tilted slightly.

"Do you think, Lady Waldstein, that a even a knight who has made himself a demons can find redemption through good deeds?" asked the man, deliberately.

"I don't believe in demons," said Waldstein bluntly. "If one says he is a knight and stays true his sworn oath, then he is nothing else, regardless of his past."

"If only she thought like you..." muttered the man. "Maybe I could have gone with that child.... maybe I could have faced her..."

"What's that?" Waldstein spoke, confused at the other's words.

"Ah, nothing," said Niles. "It's a curious thing. I seem to have misplaced my sword last night. I'm not sure where it might be."

Waldstein narrowed here eyes in confusion, not sure what this had to do with anything. "Unless it was something unique, a sword is replaced easily enough."

"I know," said Niles. "It is a symbol of the knight's strength, but it's the furthest thing from real strength. It's a lump of metal. Meaningless. True strength is something different. Something I misplaced long before that sword."

"I won't lose mine," said Waldstein. "I won't make the same mistake."

"Your spirit is admirable," said Niles in a low voice, stepping back. "If she had it back then..."

"Your wife?" asked Waldstein, as the man turned around.

"No, someone else close to my heart," said Niles in a low voice. "Someone else I failed to protect... someone else I've caused nothing but pain..."

"I-I see..." Waldstein said, clearly not following exactly.

"Cynthia..." Niles muttered the name as he left.

---

Deifilia was furious. She was at a loss for words. She just couldn't explain it. For so long, everything had gone so smoothly. Now, three of her best agents were before her, having failed their mission entirely. Their stories were just so perplexingly odd to her she could hardly wrap her head around them.

"I don't take lightly to my plans being foiled," said Deifilia harshly to the three. "I sent you to complete a task and I expected it to be completed promptly."

"Please, My Liege, all we need is a little more time. We will have success. I swear it upon Heaven and our Lord above!" Lazarus boldly started.

"No. The situation has changed," said Deifilia. "Those girls know about us now. They'll either give up or seek protection. They're still an unknown factor, but they no longer run the risk of killing our dear Britannian Empress."

"So, it's okay then, right?" Naida started with a toothy grin.

"Please, Naida. Do not test my patience," said Deifilia, unnatural anger surfacing on her usually more serene countenance. "Need I remind you that Philip returned with a gun shot wound and Lazarus with a sword wound, yet you are completely unharmed."

"Look, I had to run," Naida insisted, shaking her head. "That girl who showed up was another Geass user. I had no clean advantage over her."

"Honestly... I really should have sent Marcella or Signa or someone in your place," said Deifilia. "You're becoming useless to me."

"I'll try harder, I swear it. I'm loyal to you, Master Amarantha. I have no intention of letting you down ever again," said Naida readily, clearly intimidated,

"You'd do well to remember those words, Naida," said Deifilia quietly. "If they turn out to be a lie, I wouldn't expect to live very long."

"Of course, Master!" Naida said solemnly. Deifilia shook her head.

"The three of you are on standby," she said. "Be prepared to see the battlefield in the next battle of this little war."

"The machine you're constructing for me shall be ready then?" asked Lazarus, narrowing his eyes.

"Why of course," said Deifilia. "Elenie came through with yours and Lucrecia's yesterday. Lucrecia's currently giving hers something of a field test."

"I see," said Lazarus. "I shall serve you and God to my fullest in piloting it."

"I'm expecting good things, Lazarus," said Deifilia. "And from you as well, Philip."

"I was smite all who oppose you and the holy unicorn who runs through your veins!" Philip declared with a light cackle.

"Good, then that is all I have to say. Failing me a second time, is not something I'd recommend."

"Of course, My Liege!" Lazarus declared. Naida and Philip both nodded in accordance.

---

Katsue gave a sigh as she stood at the door to the small hermitage. She faced the man and his wife, staring at them.

"Thank you for the food, miss," she said.

"Yeah! That was good pizza!" Katsumi said in a light cheer.

The green haired woman gave a light chuckle. "Thanks, kids. I'm glad you enjoyed it." She smirked.

"It's best you return," said the man. "The longer you stay, the more danger you're in."

"I know," said Katsue. "Thanks for everything."

"I only wish there was more I could do for the world," said the man quietly.

"They might listen to you. If you spoke, it might not be as pointless as you think," said Katsue softly.

"In resigning oneself to solitude, one loses the urge to make himself visible. My time on the stage is up. All I can do now is pass encouragement to the new actors," said the man quietly.

"Are you sure?" Katsue asked. "I know some other people worthy of Geass."

"The fewer curses I have to place upon others, the better," said the man. "Chaos may have descended into the world, but that does not change the fundamentals of Geass and what I know it is."

"Right..." said Katsue. "I just wonder if it's enough."

"You are your mother's daughters," said the man. "For that, I believe you will manage."

"Let's hope you're right," Katsue replied, smirking. "Let's go, Katsumi," she said, turning to her sister and stepping away from the mysterious couple.

"Okay, sis," Katsumi started, nodding. "Bye!" she called, waving back to the two standing in the doorway.

"Good luck," the man offered as his final words to them.

The twins exchanged hardly a word as they made their way back to the _Hiodoshi. _It was only when the knightmare was in sight that Katsumi decided to break the silence.

"Geass, huh..." she muttered. "I wonder what it is we can do now..."

"Whatever it is, I hope it can help us set things right," said Katsue. "I'm afraid I might understand even less of what is happening then I think I do."

"That man, shouldn't we have asked him more questions? Like how he knew mother, what his name was..." Katsumi started quietly.

"Come now, wasn't all that obvious?" the older sister laughed.

"No... I mean..." Katsumi started in a quiet voice. "He couldn't be that..."

"You've seen pictures Katsumi. His hair was longer, his body more muscular, his clothing entirely different, but there's no denying it," said Katsue in a low voice.

"But that doesn't..." Katsumi gulped. "That person is dead..."

"He did say he was a ghost, didn't he?" Katsue smirked softly.

"Should we tell mom about this when we get back?" asked Katsumi, her voice taking on a quiet heaviness.

"It would trouble him if she decided to seek him out. The pieces fall together nicely enough to where we could tell mother we met _her_ perhaps," said Katsue, closing her eyes.

"The woman... who was she, exactly?" asked Katsumi, tilting her head.

"No one anymore," Katsue replied in a low voice. "But once she was a catalyst to everything."

"You mean..." Katsumi started, nodding.

"It's best we leave those two to their peace," said Katsue. "He is a tired man who saved the world at a price and resigned himself to solitude in hopes of paying it. Forcing him to do more, just because there is more to do now isn't necessary."

"Right. That makes sense," said Katsumi.

"Come. Let's get out of here," Katsue said suddenly, looking up. They were now standing directly in front of the _Hiodoshi._

Katsumi nodded and climbed into the knightmare. She then extended a hand and helped her sister up into the cockpit as well. They took their seats inside and turned it on. After a few moments of powering on, the _Hiodoshi _took off.

"The EU really must not have properly secured the whole Federation yet," said Katsue after several minutes of flight. "I was expecting at least someone to notice us by now."

"Well... I don't think you're going to have to wait for that any more, sis..." Katsumi commented in a broken voice.

"What's that, Katsumi?" Katsue commented, not following.

"Two units fast approaching on our right!" Katsumi called, tensing up, ready for a fight.

"Crap! Let's hope we can take them," said Katsue, shaking her head and swerving _Hiodoshi _hard in the direction of the enemy.

"Looks like it's our friend again..." Katsumi sighed.

"_Roland?" _Katsue started as she recognized one of the two approaching units. "Can we fight someone new for a change?"

"The other until is _Bellona. _We haven't fought it before," said Katsumi, nodding.

"Two of the Four Champions... I guess our luck has officially turned around," Katsue gave a long sigh. "Let's do this!"

"Right, sis!" Katsumi replied, engaging the claw beams, firing them straight at the enemy.

_Roland _and _Bellona _split in opposite directions to avoid the beams and then continued forward. _Bellona _fell back and initiated a barrage of rapid cannon fire while the _Roland_ sped into a charge, closing in swiftly with its sword.

"Long time, no see, children!" Edouard Valentin called as he made a sweeping slash at the _Hiodoshi_. "Did you miss me?"

"Here to get beaten by us again, are you, Valentin?" Katsumi taunted, boldly, making a hard swipe with the right claw to hold off the sword, while aiming the left hand's beams at the _Roland._

Just as she was about to fire, missile fire shook the _Hiodoshi. Bellona _was right there now.

"Good work, Valeria! Let's obliterate these fools once and for all!" Valentin shouted smugly, pushing back and moving to a safe distance.

"Poor _Hiodoshi... _I'll try not to hurt you too much..." a dreamy female voice said from _Bellona. _

"It's sad, girls. You're going to die here now. The Geass that man gave to you won't do you any good," said Valentin, laughing.

"How do you know about that?!" Katsue exclaimed, shocked.

"It was in my mission briefing," said Valentin. "Do you honestly think we don't know about him?" he gave a hard laugh. "He isn't a threat to us. And after you re dead, this whole mess will have disappeared as if it hadn't even happened."

"Just try us!" Katsumi shouted, boldly, engaging the shoulder mounted missile launchers.

"Hehe, you've already lost," said Valentin, flying _Roland _hard to the side and then rigidly forward into a vertical slash. Meanwhile, _Bellona'_s rapid-fire cannon kept _Hiodoshi'_s shields busy.

Katsue had to act quickly, she darted to the side, out of the way of Valentin's blade. Or so she thought. Somehow, for some reason, the blade wasn't at all where she thought it was. Instead, it was cutting right into _Hiodoshi'_s torso, just under the cockpit, dangerously close to the central core of the unit.

"How?" Katsue started, as she fell back quickly, reeling from the damage.

"That one was just a warning," said Valentin. "It was just a matter of centimeters up and to the right of your unit's core, was it not?"

"You--!" Katsue started, now very afraid.

"Me and my sweet Valeria here are both Geass users now," said Valentin. "Handy powers they are. They are the reason this is futile. You cannot win. You don't even know what your Geass are! Thanks to Valeria I can know every weak point your machine has, meanwhile, my own ability has you fighting effectively blind!"

Katsue was panicking now. What could they do if this was true? Was it hopeless? Were they really going to die here, just like that?

"Katsue, snap out of it!" Katsumi shouted to her sister, surprising the girl.

"I-I... Katsumi...I don't know... " Katsue started in a low voice.

"Don't you remember anything we talked about with him?" Katsumi continued to shout. "We cannot die here. It's not possible. We have to make it through this somehow."

"Yeah, but how?" asked Katsue. "His Geass is some sort of light trick. I'm not as alert as you. I can't fight without my eyes."

"You want to take the guns?" asked Katsumi, harshly.

"No, I..." Katsue started, shaking her head, frightened. She wasn't accustomed to that part. It was unfamiliar. Unnatural to her.

"Then shut up and don't give up on me!" Katsumi demanded, before firing more claw beams at the two machines.

"A-alright!" Katsue started, kicking the machine into gear, weaving it around while the beams kept firing.

"Too slow!" Valentin started, moving in for another slash.

Katsue fought to not freeze up. She couldn't predict the sword, so she just blindly ran into _Roland. _This motion seemed to confuse Katsumi at first, but she ended up giving a laugh. Valentin was likely more surprised at the knightmare rushing him directly, and probably even more so when the claw swept down and ripped into his frontal armor. He backed off hurriedly but was just as readily replaced by his comrade.

_Bellona _cannon blazed continually at close range. Katsue had to move quick to avoid its sights; _Hiodoshi'_s shields couldn't take much more. A homing missile fired while they were in motion. Katsumi launched some of their own missiles to distract it then fired her claw beams, one grazed the _Bellona _lightly.

But by this time, _Roland _had recovered. Valentin was obviously angry too. His Durandal was activated now, the large sustained beam of energy, pointing from the sword into the sky.

"Let's just see you try and dodge this!" called Valentin as he made a powerful downward slash.

Katsue shook, unsure what way to move. She wished at that moment she was more like her sister. She wished she had Katsumi's strength. Her spirit. Her courage. Maybe then she'd be able to get them out of this. Now, she wasn't sure what she should do. Her eyes closed.

Something very unreal clicked in her mind. When she opened her eyes, she wasn't sure they were her eyes anymore. No, she wasn't sure who she was anymore. She could see things from two different perspectives. No all senses were doubled. And there seemed so many more things she could control then before. Everything seemed surreal. Was she Katsue Kozuki? Was she Katsumi Kozuki? Did it matter?

Moving out of the attack range was easy now. She knew how to move the machine swiftly and her senses were sharp enough to see through the ruse created by the enemy's Geass. No, she couldn't just see through that. Everything around her seemed so perfectly clear.

Quickly her hands... her other hands... the ones that held the weapons controls initiated the command for their wave pulse technique. It fired off instantly and shot through _Roland _before it knew what was coming. The damage was severe. The pilot cursed loudly as he ejected. She felt so disconnected from it all.

The _Bellona _stepped up quickly to replace its fallen comrade. A barrage of fire erupted from its cannon as a missile shot from its other arm. The machine seemed weak somehow. She threw _Hiososhi _into gear. Two of her hands went to the missile controls. Two went to the arm controls. She aimed and fired them all at once. The missiles caught the enemy missile. The claw beams shot through the smoke and hit the target, stunning it and depleting its shields.

The rest was easy, in one full motion, she swept down and into a full powered all out claw swipe with the beams still blazing. The pilot narrowly managed an escape as her unit was split literally in two at the waist, the lower half exploding.

She didn't even look down. The second the threat was eliminated she started to fly swiftly in the direction of Japan. She didn't get very far before she noticed something was amiss. There was something behind her. She wasn't fast enough to catch it entirely. Just as she was turning, a large MVS battle axe attached to a thick chain cable furling toward her. It sliced cleanly through _Hiodoshi'_s right arm, removing it.

"Got ya!" a high, girlish voice squealed. "You're done now."

She came to a focus on the new enemy. It was unknown. In the vast expanses of her memories it did not exist. It was a mid sized knightmare frame, a soft green in color, with white highlights, including flowing silver-white hair cables extending from its head. It had an overall feminine appearance, taking a slender shape, with a skirt like shape to its lower body. The weapon was a large axe held in one hand, attached to a chain cable for use as a projectile. It's left weapon seemed to hold a variation of the MVS bow used originally by the _Viviane._

"Hehe," the young sounding pilot giggled. "You really lucked out, since it's me and my _Hippolyta _Mistress put on cleanup duty, this is going to be quick and fairly painless."

This unit was powerful. She could tell that just looking at it. She couldn't beat it with one arm. It was impossible. Escaping from it was proper course. It should be possible with a smokescreen and some pinpoint movements.

In what was almost a single motion, she fired some missiles, shot them all with her beams to create a massive cloud of smoke and then put her engine at full speed in the opposite direction.

"Don't even try to get away!" the girl called after them. She was pursuing hotly.

She wasn't sure she could get away from this enemy. Her unit was roughly the same speed as _Hiodoshi, _but she feared the range of the enemy's projectiles. She didn't want to fly into their range.

But it was already too late. An arrow fired from the enemy's bow. She swerved to avoid it, but ended up with the axe, it's range astounding her, crashing into her back, just under the wing pack. Knowing _Hiodoshi _as she did, she knew the damage would make using the cockpit ejector impossible if need be.

Now _Hipployta _was in front of her, its axe held rigidly. It swung it, but in an odd sort of way. The chain cable wrapped around _Hiodoshi, _but the axe didn't penetrate. A cable then shot out from just under the bow and pierced an area right under the head, causing the instruments to flash and blare. She closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she was looking at a child on the monitors. She was a young girl with silver hair and a cruel smile. Something else was different. She was Katsue again. Katsumi was behind her. Her senses were her own and nothing more.

"W-what just happened...?" Katsumi muttered in a tired voice.

"Geass really is something... even if it wasn't quite enough..." said Katsue, looking at the girl.

"Hehe," the girl giggled. "You two aren't much older than I am."

"Who are you?!" Katsue demanded.

"Lucrecia Harrison," the girl chimed. "But that shouldn't really concern you."

"What do you want from us?" asked Katsumi forwardly.

"Mistress asked me to capture you should your Geass prove strong enough to overpower those two," said the girl, Lucrecia. "So, that's what I'm going to do. Sorry!"

"You little bitch!" Katsue started, struggling at her controls.

"No, that's futile. You're already caught," the girl giggled. "It's unfortunate, but I can only use it on one of you."

"Use what?" asked Katsumi.

"I guess it won't matter. One of you shut off is enough," Lucrecia giggled. "Good night, girl in the front."

The girl looked squarely at Katsue through the monitor. She wasn't quick enough to look away. Next thing she knew, everything had changed again. It was kind of like the opposite of the earlier experience. She knew she was Katsue still, but that's all there was. There was no sensation. She couldn't see. She couldn't feel. Everything was detached. Disembodied. It was like she both existed and didn't at the same time.

It was like she was caught in a void. It was like she was a void.

---

Ava li Britannia gave a sigh as walked through the castle corridors, feeling somewhat detached and despondent. Things felt different now. The world was spinning swiftly with or without her. She wondered fi there was anything she could do to retake control of it, or if she should even bother.

It still troubled her. The EU, whatever they were plotting, it was serious. The concerns of Margaret Enneagram had only further compounded that notion in her. They had D.D.. They had as many Geass as they wanted. Whoever it was pulling the EU's strings had far more power than she did. What was there she could do about it at this point? She honestly had no good answer.

"Hey," a voice called to her, snapping her out of a daze. She looked up to see Eilith walking in the opposite direction down the corridor, dressed in loose clothing and looking rather worn.

"Hello, Eilith. How are you today?" asked Ava quietly, finding a smile for the other.

"Alright, I guess," Eilith sighed. "But I swear that bastard's going to accidentally kill me one of these days."

"The training with Mr. Cross is going well, I take it?" Ava started, giving a short laugh.

"I suppose you could say that," the Princess shrugged. "I'm getting quite the workout at any rate."

"Have you tried using an actual knightmare yet?" asked Ava in a low voice.

"Yeah, I tried on a _Vincent _for a little while," Eilith said. "Not so bad, really. I think I'll be ready by the next fight."

"Well, I had better commission a knightmare for you then," Ava said, smirking.

"No need. I already spoke with Wilde about that myself," Eilith said, nodding.

"Ah, excellent," said Ava in a soft voice. "I wish you luck."

"Something wrong?" asked Eilith suddenly, looking at the girl.

"Huh? Why do you ask?" Ava started, after a pause.

"I don't know, you seem preoccupied," said Eilith. "Something troubling you?"

"This is a position in which one is always troubled," commented Ava dryly.

"Ah..." Eilith laughed. "Yeah, I suppose it would be."

"But there is a certain tension in it, a certain lack of control I feel now, that just wasn't there before..." said Ava in a low voice.

"You're the Empress, Ava, but you're still just one person," said Eilith. "No one person can be everywhere and do everything. All you can do is your best and hope it's enough."

"Quite the thing to say, Eilith. I'd do well to become so grounded," said Ava. "Perhaps all those years of living in the books have placed me too far into the clouds for my own good." She gave a sustained sigh. "The truth is, I hardly understand the truth of the world I send Astrid to. I don't know anything about the battlefield."

"It's not your place to know," said Eilith immediately. "Your job is to support her. Your job is to support Britannia."

"I wonder... I wonder if this whole mess is even winnable anymore..." said, looking down. "If it's not, if Britannia falls... the blame will rest with me... with the naïve girl who threw the world into chaos... the girl who let everything fall apart."

"And if you win, you'll be a legend. You'll be the one who kept Britannia alive when things looked darkest," said Eilith. "That's why you decide you're going to win and don't recognize anything else as a possibility."

"If only I could think like you..." Ava said, closing her eyes. "But thanks the same."

"No problem, Ava," Eilith said, smiling.

The two continued along their separate ways after that, passing each other by. The rest of the hollow corridor was slightly less bleak for Ava. When she reached her bedroom, at the end of it, the darkness was gone entirely.

"Hey," she said, smiling as she entered the room. Her eyes came to a focus on Astrid, who was sitting upon their bed, partly undressed. She stood as Ava entered.

"You seem in slightly better spirits than when I left you," Astrid commented, tilting her head.

"Eilith certainly is strong. I envy her," said Ava, sighing.

"Ava..." Astrid said, shaking her head.

"Having you here makes the troubling things seem far away," Ava commented softly.

""You can use me to forget your troubles, Ava," Astrid laughed. "But you have to promise me you'll get back to them eventually."

"Of course," Ava said with a light giggle. Astrid stepped forward and placed a tender kiss at her lips.

Suddenly, just for that brief moment, everything seemed so easy.

---

Kallen was pacing around the bridge of the _Hitokage. _She was beyond worried. Moments ago, the signal belonging to the _Hiodoshi _had disappeared. She couldn't think anything but the worst. She felt sick. She couldn't take it.

"General!" a voice called. Kallen turned to see Hu Xuemei and Hiromi Tohdoh there, having just barged into the bridge. "Allow me permission to go after them!" Xuemei called boldly. "A unit as fast as _Tianlong _could get there in time to maybe make a difference!"

"_Jinketsu'_s fast too. Let me go with her!" Hiromi demanded. "We can't just abandon comrades like this."

Kallen looked at the two girls a moment. She wished she could give them a yes. She wished she could send her girls help. She really did. But she knew she couldn't get away with it. It wasn't right.

"Our forces are drained as it is..." she said in a miserable voice. "We can't put two more of out custom units at risk for this... it's not worth it."

"How can you possibly say that?!" Hiromi demanded, angrily. The girl's mother, who was a short distance away had stood and looked ready to slap the girl, but Kallen gave her a shake of the head.

"Believe me this is harder for me than anything..." said Kallen in a strained voice, feeling as if she could cry. "But I can't jeopardize the entire war effort for what is likely a lost cause by now."

"If that's your decision, there's nothing we can do," said Xuemei in a particularly cold voice. She turned to leave. hiromi followed reluctantly.

"Are you sure about this, Kallen...?" asked Nagisa. "Maybe we really should send--"

She was cut off. One of the system operators called out. "General Kozuki, we've received an unidentified video feed. Please, come look at this!"

Kallen rushed to the monitor immediately. She wasn't prepared for the sight she saw. There was _Hiodoshi, _heavily damaged, wrapped tightly in some sort of chain like cable, fully in the grasp of an unidentified green knightmare. She stared at the image in disbelief for a moment. Then it suddenly switched.

It was the cockpit of _Hiodoshi. _There were her girls. Katsumi was frantically trying to move everything she could, but nothing seemed to work for her. Katsue was completely motionless, her eyes wide open, unblinkingly. Kallen's heart stopped, fearing the worst at this. But the girl still did have a good color to her, and her body seemed unblemished. Kallen could swear she could even pick up the subtle motions of her breaths.

"What is this?" Kallen asked, shaking her head. "Is this live?"

"There's no way of knowing," said the operator. "But the time stamp in the corner would like us to believe so." Sure enough, the correct time for the region the signal had disappeared in was given in the bottom right corner.

"Who's sending this?" asked Kallen, still not comprehending.

"The signal's being fed to us directly, but it's completely one-way, and I don't recognize the source. It seems untraceable," the operator said, in an unsure voice.

"But--" Kallen started. She cut off when suddenly, out of nowhere her personal cellphone started ringing.

Normally, she wouldn't carry such a thing while she was on duty, but ever since her girls had vanished, she had had it with her, just in case they should try and call. She reached for the phone immediately and looked at it. It wasn't the girls. Katsumi had no phone in hand in the video before her, so she wasn't surprised. The number was set to private.

She questioned a moment if she should take the call. Something told her she should. It might be someone who knew something.

"Hello," she started, answering it.

"Ah, yes. Hello, Miss Kozuki," a grizzled old voice replied on the other end.

"Who is this?" Kallen asked hostilely.

"An old acquaintance. Someone you met 15 years ago," the voice said.

"I don't have time for your games!" Kallen shouted. "If this isn't important, I'm hanging up."

"You'd do that even when it means risking their lives?" the voice laughed.

"Y-you!" Kallen barked. "Who are you? What are you going to do with them?"

"That all depends on you, Miss Kozuki," the voice spoke with a creepy laugh. "Your daughters' fate is completely in your hands."

"What do you want from me?!" Kallen started angrily.

"Oh, it's nothing to discuss over the phone," said the voice. "I'm at The Vermillion Forbidden City. Why don't you take _Guren _out for a little drive? Maybe if we have a little chat, we can work something out."

"Damn you!" Kallen shouted, clenching her fist, compelled to snap the phone in two.

"Oh, and come alone. Any interference will see those girl die," said the voice with another high, creepy laugh.

"You--!" Kallen started. She heard the click of the phone disconnecting.

"Blackmail? They'll stoop to nothing, won't they?" Nagisa commented darkly.

"Absolutely disgusting," Kallen said, shutting her eyes.

"Are you going?" asked Nagisa. "I wouldn't blame you. I'd go if I were in your position."

"It's one unit lost. This is clearly a trap. I'll likely be taking myself out of commission. _Hiodoshi'_s specs are far beneath _Guren'_s, and it's not even sure they'll be returned. For the sake of Japan, the correct choice is obviously to ignore them," kallen said, closing her eyes.

"But that's not what I asked, Kallen. I didn't ask what was correct. I asked what you were going to do?" the other general started in a low voice.

"I was once asked that on the battlefield," said Kallen. "What I would do if given the option between my family and Japan." Kallen sighed. "I said then that I would chose the latter."

"Is that still your choice?" the woman asked.

"I leave you in charge of things, until I return, Nagisa," Kallen said, turning to leave.

She was naïve. There really was only one choice to make in this situation.

A/N: Finally done with this one. Hope you liked. Some exciting stuff here. Most of the focus was one the Amelia/Margaret resolution, which I thought turned out sweetly. Much of the rest was focused on the twins, their meeting with our mountain warlock and then the reveal of that Geass in some knightmare combat. Their Geass is pretty cool, a sort of joining of minds, that fuses them into one entity (not physically) that is super aware and stuff. It got them through some serious stuff, until a certain loli cyborg showed up with a surprise axe attack. Other than that, we had a reflective scene featuring Hildegarde and Niles. Also, a similarly reflective scene with Ava and Eilith and Deifilia getting kind of angry. Everything ended with a Kallen related cliffhanger.

Let's hope I can get the next chapter out in a more timely fashion. If I take this long again, feel free to yell at me. I probably need the motivation.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update (actually is one this week, even if it is just one of Deifilia's Greek named Knightmare frames):

Hippolyta


	37. Turn 36: Things to Live and Die for

A/N: Still delays. Eh, biweekly releases is still much better than most writers on this site can manage (especially ones who write chapters this long...). Still, I somehow used to manage so now I feel bad. Ah, well. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Bernard: "The author of this work does not own Code Geass. He owns his own characters. It's that simple."

Katsumi continued to curse and cry as she shook her sister frantically. She would not respond to anything. It was horrible. Katsumi's heart was beating at rapid. She didn't know what to do. She was caught. Now this little girl, this Lucrecia Harrison, was taking them somewhere. She wasn't sure where, but it couldn't be good.

Over an hour had passed. She was about ready to admit defeat, but something in her told her that was a mistake. There had to be a way out. There had to be something she could do, but she just couldn't think. Katsue wouldn't react to light, sound, movement, or anything.

If only they could use their Geass again, Katsumi thought. Maybe that would fix things. If she could rip Katsue's mind from it's current locked state, maybe they'd be able to work something out together. But Katsumi had no clue how to activate their Geass. She didn't even know if it was possible with Katsue like this.

"Damn it!" Katsumi heard herself say. "Why did this have to happen, Sis?" She gave a frustrated growl. "Just what am I supposed to do?" A low whine left her lips. "How am I supposed to reach you when you're like this..."

It was then that the monitor flashed on. The little girl appeared. She smiled an evil grin and gave a high laugh. "You're still trying? How pathetic..." she said. "Can't you just give up already? Admit that you lost?"

"I refuse!" Katsumi shouted. "As long as I still breathe there, as long as Katsue is here as well, hope still exists!"

"What a stupid thing to say," the child laughed. "You have no hope." She continued laughing. "And thanks to the stupidity of you and your sister there, Mistress is going to be able to take your beloved mommy out of the picture entirely."

"W-what?!" Katsumi exclaimed, alarmed. "What have you done with mother?!"

"Oh? You would like to know, wouldn't you?" Lucrecia said. "Well I'm not going to tell you!" And with that, the monitor cut off.

"Damn it!" Katsumi screamed. "Katsue, please, wake up!" She shook her sister relentlessly. "Please... mother needs us..."

She wept. She didn't know what to do. She slouched forward onto her sister, embracing her. She didn't move. She was locked in place. Katsumi had already tried removing her hands from the controls, but even that was hopeless. She was really frozen completely in place.

"Even as close as we are... I still can't reach you," said Katsumi in defeat. "Sister... why?"

Katsumi gave a sigh. It was a silly idea, really but she was blank. She needed a miracle. She very slowly eased her way to the front of Katsumi, slipping under her outstretched arm. She gave a low nod as she looked at her sister's face. Her expression was frozen on, her eyes locked open. It just looked so abnormal. Katsumi let a hand trace down her sister's cheek, colder than usual. She then bent forward.

"Katsue, please feel this..." she sighed as their lips met, her arms wrapping around the girl. Her eyes closed. There was literally nothing between them now. It was warm. Surprisingly warm.

Then it happened. The warmth boiled over and there was a harsh, horribly painful clicking in her head. When she opened her eyes, she was somehow staring at herself. It was like she was looking out from both sides of a mirror at once. She knew what had happened. It had worked. Geass had activated. Katsumi Kozuki had pulled her sister from the child's Geass and now they were one.

The collective of the two moved quickly as the pain subsided, studying the situation. The enemy unit, called _Hippolyta_ had them wrapped up with its chain axe and pierced by some sort of monitor jacking harpoon. Much of _Hiodoshi'_s systems were damaged beyond use. The missile launchers were being blocked off by the chain. It was reduced to one arm. The cockpit ejection system was damaged horribly. _Hiodoshi_ still had power, but there was little to do with it.

But the element of surprise was in her favor. Lucrecia Harrison didn't know she was whole. She would have one chance to get away. She quickly formulated a plan as she paid close attention to how _Hippolyta _was flying. Then she made her move.

The engine started, propelling _Hidoshi _downward at an angle opposite that which the enemy was currently turning. This provided some needed leverage. She moved the hand just slightly up, as slightly was all she could do in their current state, and fired some claw beams off. The angle was hardly ideal, but _Hippolyta_ took a glancing hit. More importantly, the chain unraveled considerably.

The missile launcher freed up, she let some missiles blaze. This time _Hippolyta _took some damage. _Hiodoshi _was able to break free and move to a safe distance.

"What the hell is this?!" Lucrecia shouted. "How did you break out of my Geass?!"

She didn't reply. Wasting words on this girl was not necessary. All she had to do was get away somehow. She flew almost straight down at high speed. Lucrecia followed her, swiftly.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?! I'm not done with you!" Lucrecia screamed as she fired an MVS Arrow straight at them.

It exploded as it passed them, damaging the left flank armor. The axe came crashing down after that. _Hiodoshi _moved to evade, rolling briefly before deploying its land-spinners. Moments later it found contact with the ground.

"Just what do you think you're doing down there..." Lucrecia said as she hovered just above them. "Do you want to die that badly?" With that, she launched her axe at the _Hiodoshi._ The knightmare moved just out of the weapon's path. It hit the dirt where _Hiodoshi _had been standing. The exceptionally sharp edge caught in the dirt. This was all according to her plan. With the working arm of her knightmare, she smashed the axe even further into the earth, until lit was completely stuck.

"Damn you!" Lucrecia shouted. "But do you honestly think _Hippolyta _isn't strong enough to remove that?"

Of course the unit was. But it didn't matter. It would take the unit roughly a full second more to free itself than it would for _Hiodoshi _to make an attack. That was all the difference in the world. _Hiodoshi _retook the air. This wasn't the time to take chances with a range attack. No, it moved in directly, claw outstretched and grabbed _Hippolyta's _head forcefully and ripped it entirely from the body, blinding the unit entirely.

But Lucrecia got one more arrow off. It was an explosive one too. A direct hit. The impact sent _Hidoshi _crashing down backwards as the lower half was ripped to pieces. It landed on its wing pack, which was destroyed. The systems died. _Hiodoshi _was done.

So was their Geass. The impact had shaken them out of it. Katsumi shook her head. She noticed Katsue doing something similar.

"You okay, sis?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah... I hope so," Katsue started in a tired voice. "Let's get out of here, Katsumi. She still might find us if we don't hurry."

"Right," said Katsumi, nodding while feeling her head. It was warm and wet, a small cut on the side of her forehead. Hardly something to worry over in this situation.

She began to crawl toward a large hole that had been ripped in the lower half of the cockpit. It was just big enough to fit through. She emerged from the wreckage and turned around, helping her sister out as well. Looking at Katsue, she looked just as cut and bruised as she did. They were lucky they were so close to the ground. If the crash had had any more impact at all behind it they'd both be dead now.

Katsumi looked up. _Hippolyta _was still up there, flailing around blindly, trying to find _Hiodoshi _in the dark. They needed to get out quickly. Katsumi grabbed her sister's arm and pulled her along.

"We have to hurry, sis," she said. "It will be hard without _Hiodoshi. _But we must get back as soon as possible." she shook her head. "Mom is--

"I know," said Katsue. "When we were connected I saw your memories." She smiled quietly. "Thank you... for not giving up."

"Never, sis. You know me," Katsumi said, nodding.

The two ran as quick as they could, not entirely sure where they were going. They were on foot in enemy territory. It was going to be difficult from here, but they needed to make it back home. They needed to be the ones to save their mother this time.

---

Kallen Kozuki had a stern look on her face as she slowly disembarked from her _Guren. _It was impossible not to have a bad feeling about this. It was a clear trap. Going into the beautiful palace in front of her might be the same as forfeiting her life. Even knowing this, she had no choice. For Katsue and and Katsumi's safety, even her own life was a small price to pay.

Tentatively she stepped away from _Guren _and toward the Vermillion Forbidden CIty, the palace at the heart of the Chinese Federation. She had flown _Guren, _Japan's top knightmare all the way here, deep into the heart of occupied territory, completely uninhibited. This was another sure sign of a trap. Recognizing this, she still plodded forward toward the main gate.

A pair of young men were standing in front of it. One was large, muscular and sober looking while the other was small and wiry, with hate in his eyes. They both stared at her. The larger man approached.

"General Kallen Kozuki of Japan," he said in a stern, no-nonsense voice. "I didn't believe it when they said you'd actually show up here..."

This young man was dark-skinned with a distinctly Britannian voice. Neither he nor the other man was wearing the EU uniform or even its colors. Perhaps most surprisingly, not a single weapon could be spotted on either man that Kallen could perceive. Adding it up, Kallen didn't know what to think.

"Who are you?" she asked directly in a dark voice.

"Pfft! You honestly think we're just going to answer your every question," the smaller man said in a fiery voice. "I suppose the brain really must start to deteriorate when you get that old..."

The larger man shot the smaller a disapproving glance before looking at Kallen. "My name is Farris, and this man who fails to contain himself is called Gavin. Our group is not officially affiliated with any established military. It is an entirely private enterprise," he explained in a cold, forced voice. "I'm sorry, but that is all you are permitted to know."

"Heh, you really are weak, Farris. Does her knowing even that much honestly benefit us in anyway," said Gavin, shaking her head. "Poor bitch probably won't be alive much longer anyway." He added, putting his hands behind his head.

Kallen glared at the man. She couldn't do or say much of anything. She knew her position. Until she knew the condition of her daughters, she'd have to put up with whatever abuse this man had to offer.

"Where is the man who called me here?" asked Kallen, brushing off the comments.

"Tch, you think we're waiting around here for our own fucking health?" Gavin chided. "Any moron should know we plan on leading you inside."

"Please follow, General Kozuki," Farris added immediately after the other stopped speaking, the gate opening as he did.

"As you wish," Kallen said, hatefully.

She followed after the two men, feeling hopelessly defeated. She tried her best not to blame her daughters, but she couldn't deny that sentiment existed inside her. She looked at her surroundings to clear her mind. This palace usually felt hollow, but the absence of even the guards and maids who tended to it normally only amplified the feeling, as did the faint traces of blood in the air and on the walls. Every footstep echoed endlessly and left Kallen with a numb pain in the back of her head.

She hadn't been here many times. She hadn't been to the Chinese Federation at all many times. Still most prevalent in her memories were the happenings twenty years ago. Coming to the Federation with Lelouch, while it was still a corrupt body barely favorable to Britannia, power hungry High Eunuchs grasping total control for their own selfish machinations. It had taken her getting captured over Federation skies, but Lelouch had been able to sort that out. He was that sort of amazing man.

Kallen sighed. Lelouch vi Britannia. The only man she could ever say she truly loved. He was also the most extraordinary person she had ever met. His brilliance had made twenty fine years of peace possible in the world. She was positive it would have lasted longer still, without interference. He had sacrificed himself, he had sacrificed the life he could have had, perhaps with Kallen, to make that beautiful world. In every way Katsue and Katsumi wouldn't have been possible without him.

Where was someone like Lelouch vi Britannia now? She couldn't help but think that. Things were at their darkest when Zero showed up in the ghettoes of then Area 11 to command her and her comrades to their first victory in the Black Rebellion. Things looked far darker now. She was considered a hero, but she knew she wasn't on his level. She wasn't enough. Japan, no, the free world, needed a new hope. Someone strong who could set things right. Someone who would make it so that her sacrifice here would not be in vain.

"Almost there, bitch," Gavin snarled back at her forcefully, giving a short laugh.

"You realize coming here was a mistake," Farris said in a quiet voice, to her as they continued.

"To me it isn't," said Kallen. "There are things far more precious to me then my own life. I will protect them, even if that is the price I must pay."

"Ha! But what's to stop us from killing you and everybody you love too? Ever stop to think about that, genius?!" Gavin jeered hatefully. "God, women can be so stupid."

Kallen had thought about this. Of course she had. Still, even knowing she might be double crossed, she had no other choice. It was either do nothing, not even try to save her daughters or do whatever she could. She had to at least try. If these people could not be bargained with, she was still at least doing what she could.

"You should really learn to shut up occasionally," Farris said in a heavy voice to his comrade. Turning toward a small door he glanced at Kallen. "He's in here," he said, opening it.

Kallen had honestly been expecting to be led to the throne room, or somewhere equally dramatic. Instead, she emerged in a rather stark room, large, but small in comparison to most of the palace's halls. It looked like it was the sort of place the servants would come to relax. A man was standing hunched over at the end of it, his hand resting on a cane as he stared at a large TV set.

"Kallen Kozuki has arrived as expected," said Farris sternly to get the man's attention.

"I know, I know," the man said in a shrill voice, giving a harsh laugh. He turned around very slowly.

Kallen studied him from afar. He looked old. His hair was pure white, his body was twisted and mangled, a large eyepatch covered the right half of his face. Something about him was eerily familiar.

"You're looking as lovely as ever, Miss Kozuki. Age certainly has been kind to your beauty," the man said, staggering forward, limping as if his left leg were entirely dead.

That was right. Kallen knew this man. It would be hard to forget one of such horrible visage. It had been sixteen years since the last time she had seen him, sixteen years since the only time their paths had crossed. Kallen couldn't forget that encounter, not when she was indebted to this very man for it.

"And you've somehow managed to become even more hideous with age," Kallen said, bitterly. "Doctor Selwyn, wasn't it?"

"Correct," the man laughed. "This body rots, Miss Kozuki. I am dead. I died twenty years ago at the hands of your Black Knights, at the hands of your Lelouch vi Britannia. It was only by the grace of a marvelous woman stole my spirit from Death's Door and forced my corpse, as broken mangled as it was, to accept it once more. Every day is spent in agony, as I spiral toward what will surely be an early death," said Selwyn. "But I wouldn't change anything."

Kallen was surprised by the story. Being revived from the dead? Surely that was impossible. Even Geass couldn't do something like that, right? But there was something unnatural about this man, something almost inhuman. And now he claimed they had done this to him? She didn't know what to think about that.

"That's a shame," Kallen laughed. "If you'd have just stayed dead, all of this could have been avoided."

"You say that even knowing what I made possible?" Selwyn laughed. "What I did to ease your dark and jaded heart. That heart of yours that couldn't find peace, that couldn't move forward. That dark place in you that had unreasonable demands."

"I can't deny that you have my gratitude for what you did then," said Kallen, closing her eyes solemnly. "It's only because of you that I was rewarded with those two girls..."

This was true. Kallen's heart had been a turbulent place in those four years between losing Lelouch and deciding to become a mother. She was aimless; floating without a direction. Kaguya Sumeragi approached her with the idea; she should have children by way of artificial insemination. Kallen liked the idea. It appealed to her, but parts of it felt uncertain.

The person that was Kallen Kozuki was formed out of the fleeting love of a Britannian noble and his Japanese servant; so much of who she was she could trace back to her parents. She had a hard time convincing herself that relying on some mystery father that she didn't know, much less love would be the best thing for her. She felt bad for questioning such things. Her child would still be her child, regardless of who contributed the other half of the genetic material, but it, for some reason, didn't feel like enough.

She was on business in the EU when she overheard talk of a series of highly experimental research tests in genetics being conducted. One rumor she heard astounded her. A gifted research scientist was working in the field of cellular manipulation and cloning; one example application was the creation of sperm cells given other genetic material. It sounded crazy to her, but she was reckless back then. She had access to some blood-stained cloths. She had his DNA; if it could somehow be used to build something that worked, it was worth looking into.

It was only with much hesitance she had followed the lead to a small EU research laboratory. It was there she met Dr. Alfred Selwyn for the first time. She expressed her position to the man. She had the money, being a national hero and a decorated officer in the Black Knights. He told her he could help her and assured her it was safe. That it would undoubtedly work. It was stupid maybe, trusting someone like that, but her life was empty back then the thought of success far outweighed any complications that could arise. But, sure enough, after leaving that facility, she was pregnant. When Katsue and Katsumi were born, their distinctive violet eyes were enough to convince her she hadn't been taken in either. Regardless, she was satisfied.

"In all honesty, I only did half the work," the man said, shaking his head.

"What? What do you mean?" asked Kallen suspiciously.

"Ah, but shouldn't that be obvious enough," said the man. "If I really could successfully impregnate you with nothing more than the genetic material gathered from some dried up old blood stains, don't you think that the procedure would be more commonplace by now? Why do you think you've never heard about it in anyone but yourself?"

"So it was a lie all along," Kallen said, closing her eyes. This hardly bothered her at this point. She loved her daughters regardless of their genetic makeup.

"Not what I meant at all, Miss Kozuki," the man continued to grin creepily as he looked at her with his cold, dead eye.

"I always thought it was too specialized; too expensive for any sort of practical use," said Kallen quietly.

"And that's where you thought wrong, General Kozuki," a female voice then said. Kallen was shocked. She looked around frantically for the source but found no one in the room. Then she focused on the TV behind Selwyn. On it, a beautiful woman with long blonde hair was displayed. Her expression was pleasant and serene, but something about her was unnerving.

"Who are you?!" Kallen started, abrasively.

"I am called Deifilia Amarantha," said the woman. "I am a long time associate of your friend, Dr. Selwyn."

"I don't..." Kallen started, not sure what to say.

"Geass can do things current science doesn't begin to understand," said Selwyn somberly. "I was dead to my science when the woman before you found me. It was only that power within her eyes that brought me back into the world."

"Geass?!" Kallen exclaimed, stepping back. "Are you saying her Geass was somehow used to make it possible back then."

"Correct, General Kozuki," the woman said simply.

"Why? Why go through the trouble?" started Kallen, not understanding.

"You fascinate me," said the woman. "The hero of Japan; pilot of _Guren. _A normal girl who did so much. It seemed like such a waste to see such a player drown herself in sorrow and loneliness. In my kindness I thought to give you access to what you desperately wanted." The woman gave a faint laugh and closed her eyes. "Such a strong person, needs a string to pull if necessary. Enough people like you could see even the most finely honed plan topple if left unchecked."

Kallen couldn't comprehend this. This woman was saying that she had made it possible for her to have the children she wanted, all so she could blackmail her over some plan in the distant future? That was insane. No, it was sick. Kallen felt literally ill at the thought.

"Who are you?" Kallen reiterated. "You said you were killed by the Black Knights, Selwyn. You're Britannian, yet your affiliation seem to be with the EU..."

"Do you remember the Geass directorate, Miss Kozuki?" asked Selwyn. "You weren't there obviously, but surely you've heard about it. The bloody massacre your beloved Lelouch vi Britannia ordered that day? His futile attempt to eradicate the loose ends of Geass..."

"You're saying you're...!" Kallen started, her eyes going wide.

"I was a young and healthy research scientist; my brilliance seeing me recruited by Britannia's government immediately upon graduation from the Academy, wherein I was immediately given a sought after spot on Lord Asprius' Code R team," the Doctor gave a long sigh. "When the Black Knights blazed through the Directorate, my body was filled with holes, burnt and mangled in ways most excruciating. It was a true miracle I survived long enough for her to find me."

"Are you part of the Directorate too?" asked Kallen glaring at the woman.

"No," she said simply. "I had an invested interest in them. I knew a number of them quite well. I observed them while keeping out of Britannia's eye entirely. When I learned of Zero's plans for them, I left immediately to claim what I could from the wreckage. Poor Alfred was all I could salvage. There was one other servant of mine that made it through that horror, but I did not learn of her existence until years after, as it was."

"You operated close to the Directorate without Britannia knowing?" Kallen started. "How is that possible?"

"My Geass could simplify things for them. What's more, it could intimidate them. I helped them and they helped me. It was a mutual relationship. They even loaned me four children to look after on my own toward the end..." Amarantha snickered fondly.

"What's your aim?" Kallen asked; sick. This woman had been operating behind the scenes for over twenty years, itself a surprising fact since she looked a good nine years younger than Kallen. "For what have you been manipulating the world?"

"Don't you think you've asked enough of these tangential questions yet, General?" Amarantha started. "Don't you have two beautiful daughters you wish desperately to free from harm?"

Kallen was slowly placated by this. These two had already told her surprisingly much but it wasn't going to be endless. She needed to focus on why she had come here in the first place.

"Where are my daughters?" she asked in a tired, defeated voice.

"We're currently holding them," said Amarantha in a quiet voice.

"Where?" Kallen repeated.

"A small outpost not far from here," the woman responded.

"What do I have to do for them to be set free?" Kallen started in a cold voice.

"Nothing," said Amarantha. "I'm not going to kill you, nor am I going to force you to fight against your will. All you have to do is stay still."

"You want me to give up? You want me to stay out of the fight from now on..." Kallen said, growling.

"More or less," the woman said, giving a short laugh. "Also, we will be taking your _Guren._"

Kallen was shaking with anger. Killing her was one thing, forcing her to give up not only _Guren _but on participating in the fight was somehow entirely worse.

"I want proof," said Kallen forcefully. "I want proof that you have my daughters and they are safe. I want proof that you'll set them free."

"You've already seen the live footage of them," said Amarantha. "Isn't that enough?"

"No. I want to see them now, otherwise I can't believe anything you say!" Kallen shouted, shaking her head.

"It's unfortunate, but we don't have any cameras in place there that could connect immediately to here," said Amarantha.

"I'll wait," said Kallen sternly.

Selwyn started to laugh. "There's no need for that Miss Kozuki," he said. "As it is, we have someone here who can show them to you now."

"How is that?" asked Kallen, tilting her head.

"The wonders of Geass," the man said, grinning.

It was then that a woman stepped forward from the doorway. She was a few years younger than Kallen, with long sandy blonde hair. She was dressed similarly to Farris and Gavin, in a simple black outfit, but it seemed out of place somehow, like something more regal would have been more fitting. Something about the woman's face made Kallen swear she had seen it at least somewhere before.

"I-I... I'm here as ordered... Lady Amarantha..." the woman said in a suspiciously defeated voice, drained of energy, like being here was painful for her.

"Very good, Rowena," the woman on the monitor spoke, closing her eyes.

Kallen's eyes shot open. That's what it was! This was Rowena Winfield, Britannia's Knight of Six. Why would she be here? Just what was going on. She was positive that this outfit was attached to the EU, so why would one of Britannia's best be standing before her?

"Don't be surprised, General, I have servants from every side serving me. The EU is under my thumb, but I've recruited from Britannia's knights, Absolution's agents and even your own soldiers," said Amarantha laughing.

"No true soldier of Japan would join you!" Kallen spat, angered by the very thought.

"Oh? And I thought you liked that girl, the way she was climbing the ranks in your organization would make me think she'd be nothing but a true soldier in your eyes," said Amarantha in a smug voice. "Or was it just her Geass that made her valuable to you?"

Kallen gasped. "C-Chiharu! You're the one who had her kidnapped...!"

Amarantha began to laugh hard at this. "Kidnapped? You don't know how wrong you are," she said shaking her head. "Her and my associate Ashlynn, a mercenary who flew with you a while, came to the decision on their own accord. They escaped from Japan and flew to me on their own volition. The poor girl was nothing but serious as she agreed to betray her homeland and serve me in payment for fixing her poor, shattered spine."

"Chiharu wouldn't...!" Kallen stared, clenching her fist.

"Oh, but she did," said Amarantha with dead certainty. "You may not believe me now, but when it is Chiharu Ohgi who leads the coming conquest of Japan, you'll see it is no lie."

Kallen shook her head. Being physically paralyzed was surely hard to bear, but Kallen couldn't see that girl selling herself out to have it repaired. She had noticed the closeness between the girl and "Megami", but that couldn't have been enough to push her into something like this, even if that girl was an associate of this woman.

"You disgust me," Kallen said bitterly to the villain before her.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Amarantha said. "Regardless, Rowena here can show you what you want to see."

"What do you mean?" Kallen asked, looking at the Britannian knight. Selwyn stepped forward.

"When this lovely woman uses her Geass on you, she can connect your eyes directly into any surveillance system she's recently made contact with," said the frail doctor. "She was just at the outpost at which your daughters are being held."

Kallen grit her teeth. It seemed like a plausible Geass power, as far as she was concered. "Very well," she said. "Let me see."

"Right..." Winfield said, stepping forward. Her left eye opened wide and the sigil of Geass burned upon it, and seemingly deep into Kallen's being as she stared at it. Her vision went white.

When it as restored, she was looking down from the corner of a ceiling in a cold metal room. Sure enough, Katsue and Katsumi were at the center of it. They were chained at their ankles to the wall, but sat huddled together, in each other's arms. Both seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Kallen could see them undulating with normal breaths. Their expressions were fairly content in their sleep and they did not look any more beaten up than they had in the earlier feed. The scene was a fairly ideal match to what she was hoping for.

"Is that enough?" asked Winfield's voice, disembodied.

"No, give me a moment more," said Kallen, still observing the scene. She watched as Katsue snuggled affectionately into her sister. She listened to the unconscious purr Katsumi gave and the generic electronic buzz sound being emitted by something in the facility. After a few more moments, she was satisfied. "That's enough... I suppose."

With that, her vision faded to white again. She reemerged in the room of before. She looked at Amarantha.

"Are you satisfied by what you've seen?" the woman asked.

"More or less," said Kallen, closing her eyes. "And you say you'll release them, just as they are now, if I comply with your demands?"

"Just say the word, General, and your daughters will be free," said the woman simply.

"Very well," said Kallen, closing her eyes. "Where do you want me to go?"

"Nowhere," said Amarantha. "This beautiful palace is yours to call home for as long as the fighting lasts."

"I see," Kallen growled. Imprisoned in a palace; such an ironic thing.

"Very well. Bernard, why don't you be the one to call Naida over at the outpost?" said Amarantha, motioning the large man still at the door of the room toward a phone at the left wall. he moved to grab it.

"As you wish," Farris said, nodding and dialing a number on the phone. He spoke into it. "You are to free the prisoners from confinement immediately."

"Is there any way I could speak to one of them?" Kallen asked, giving a faint gulp. "Please... I just want to hear their voices."

"Express that request to Naida, Bernard," Amarantha said softly.

"Kozuki wishes to speak with the prisoners before you release them," Farris said in a quiet voice. After a long pause he turned to Kallen. "Give her a moment to retrieve them."

Around five minutes passed in absolute silence. They were tense. Then the phone was handed to her.

"Hello, girls is that--" was all she got out before being cut off.

"We're sorry," a voice said. Untrained ears would be hard pressed to tell the girls apart, especially when they were as emotionally drained as this voice was, but as their mother Kallen could tell immediately. This was Katsumi's voice. There was no doubt in her mind it was real. "Mother... we made such a stupid mistake... w-we're sorry..."

Katsumi was on the verge of tears. Kallen shook her head as she felt emotions building in her as well. She couldn't find any anger though, just love.

"It's okay, Katsumi. That the two of you are okay... that's enough for me," she said, in a broken voice.

"But mother... that shouldn't be..." the girl sniffled.

"I love you and your sister more than anything," said Kallen in a soft voice. "That's why you must promise me that you'll fight twice as hard. You'll fight for my sake too."

"Alright mother..." Katsumi cried. Kallen nodded, knowing in her heart, her daughters would make her proud.

---

Miya wore a sober expression as she unlocked the door to her apartment and stepped inside. She had just returned from visiting Amelia in the hospital. A lot was weighing on her mind. She was in pain, and not just because she still had bruises from the beating she had received not to far into the past. Her heart was in turmoil.

"Hi, Cynthia," she said as she walked into the apartment, forcing a smile as she greeted the woman she loved.

"M-Miya..." Cynthia said in recognition, with a bit of a twitch. She too forced a smile. her forced smile looked absolutely nothing like the natural smile Cynthia always used to wear.

Cynthia hadn't been the same since that night. Whatever the man in the priest robes had done to her had affected her on such a profound level it just wouldn't leave her. The first few days she didn't speak hardly at all. Now she was talking, but only sparse and disjointedly, and so far only to Miya, and her tone of voice was different; harsher. She was paler and she hardly smiled. Her usual constant laughter was almost non existent.

"So, how are you feeling?" Miya asked, sitting down next to the other and grabbing her hand. This brought a very faint true smile to her lips, if only for a moment.

"Better," was all the girl said in reply.

"That's good," said Miya. She did look better by the day, but she really had a long way to go if she was going to be the same Cynthia as before.

"H-how was..." Cynthia started. She seemed to honestly strain for the name. It was sad. Cynthia honestly didn't seem to recognize anyone but her.

Or perhaps there was someone else she would still recognize, but Miya didn't dare mention him before the girl.

"Amelia," Miya filled in, smiling and holding the girl's hand tightly. "And she looks pretty good, considering she was shot three times. She'll be okay soon enough."

"That's good..." Cynthia said, not smiling or showing any emotion. Miya felt a short pain in her chest, but didn't articulate anything.

"Yeah," said Miya. "And luckily Miss Sayoko wasn't even targeted. Looks like we're all going to be okay."

"B-but... but what if he comes back..." Cynthia started, her whole body shaking. Miya tightened her grip on the girl's hand.

"I discussed that at length with Amelia today," said Miya, closing her eyes. "She thinks we should find protection from the assassins within Britannia. Maybe even join them to defeat these people who attacked us."

"B-Britania...?" Cynthia started, shaking even harder.

Miya looked down. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned that. She should have thought it through more. Unfortunately, now it was out there.

"These assassins are enemies of Britannia. You know the saying, the enemy of your enemy is your friend? Well, right now it seems the enemy that almost killed us all is the bigger threat to us than the one who have ignored us to this point."

"No!" Cynthia shouted, jumping slightly where she sat and closing her eyes.

"I know what it means..." Miya said in a low voice. "But Britannia has some good people too, Cynthia. The man who saved me and gave me that sword, for instance..."

She glanced at the weapon lying in the far corner of the room. Cynthia followed her gaze.

"I just can't!" Cynthia quivered, her whole body still shaking, trying to rip her hand from Miya's.

"Cynthia..." Miya said in a soft voice, trying to calm the girl. "Amelia and I agreed on the idea. Even Sayoko's coming around to it. It's just we couldn't survive if they attacked us again."

"B-but...!" Cynthia was on the verge of screaming. Miya released her hand and took her into a full embrace. This placated the girl noticeably. She even smiled slightly.

"It's hard, asking you about this, but after everything that's happened, I honestly worry about your safety..." Miya said, hugging the girl. "We need this protection..."

"I-I... I-I... I-I..." Cynthia fought to say something, but was unable. Instead, tears began to leave her eyes. Miya shook her head and raised a hand. She wiped the tears away and bent forward, joining their lips in a brief kiss.

"I'm here for you, Cynthia. I always will be," said Miya softly. "Please don't forget that."

"M-Miya..." was all Cynthia could say as she stayed wrapped in the other's arms.

---

Lucrecia Harrison felt absolutely crushed as she slowly opened the door to her Mistress' room. She was holding back tears. She entered very sheepishly, holding herself in shame.

"Why hello, my sweet Lucrecia," Mistress greeted, tilting her head and smiling.

"I'm sorry!" Lucrecia began immediately. "I failed you, Mistress. Please punish me."

"Oh? It's hardly an issue, Lucrecia," said Mistress shaking her head. "But if you insist, I can think of a few fun 'punishments' to try with you..." she added suggestively.

"B-but Mistress," Lucrecia started, shaking her head and crying. "I let those two get away... I-I failed the mission..."

"It was always a conceivable possibility that the Geass those two received would be one that matched up poorly against your own, Lucrecia," said Mistress, still smiling. "Nothing was harmed in losing those two."

"B-but!" Lucrecia started.

"Kallen Kozuki and her _Guren _were still apprehended without incident thanks to the efforts of Naida and Rowena," said Mistress laughing. "We didn't even have to use force."

Lucrecia blinked. She hadn't heard this much. She supposed it did seem plausible. The former Britannian knight had a Geass easy enough to exploit. With the right frame, the ability to show someone a vision of exactly what they want to see at the moment could be quite effective. With Naida's knack for mimicking voices, the picture would only be more complete.

"I'm glad you're satisfied, Mistress," she said smiling and tilting her head.

"Of course, dear Lucrecia. It would break my heart to be angry with you," she said, pulling the girl toward her and into an embrace. It was warm and beautiful. Lucrecia cherished it."You did a good job out there, really. Without you, we never would have gotten the footage to bait Kozuki with in the first place."

"I'm glad I was useful to you, Mistress," Lucrecia cooed into Mistress' chest.

"Hehe, precious child," Mistress said as she lifted Lucrecia's head and placed a short kiss at her lips.

"Mistress..." Lucrecia cooed softly.

It was then that a knock sounded at the door. Mistress looked up. "Who's there?" she asked.

"Novak," a low voice replied.

"Ah, Richter, please come in," Mistress said softly. Lucrecia gave a soft pout as the door opened. She glared at Richter Novak as he entered. "What is it you have to discuss with me?"

"I just wanted a clarification on the situation with Kallen Kozuki," the man spoke in a staunch voice.

"Her daughters used their Geass to escape in transit, but luckily after she had been baited to move. Alfred and I, with the aid of Rowena and Naida's Geass, were able to convince her we still had them and would release them in exchange for _Guren _and her imprisonment. She bought the ruse and agreed. She's currently being confined in the Federation palace," Mistress explained disinterestedly, as if it was tedious.

"And these daughters? Their Geass proved effective enough to take down two of our Geass users and break free from Harrison. Don't they pose a threat?" asked Richter, nodding.

"They're alone and on their feet," said Mistress. "It will be some time before they find a knightmare, and when they do, and when they find out what has happened with their mother, they will jump straight to her rescue, at which point they'll be handled without issue. Meanwhile, we launch the conquest of Japan while their army is comprised of nothing more than a meager pack of wild dogs."

"It does sound ideal," said Richter quietly. "But what of _Guren? _What are your plans for the machine?"

"We'll work on transporting it here," said Mistress. "I know not who will use it or if indeed it will be used, but at least it is no longer something to worry over."

"Fair enough," said Richter sternly.

"But while you're here, Richter, perhaps you could tell me your thoughts on the coming mission?" Mistress started.

"It's an amusing way to go about things," the man started with a smirk. "It was hard to design a plan that would work in the field for those specifications, but I think I have it."

"I'm glad to hear that," Mistress spoke, closing her eyes and smiling. "I wish you luck, Richter."

"I don't need luck. There is nothing but victory on this particular horizon," said Richer strongly as he turned around.

"You're an amusing man, Richter Novak," Mistress said with a short laugh as the man left.

"Will I be fighting in this operation, Mistress?" asked Lucrecia, looking up at her Mistress, glad they were alone again.

"No, Lucrecia, _Hippolyta _will not be ready in time," said Mistress shaking her head. "You'll have to stay here and support me."

"Alright," Lucrecia said with a strong nod. She wanted a chance to redeem herself for her failures, but passing up more time with Mistress definitely wasn't worth that.

"Now, child, why don't we see about those 'punishments' I mentioned?" Mistress asked with a gentle smile, her hand coming to rest on Lucrecia's thigh. Lucrecia's heart began to beat swiftly as she grew excited.

"Of course, Mistress," she cooed fondly into the other's arms.

---

Nagisa Tohdoh sat in a small briefing room onboard the _Hitokage, _staring at the all together meager number of custom pilots Japan had at its disposal. Her daughter Hiromi was there, as were Chinese Federation holdovers Wu Chaowei and Hu Xuemei. And that was it. They were down to three units; _Jinketsu, Baofeng, _and _Tianlong. _

"So, General Kozuki really left?" Xuemei growled in a low voice.

"Those little girls.... theirinsubordination jeopardized everything," Hiromi said angrily, slamming her fist into the table.

"I can't say I understand their actions," said Nagisa in a subdued voice. "But I certainly understand General Kozuki's. All we can do is hope negotiations are successful and those girls are in turn returned to us."

"Not having the _Guren _active leaves us vulnerable," said Xuemei. "I don't like this."

"Why'd Kozuki go and take the _Guren _in answering these demands?" asked Chaowei. "It'd make more sense for her to take a simpler knightmare."

"The blackmailer specified that she should take _Guren. _Anything else likely would have been shot down," said Nagisa readily.

"But as a result, right now, would be the absolutely worst possible time for us to receive an attack," said Xuemei in a low voice.

"And this enemy that blackmailed the General knows this!" Hiromi reminded in a stern voice.

"Which is why I wanted to speak with you all," said Nagisa in a low voice. "We're in a bad place. Fighting is inevitable and it's doubtful the same miracles will occur as last time."

"So we're done then?" started Hiromi. "There's no hope?"

"It's not like we can just give up," said Xuemei. "Isn't that your Japanese spirit? You'd sooner die for your beliefs than submit to your enemies?"

"Sounds damn accurate to me, Xuemei," said Hiromi boldly. "Death is nothing if it means standing up for Japan."

"It's a foolish thing to say," said Nagisa. "But I held onto thoughts like that in my youth, as I stood beside your father. They remain within me even now."

"I'm not crazy about the whole dying thing," said Chaowei. "But I'm not going to give up either. If those guys want us out of the way, they're going to have to get through the Ace of the Federation!"

"Then it's settled," said Xuemei. "We fight until the end."

"Right," said Nagisa in a low voice.

---

Ava li Britannia wore a serious expression as she sat at the round table where she met with her knights. She looked from face to face, from empty chair to empty chair.

"Still no word from Winfield and Granville?" she started.

"We've been completely unable to contact them ever since they left for Princess Jacquelyn's wedding," said Knight of One, Gino Weinberg, in a steady voice. "The EU has proven completely uncooperative toward our inquiries while maintaining they know nothing of the matter."

"If the EU has them, isn't that justification to null our alliance?" started Hildegarde Waldstein in a strong voice, backed by a hateful edge.

"There's a strong likelihood the two of them betrayed us of their own volition," said Nonette Enneagram in a low voice. "Besides, making an enemy of the EU at this point may not be wise..."

"May that be, Mother," Margaret Enneagram spoke, standing up and looking at Ava, who nodded. "Recent information I have acquired makes it clear to me that the EU are already a hostile threat."

"What makes you say that, Margaret?" Nonette spoke, tilting her head up at her daughter.

"Lord Moore," Margaret spoke. "I have reason to believe that the unit who took you down in the last battle for Japan was an agent of the EU."

"It seems plausible given the man was clearly not Japanese," said Niles Moore in a stern voice. "But what makes you so certain of that?"

"Because I am positive that the one who shot me down is," the girl replied readily.

"Positive now, are we, Margaret?" Ava said, smirking and laughing. Last time they had spoken, it had only been "probable".

"Yes, Empress. It's changed. I met that enemy pilot again only nights ago in a parking lot in this very city," said Margaret coldly.

"What's that?! Why would such an enemy be here?" Hildegarde asked. Ava was asking the same thing. Something had clearly happened since the last time she has spoken to this girl..

"Ever since their downfall months ago, a small band of Absolution's finest agents have been plotting your death, Empress. One of these agents slipped under my nose and has been posing as a servant in our house for that time," said Margaret in a bold voice.

"Margaret, you don't mean--?!" Nonette started, shocked.

"Yes, mother," said Margaret. "I apologize for waiting until now to tell you of this."

"That sounds similar to what happened at our house," said Astrid, who stood at Ava's side, in a soft voice. Gino nodded.

"So what are you saying, the EU and this Absolution cell are in league somehow?" started Ava, not quite following yet.

"Oh, on the total contrary, Empress," the Knight of Nine started with a smirk. "The EU agent who attacked me in the last fight made an attempt on the life of this Absolution agent, leaving her critically wounded and in the hospital."

"Did you say 'her', Margaret?" Nonette interjected quietly surprised.

"What's more, similar attempts were made on her comrades by other EU agents," said Margaret sternly, brushing off her mother's question.

"My," said Niles Moore, shaking his head, his eyes widened. "Nights ago, I encountered a young girl who claimed to be a holdover of Absolution being accosted by a man she claimed to poses a Geass. It was dark, and my eyesight isn't as perfect as it once was, and the man in question is fairly nondescript in the first place, but in my recollections I find he certainly could be the pilot of the Horse Knightmare that defeated me."

"R-really? So what, do all my vassals have secret rendezvous with dangerous enemies they've yet to share with me?" Ava started, slightly, just slightly annoyed.

"I apologize, your majesty," Niles said in a low voice. "Withholding such events from you is inexcusable."

"You did it to protect the Absolution girl, I take it?" Ava said with a nod. "They may be enemies, plotting my life, but they are also citizens of Britannia. Shielding the citizenry from foreign assassins does not strike me as something needing apology."

"But I don't fucking get it," Ulric Cross spoke up, giving a shrug. "These assassins targeted our enemies? Doesn't that mean they're on our side?"

"Think about it clearly, Mr. Cross," said Niles. "The two units that proved absolutely instrumental in our inability to take Japan in the last fight were piloted by these same assassins. The fact that they interfered with our efforts then is proof enough that they aren't friends."

"Yeah..., right," Ulric said, nodding. "But then why the hell would they be after Absolution people?"

"That remains a mystery," said Margaret. "The Absolution agent with whom I've spoken at length does not know why they were targeted."

"So we have hard proof that the EU is doing something fishy behind the scenes..." Gino started in a low voice. "Where do we go from here?"

"it's a difficult question, Lord Weinberg," Ava spoke coldly.. "Japan is the last stand. It's the only free nation of note that hasn't become a territory of either us or the EU. If indeed a war with the EU is inevitable, it would bode well for us to take its resources for our own."

"And if the EU interferes again?" started Hildegarde.

"It's risky, but I'll have everyone deployed," said Ava. "We'll rely on simple brute force to claim Japan!"

"You'd leave the home front undefended, Empress?" started Nonette, skeptical.

"Japan is the focal point at the moment. It'd be cunning of them to target us while we focus there, but it doesn't fit their behavior up until now. They're as focused on obtaining Japan as we are. They wouldn't have stepped in during the last battle otherwise," said Ava, her eyes narrowing. "A defense force will still be posted on our Eastern coast regardless. It will contain no custom units, but we could find temporary pilots for the _Kay _and _Bedivere Godhand _still in our possession should things get serious," she added in a cold, serious voice.

"So you expect a fucking showdown over the skies of Japan, just not necessarily with the Japanese?" Ulric laughed and leaned back in his chair.

"You're totally committed to this," Hildegarde smirked. "But if it comes to a brute strength competition with the EU, do you honestly think we can win?"

"They have an unknown number of soldiers using the power known as Geass," said Ava in a soft voice. "I'm aware of that. Still, I have nothing but faith in my knights. Your spirits are enviable, that is why we will find a way to beat them, I'm sure of it."

"Well, Empress, your faith in us is certainly refreshing, I suppose," said Gino in a relaxed voice.

"But this fight isn't going to be easy," said Ava with a steady nod. "The slightest mistake spells death. I don't want to lose any more of you..."

"Yes, your Majesty," many of the more formal knights said at once.

"Very well," Ava smiled and nodded. "You may be dismissed then."

"Yes, your Majesty," the words came again. Ava looked at them all another time. For the first time in a long time she felt like she at least had some control. Eilith's words still hung around her, giving her strength, as did Astrid standing at her side. She couldn't fail these people. They needed her.

"Empress," Margaret approached her as most the others started to file out. "There's something I'd like to discuss."

"You wish me to meet with this Absolution agent, do you not, Margaret?" Ava said, with a firm gaze.

"Yeah... how'd you know?" asked Margaret slightly taken aback.

"It's the obvious course of action you'd have come to. They're a small group with no backing. Japan is in no position to accept them now, so if they want to be protected from the looming threat of these assassins they really only have one option," said Ava in a steady voice.

"Will you speak with her?" asked Margaret directly.

"Of course," said Ava with a nod. "But not until after this battle. It will be easier for both sides to come to terms when the situation with the EU is out in the front."

"Right," said Margaret quietly. "Thank you."

"What, for agreeing to meet with someone who wishes me dead?" started Ava, shaking her head. "Such sentiments don't shake me anymore."

"Great," said Margaret. Turning and smiling to Astrid, she added, "and Astrid, she told me to tell you she's eager to see you again as well."

"Wait?! You don't mean it's that girl?" Ava started, shocked. This wasn't a girl who simply wished her dead, but one who had very nearly killed her.

Astrid was smiling though. She seemed really elated at this news. "Y-you don't say, Margaret..." she said in a soft voice. "I do really look forward to seeing her as well."

"I'll tell her," said Margaret in a low voice, smiling and turning to leave. "Thank you for understanding, Empress."

"It's hardly a trouble, Margaret. After all, you are someone I can truly consider a friend," said Ava in a low voice. It was true too. For years she had seen this girl as someone immature, clingy and often times annoying, but the girl had grown so much in such a short time. She was now someone Ava could honestly respect.

"You're words are too kind, Empress," Margaret said, shaking her head as she walked away, an obvious blush on her face. Soon the room was empty save Ava and her dearest Astrid.

"You showed wonderful confidence today, Ava," said Astrid in a soft voice.

"You think so?" started Ava, looking over at her beloved.

"Yes. I just hope, for the sake of you and everyone else, that it is enough," said Astrid in a quiet voice.

"It likely won't be," Ava admitted. "But we can't show weakness, just because the odds are stacked against us."

"Margaret isn't the only one of us who has matured," said Astrid in a soft voice. Ava was stunned. Were they so close now that Astrid could read her mind?

"What does that mean, Astrid?" asked Ava, turning to her.

"The change is obvious in Margaret. Miya became part of Absolution and Richter's even gotten married. The entirety of that little student council has matured so much in such a short time, and that includes you and I," Astrid said shutting her eyes.

"I wonder if I've matured enough," said Ava in a quiet voice.

Astrid shook her head and smiled. "I have faith in you, Ava, even if you lack it in yourself. I know that, in the end, you'll make everything work."

"I wouldn't be able to do anything without you," said Ava shutting her eyes. "Please be careful in the battle."

"I thought I told you not to think like that," said Astrid sternly.

"I'm sorry," said Ava, tensing up as she remembered that clearly.

"It's okay," said Astrid softly. "And don't worry. I will come back to you."

Ava smiled up at the girl. Just with those words, she was satisfied.

A/N: Okay, so half this chapter was spent on posturing for the coming big battle and the other half was spent on the Kallen/twins situation. The Kallen stuff was maybe more interesting. Yeah, the thing with the twins parentage was decided way back when I first designed their characters. I knew I wanted it to be, but I was at a loss for a while as to how it could be, as conventional means were out of the question. Having Deifilia and Selwyn behind it grabbed me as a solution. If it seems like peculiarly specific manipulation on Defillia's part, realize now that she's not behind any sort of manipulation. Other than that, Deifilia's link to the Geass directorate was revealed in the scene, which probably didn't surprise. It was kind of an odd scene for a major Kallen fan to write. She gets verbally abused by Lyall and then completely taken in by Deifilia and her minions. The wonderful part of that is the obvious bit that Deifilia could have easily had Bernard and Lyall simply beat her into the ground and lock her up simply, but that wonderful sadistic edge of Deifilia had her decide to instead use her minions to pull of an elaborate ruse that led to Kallen removing herself from the fight on her own accord.

The rest of the chapter was more typical. Cynthia's situation was pretty sad, but other than that it was pretty much a quick glimpse at each of the three sides. Deifilia's scene with Lucrecia was mostly to make abundantly clear what had happened in the Kallen scene, so it wasn't' as focused on the posturing of her forces. Next chapter likely will begin with a Chiharu scene to setup that sides thoughts going in. The woefully undermanned Japanese force is pretty much on suicide mission mode now, while Britannia have correctly identified the EU as the real enemy. Next chapter should be fun.

Anyway, no extras again. Sorry. To accommodate myself, I'm considering switching to a fixed biweekly schedule. If I don't feel like I'm behind all the time, I might be able to actually get some fun little asides out. At the very least it could help my focus.

Again nothing to add to the profile page (and allow me to apologize for not updating it yet. Next chapter should bring a number of new knightmares; I think I'd rather add Hippolyta when I add those).


	38. Turn 37: Monsters' Wrath

A/N: Well... I don't even know anymore. I feel like someone's laughing at my expense somewhere. I was just going to admit defeat in regards to laziness and adapt to a comfortable biweekly schedule... Then, of course, for some arbitrary reason, my laptop I use to type this thing (which has all my planning and whatnot on it) had to just die. Took it to the local Apple Store for repairs, but of course, they couldn't do anything there and they had to send it in for full service, which would cost a steep sum of money and take 3-5 days. Of course, it ends up taking the full five days. Finally, I do get my computer back and it works and I didn't lose any data or anything. Apparently the issue was a dead connector (and a damaged top case, but that probably wasn't as big a deal). But anyway, the point is, just as I was about to get comfortable again and readjust the schedule on this thing, something had to happen to throw me off track. Sorry if this inconsistent update schedule is annoying you guys. I wish I could do better. Anyway, enough about that. In case you forgot, this week we have a climactic battle chapter, so yay (or not yay, if you're not into battle chapters... which unfortunately I get the feeling most of you aren't...). Ah well, hope it's mildly amusing at least.

Disclaimer: Chaowei: "CNP doesn't own Code Geass. All he owns is the original characters in this story, yours truly, the Ace of the Federation, included."

Chiharu Ohgi wore a dead expression on her face as she stood rigidly in a line, her feet planted firmly on the floor of the flying juggernaut known as _Olympus, _a massive Destroyer airship privately owned by the scourge of the world, Deifilia Amarantha. Her heart burned inside her as she stood there. Before her was a man in a mask who called himself Alain Renard. To the side was the woman herself, Deifilia Amarantha.

In the line with her were many faces. Some wore regret, like the noble looking blonde woman of knightly appearance and the cruelly twisted Yasuko Tohdoh forced to bear a false name. Some wore excitement, like the foul priest, Lazarus Cain and the young blonde girl with dead, crazy eyes. Some wore fear, like the unfamiliar face the woman known as Naida Fiametta was borrowing. Still others showed only sorrow, like the woman directly next to her, Megami Subarashii. One girl was different from the rest; Chiharu showed no emotion because she was holding it all deep in her heart, but this girl, Signa Norrell, had none in the first place. Chiharu wondered if she wasn't then the most dangerous one there.

"So, do you understand your mission?" asked Renard in a low voice.

"Yes, sir!" Chiharu replied fully, as did all the others. They had to. She was watching.

"Then you are dismissed," the man said. "You have an hour to prepare yourselves."

"Understood!" again a call echoed. The line dispersed slowly.

"Chiharu... are you really able to bear this..." Megami muttered quietly as the two began to walk away from the group together. Yasuko, or Marcella rather, was walking along with them, as was Naida.

"We have no choice, Megami," said Chiharu in a broken voice. "We're trapped. You know what she told us. That infernal unit she's given me is rigged to explode if either you or I betray her."

"You won't will you?" asked Megami with a low gulp. Chiharu looked at her.

"She outfitted my unit with explosives instead of _Onryou _because she knows you, Megami. She knows that you don't value your life near as much as those close to you," said Chiharu. "Choosing to hurt people I love over destroying myself may seem a selfish thing, but I can't throw away with my life. Not when there are promises I haven't given up on."

"Your friend's crazy, you know that, Ashlynn?" Naida commented dryly.

"Believe me, I know that all too well," Megami replied with a soft smirk.

"Miss Chiharu?" a voice started, the manner of address giving Chiharu chills. Chiharu turned slowly to face the girl now called Marcella Belita.

"Yes...M-Marcella," Chiharu started, the name still hating the name and what it represented.

"I hope we work well together," the girl said, smiling infirmly, nodding. Chiharu forced a smirk. She honestly hated Deifilia Amarantha. Not only had the woman commanded her to lead the force against her homeland, but she had given her this girl, this corruption of innocence, this girl who was once a dear friend but now had been twisted into a familiar albeit somehow foreign shape, as a partner for the task.

"Just stay by my side and it should be okay," Chiharu told the girl with a stern nod to the girl, trying to conceal the sadness in her eyes.

"God damn it... This whole thing is just so fucked up..." Megami muttered, clenching her fist.

Chiharu let out a low sigh. "It can only get better. If we stay strong... it can only get better..."

Silence fell after that. It lasted a while. Then, halfway down the corridor, suddenly a high girlish call was made.

"Big sister!" Lucrecia Harrison called, skipping speedily toward Megami, from the other end of the corridor. She threw herself onto the woman.

"Heh... Lucrecia..." Megami said, forcing her own smile as she looked at the girl with sadness in her eyes. "How are you?"

"Excited," Lucrecia started in an eager voice. "While you guys go fight I get to stay here with Mistress all day, protecting her."

Megami gave a forced laugh and patted the tainted, twisted child on her head. "Good luck with that, Lucrecia."

"Thanks," the girl chimed. "Please be careful, Big sister! We still haven't done much together since you got back. There are so many fun game I want to play with you."

"Right..." Megami commented as the girl skipped off. She didn't get very far before tripping over her own feet and falling forward, her skirt flipping up to reveal some very adult, mostly transparent side-tie bikini panties. This was a true testament to how defiled this girl had become. It made Chiharu feel sick. She watched as Megami offered the girl a hand up.

"Thanks, big sister..." Lucrecia said cheerily as she steadied herself. Mostly this girl screamed at those who approached her when she was exposed, but she didn't Megami.

Megami had slowly started to reveal little things about her past here to Chiharu. This girl was part of it. She was a sad case. A girl unwanted and broken, Deifilia had taken advantage of her at a young age and taken her under her wing. The girl had been introverted and shy when Megami first met her, but in her absence Deifilia Amarantha had twisted that innocence into something that hardly resembled itself.

It was the same really. The same as Marcella Belita. The same as Yasuko Tohdoh. Could Signa Norrell's story be any less tragic? What of Philip Xander, out of touch with reality, or Naida Fiametta, constantly living in fear? Even the deranged and vile Lazarus Cain was probably a rational man before some personal tragedy. All of this woman's pawns, no matter how strong, were broken and twisted at their cores.

Chiharu hoped, perhaps naïvely, that this would be enough to see Deifilia fail.

---

Lenna Leander had a nervous twitch about her as she stood facing her superior, Knight of One Gino Weinberg, onboard a Britannian airship. Eighteen years old, a bright child celebrated as an exceptional soldier, she had been selected for a special new elite unit directly under the Knight of One, along with two others. Just to her right was Vesta Arnette, a hard to approach woman in her mid twenties with a cold demeanor and a scowl on her face. To that woman's right was Llewellyn Mara, a young man around Lenna's age. He was unspectacular in appearance maybe, but Lenna always thought he was kind of cute.

"it really is a pleasure to have watched the three of you grow and come to this point," Lord Weinberg spoke, smiling as he did. "I hope you continue to serve me to the best of your ability in this new function."

"Of course, Sir!" Vesta replied in her gruff voice. Lenna and Llewellyn each gave a firm nod as well.

"Good," the man started. "So, the three of you understand your orders then?"

"We are to stay as your personal support, Sir!" Llewellyn said with a nod.

"We are to not get ahead of ourselves or engage unknown units without permission, Sir!" Lenna started, mustering her inner strength.

"We are to act with caution, but not hesitate to sacrifice our lives for the sake of Britannia!" Vesta said with a bit of a growl, nothing but strength in her voice. Lenna quietly hoped she could be like Vesta, that she could be that strong when it really mattered.

"Excellent," said Weinberg in a low voice. "The three of you are important. The _Grail _Project is instrumental to the future war effort. We hope for nothing but success from you all."

"Yes, sir!" all three started at once.

"Then I think it's about time we get this started," said Weinberg. "Proceed to the hangar! Let's get this battle underway!"

Lenna nodded. "Right... let's do this," she muttered. "Let's fight, and let's win."

"Yeah," said Llewellyn, nodding. She smiled.

---

Hildegarde Waldstein wore a stern expression as she flew _Galahad Renascence _steadily through the air. The Britannian fleet was steadily approaching Japan and she was at the front of it. The woman's mind was a haze. Yasuko. It had been so long .Her memories of the girl were starting to fade and blur. She hated this. She loved that girl truly and yet time was seeing them grow further apart.

Still, she remained strong. Passion persisted in her heart. She had to cast her emotional turmoil to the side and lift her sword true. She was a knight. Her thoughts drifted to her recent talk with the knight Niles Moore, that man who knew sorrow just as she did. She wasn't like him. She was a knight of Britannia. She was firm in this. Her sword would strike down Britannia's enemies. It was that simple.

"Japanese knightmares on the horizon," Hildegarde spoke into her comm. "Looks like they were expecting us."

"Right!" others started. "Preparing to engage!"

"Proceed with caution!" Hildegarde said in a strong voice. "Do not throw away you lives, men!"

"Understood!" an overwhelming reply came. Knightmares dispersed all across the sky to meet the Japanese force. Hildegarde steadied herself, her eyes falling on a single fast approaching unit.

"Your death is here, Knight of Britannia!" a bold voice yelled. It was familiar. The unit, light and fast, armed with a polearm, was not so familiar, but the voice of the pilot was unmistakeable.

"Hiromi Tohdoh..." Hildegarde spoke. She cursed her luck. Why must she continue to run into this girl? This was the family of her beloved. Of all the opponents she could have, why must she encounter this girl once more.

"You don't seem pleased to see me, Knight!" Hiromi shouted. "You must know that it will be your death this time."

"I will not lose to you, Hiromi Tohdoh," the knight said firmly. "Now ready your weapon. Let this fight begin."

"As you wish!" Hiromi called, raising her knightmare's spear and leaping forward at the other. Hildegarde moved her sword rigidly into place to deflect it.

Thus the battle began.

---

Katsue was tired. Trekking across the Chinese Federation with her sister was more than a little exhausting. They were at least making headway. It hadn't been very long since after _Hiodoshi _had crashed that they found their way to a major road and then eventually a village. It was there that someone had recognized them, or more noted their resemblance to their mother. They had pointed them toward an encampment being used by force of resistance against the EU rule. Explaining the situation to them, this group agreed to see them transported safely home.

Currently, they were disguised, made to look like common citizens of the Federation and were sitting in the backseat of a car headed toward an encampment near the capital, where the resistance had a small aircraft. With some luck, they could get the twins out of enemy territory safely. Katsue was almost surprised how easy it had been so far. They had mostly stuck to back roads, so there weren't many blockades they had to pass. The ones they had been through had hardly been thorough in their search.

"I hear a fight's going to flare up pretty soon," said Lin Yumin, the man who was driving the car, an honest looking man with a strong voice. "Seems the Euros and the Brits aren't going to be friends much longer, and it's you guys who'll be caught in between."

"I knew this was to come," said Katsue. "When The EU took the Federation, it was obvious they weren't playing Britannia's game anymore."

"So, does that mean Japan's going to get conquered again, Sis?" asked Katsumi in a quiet voice.

"Yes. It's only a matter of time," said Katsue with a sigh.

"Then what?" started a woman called Gao Ying, who occupied the front passenger seat. "Won't be anyone left in the world to root for. It's not like we can honestly hope the two destroy each other."

"Correct," said Katsue. "There can only be one winner in the end. These two powers won't stop until they have it all."

"Does it matter who wins, though? Both make me sick," Gao said bitterly, a scowl on her face.

"I wonder..." Katsue said. She had give lots of thoughts to the world situation lately. It was truly hard to gauge the power of each player. It seemed like her impressions were being manipulated. Nothing was clear to her.

"So, what do we do then, after it's just Britannia and the EU?" asked Katsumi in a low voice.

"Wait," is what Katsue said. "We wait until it's just one enemy. Then it's another long and hard battle from the inside"

"I'd sooner die than sit still and continue to live in occupation," Lin said in a growl. "I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way." Gao nodded accordingly.

"Hmm," said Katsue. "Things really do look pretty bleak for us."

"Tell me about it," Gao commented. "Our side really needs a miracle."

"Well, that's kind of a miracle," said Katsumi suddenly, excited.

"Huh?" Katsumi started, not following her sister's words.

"Look at that!" the girl shouted, pointing out the window on her side. Katsue scooted over and looked out of it.

"That's--!" she shouted, staring in shock.

"Well, I'll be damned..." Lin spoke seeing the same.

There, parked at a certain facility of the town they were passing through, was a military transport. On one truck's cargo bed, among the transport was something very familiar. It was unmistakeable. This thing, this knightmare frame, though it was partly covered and obscured in a crude fashion, could only be one. It was _Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. Eight Elements_. It was their mother's knightmare.

"What is _Guren _doing here?" asked Gao, as surprised as anyone.

"The better question is what we do now?" asked Katsue. "If they're moving _Guren, _it's sure to be well protected. It's not like getting it would be easy. In fact, I'd say it's impossible."

"Heh. That's not the attitude to have, girl," said Lin with a smirk. "Not when you're fighting to protect what's decent in this world."

"So, what are you suggesting then?" asked Katsumi, concerned.

"Isn't it obvious? We take the fucking thing!" Gao said curtly. "Something like _Guren _could really make a difference."

"But that's crazy!" Katsue insisted. "Besides, your superior ordered you to take us to safety. You'd be disobeying orders!"

"Way I see it, getting you _Guren _would make you pretty safe," the man said with a cocked grin.

"I say we go for it, sis! If we're afraid, we'll never be able to fulfill our promise," Katsumi assured, looking her sister in the eye.

"if you're so sure...Katsumi..." the girl spoke, clearly unsure of it all.

"Then it's decided! Gao, if you will," Lin started, turning the car around, and kicking it into gear.

"Of course," the woman said with a laugh, opening the glove compartment. She pulled out two high caliber handguns and handed them back to the girls. "You know how to work those things, right?"

"Y-yeah..." Katsue gulped. She watched as the woman pulled out a gun of her own.

Lin rammed the car through a number of barricades before stepping hard on the breaks to stop the car a distance from the transport. Katsue was shocked. Weren't they going to plan this more? This was crazy.

"Move! Don't stop or you're dead!" Gao informed as she kicked open her door. She shot her gun at an approaching soldier just as he was drawing his.

"Right!" Katsumi started as she thrust open her door and pulled her sister out behind her.

"Hurry up! We'll provide cover!" Lin shouted as he exited the car and pulled his own gun.

Soon the air was filled with the sounds of bullets. There really were a number of soldiers. Not too many to handle, but more than Katsue certainly cared for. Lin and Gao seemed exceptionally skilled at shooting them down while finding cover.

"Sis! Let's use it!" Katsumi decided, facing the girl. Katsue was confused for a moment, but then realized her sister meant Geass. That certainly was the smart solution. It would make this whole thing a lot less crazy for them both. She nodded and looked her sister squarely in the eyes.

Then they were one. Katsue was Katsue no longer. Katsumi and Katsue were both just extensions of her, a singular being. She looked around quickly. Enemies were all around. She shot them. It was easy enough. With two bodies, she had two different vantage points. She could eliminate enemy soldiers before they noticed her.

So, many soldiers died as she grew closer and closer to _Guren. _ She moved the body called Katsue and the body called Katsumi in perfect unison, and the gap grew smaller and smaller until there was no gap at all.

It was then that a soldier inside the _Guren _turned on the power. It was still bound onto the transport, but there was only a matter of time before it broke its bonds. All of her eyes simultaneously widened. Action was needed before the machine could lift off or all was lost.

With a powerful acrobatic leap, both bodies leapt onto the transport. She worked her way back to the hatch. the body called Katsue moved to the manual exterior control switch. The body known as Katsumi stayed at the hatch door, waiting for the soldier inside to inevitably notice her efforts. When he did show up hoping to get in a surprise shot, she shot him through the head.

Opening the hatch was easy then. She climbed inside and pushed the corpse out before continuing the powering sequence. _Guren _took off without a hitch. It broke the bonds effortlessly and picked up off the transport. She pushed it forward, into the crowd of soldiers, and they dispersed, fleeing for their lives.

It was only then, as the crowd cleared that she noticed what was at the center of it. It was enough to break the Geass.

"How..." Katsue said, shaking her head. "Why...?" The man, Lin, was lying there motionless on the ground, his body torn and bloodied with multiple gun wounds. He was clearly dead. The woman Gao, was close by, still holding her gun while struggling to hold her eyes open. gun wounds were visible on her body as well.

"I think they wanted it this way," said Katsumi in a heavy voice. "They knew what it means for _Guren _to be in our hands versus the enemy's. They knew we wouldn't get another chance at this. They felt it was worth their lives."

"That isn't right..." Katsue started, shaking.

It was then that Gao, in a very strained fashion, raised her arm toward them. She raised her thumb and gave a soft smirk before mouthing the words "Good job." Then her arm fell limp. No motion could be detected at all after that.

"This is why we have to set everything right, sis," said Katsumi. "This is why we have to keep our promise with that man."

Katsue closed her eyes. Her sister was right. Her sister was brave, unlike her. She was lucky Geass allowed her to tap into that bravery. "You're right, Katsumi. Now, let's go save her."

"Mom?" started, Katsumi

"Who else?" Katsue laughed.

"Right, sis!" Katsumi giggled as her sister moved into place, throwing _Guren's _controlsforward, allowing it to take off into the air.

"Heh. Flying _Guren _sure is different," said Katsue said after awhile. "I'm lucky I've read mom's flight manuals, but even so, it sure feels different than _Hiodoshi."_

"It's like we have mom's strength with us," sake Katsumi with a nod as she slipped into place behind her sister, giving her a light but assuring embrace. "That's why we can't fail."

"You may have something there," said Katsue in a warm voice.

---

"So, little Princess, you ready for this?" asked the brash but now familiar voice of Ulric Cross over the comm system

Eilith gave a loud sigh. "I totally got this. You don't need to worry about a thing."

"Heh, well, it's about time to fucking prove it," the man said with a excited laugh. "See if all my rigorous training paid off!"

"You're a little too full of yourself, you know that, Cross?" Eilith said in a harsh voice.

"But seriously Princess, watch yourself out there," Cross started, his voice sounding legitimately concerned.

"What the hell? I can't have someone like you worrying about me, Cross," said Eilith, glad that her smile couldn't be seen. "It seems unnatural somehow."

"Yeah..." the man started. "Well, it's just how it is, you know. If you get yourself killed it's my ass that gets chewed out for not training you right."

"Of course," Eilith laughed. "I'll make sure to not get killed then!"

"It's a pretty sweet unit you got there," said Cross. "Whatever the fuck they called..."

"_Cúchulainn_. Name comes from the same sources as Astrid's _Mórrígan_," said Eilith, smiling.

"Tch. Whatever the fuck you say, Princess," the other replied in a flippant way.

"Come to think of it, the less you know about the origin of knightmare names, the better," Eilith laughed, shaking her head. "But regardless, this is hardly the time to talk. I see enemies on the horizon here."

"Heh! I've been tearing shit up this whole time!" Cross declared. Eilith broke out into laughter.

"That's too great..." she said. "I'll leave you be then."

With that, she shut off her comm and pressed forward. Flying a knightmare, especially a state of the art custom knightmare like _Cúchulainn_, was really something. The unit itself really was pretty cool. It had a really sleek look to it. It was small, blue and silver in color with a deep blue energy mist propelling it. It's main weapons were a large javelin in its left hand and a jagged short sword in its right.

Eilith didn't have to wait very long to find her first opponent. A custom unit was at the center of the Japanese force in front of her. She let her weapons cut through the lesser knightmares, which they did easily enough, as she made her way toward it. It engaged her readily, it's long Chinese sword drawn to meet her javelin.

"You're unit is not on record and it glimmers with the shine of one that has yet to see battle," said the pilot, her voice revealing her to be a young female. "Does that perchance mean you're new to this level of combat, Britannian?"

"Not just this level," said EIlith with a pleasant laugh. "What would you do if I told you this is the first time I've even been on a battlefield?"

"What joke is that?!" the enemy started, pushing EIlith's javelin off. "Britannia is not so foolish to leave a new custom unit in the hands of a total rookie."

"They are when she's a princess," said Eilith with a quick laugh. Curious to hear how the other would respond.

"Princess?" the woman started. "You don't mean the lost princess of Britannia? The one just recently found?"

"Even our enemies know the story, I suppose," said Eilith. "Guess I'm pretty famous."

"I've felt before that perhaps you are the one closest to myself..." said the woman under her breath. "Now I see you are just a fool."

"Hmm, we got something in common?" asked Eilith, her curiosity piqued.

"None of it matters," said the woman. "My name is Hu Xuemei, daughter of the Chinese Federation! Eilith vol Britannia, I and my _Tianlong _shall play the part of your executioner!"

"Heh, we'll see about that," Eilith called back, before darting her knightmare to the side and then forward, her javelin pointed rigidly forward at the enemy.

_Tianlong _fell back and engaged its two cannons, grafted onto the shoulders. They were surprisingly powerful for a small, sleek unit. Eilith swept under them and into an upward slash with her short sword. Hu met the strike with her own short sword, which she pulled from a side compartment. Her long sword was used to catch the javelin.

The cannons blazed again. Eilith fell back to avoid their heavy blasts. She smirked as she thought about how best to approach the unit. It's cannons were quicker than her projectiles and it had just as many weapons close range. Not a particularly good match for her.

Giving a short laugh, she moved down and back. Her javelin went up. She nodded and waited. _Tianlong_'s cannons blazed. She waited and pulled even further back. When the cannons stopped, she let her javelin fly, a high powered harken booster, holding it to the _Cúchulainn. _

Hu raised her short sword, hoping to deflect it. Eilith smirked and flipped the switch engaging the weapon, Gae Bolg's, power. It began to glow with a dark blue energy. The sword could not hope to hold given this power. It flew from _Tianlong'_s hand. The javelin continued forward and pierced the left shoulder cannon.

But Hu didn't waste any time .She made a lightning grab upward. _Tianlong'_s hand secured the harken cable and held it rigid. She then made a quick thrust with her long sword. It was quicker than Eilith's untrained reflexes could pick up on and she saw a stab to her own shoulder. Thus both unit's had each other caught.

"This weapon is dangerous," said Hu coldly. "But you lack the experience needed to use it effectively."

"Heh, you aren't bad yourself," said Eilith with another laugh. She was surprised with how much she enjoyed this. Battle was in her blood, perhaps.

"You're through!" Hu shouted as her remaining cannon powered on.

"We'll see about that!" Eilith started as she powered up her secret weapon.

_Tianlong'_s beam would fire first. There was no avoiding it. It would hurt too. EIlith kept this in mind as she waited, jerking just out of the way as it fired. Still it took most of her left arm and side.

But then _Cúchulainn_'s chest glowed with a white light. A large wave of red fired out from it. The heat of the intense blast made it clear that _Tianlong _could not function properly anymore. It was flailing about under the heat, as it's machinery sparked. The already damaged left arm fell to the ground.

But to Eilith's surprise, Hu did not just eject there. She charged forward. Eilith fell back, trying to avoid the mad charge, but she did not get fully away. Her energy mist system took a swift slash. Her until began to plummet. She cursed.

Her and the woman, Hu Xuemei, seemed to pull their eject switches at exactly the same time. A tie. She sighed. That was sure to be as good as a loss to him.

---

Rowena Winfield wore a downcast expression as she sat inside her new knightmare frame, the _Odysseus. _Here she was. Fighting had already broken out between Japan and Britannia. The EU had only just made their move. She would be one of the first to engage. it was fairly obvious too, from the comparative size of the enemy forces, that her opponent would be Britannia. She was about to do battle with a former comrade.

She frowned as this was only confirmed to her. She had been strictly ordered to engage the first enemy custom unit she spotted. It so happened that that was _Lamorak._ Among the knights, Nonette Enneagram had always been someone she could respect. She was a veteran and a strong woman. She could be a little difficult to talk to at times, but she was closer to a friend than most of them had been.

The _Odysseus _flew swiftly. It was a lot different from _Kay. _Larger and heavier, it had a jagged appearance to it , with sharp shoulders and a angular helmet shaped head. It was mostly red in color, with some black and brown effects. The primary weapons were two very large broadsword in the right hand and an even larger, bulky cannon in the left

Rowena eyes _Lamorak _keenly as she flew in. Nonette spotted her and met her. She readied her sword to hold off the woman's axe.

"That unit doesn't look like a Japanese model," said Nonette in a steady tone. "I suppose you are of the EU."

"Perhaps you could say that. I have been hired by a private force that is being employed by the EU at the moment," said Rowena in a stern voice, bracing for the reply.

"That voice..." Nonette spoke in a dry tone. "So you really did betray us, Winfield?"

"Call it what you will," said Rowena in a unenthusiastic voice. "You are my enemy now, regardless."

"Suit yourself, Winfield," said Nonette. "Just know that I do not plan on losing to you."

"I won't lose either," said Winfield. She couldn't. She was committed. She had already sold herself. In her quest to reach the top, she had given up herself. There was no going back now. She could only move forward. She knew how powerful Deifilia Amarantha was. She couldn't convince herself to like it, but she knew she was on the winning side now. Her strength would see her to the top, just as it always had. The sorrow in her heart was just something she needed to ignore.

"Heh. Then let's fight!" Nonette demanded.

_Lamorak _threw _Odysseus' _sword back and began some rapid swings of its axe. It was the faster unit, Rowena quickly found. It also wasn't lacking for strength. Slash after slash came and she struggle to deflect and avoid them all. She kept pushing off, trying to find good distance. Eventually, there was enough of a gap to engage her cannon.

The massive blast fired forward. Nonette darted off quickly, to avoid it. She then fired some slash harkens. They wrapped around Rowena's massive blade, holding it tight while _Lamorak_ went in for another slash. Nonette's aim was true. Rowena couldn't move in time and the axe cut deep, damaging much of her armor.

But this was to be Nonette Enneagram's only victory. A somewhat dated custom unit like _Lamorak _had nothing on the state of the art _Odysseus. _This fight had been won before it even started.

Rowena pulled her sword free and swung it at the _Lamorak. _Nonette pulled back predictably to protect herself, and pulled back even further when Rowena fired her cannon again. It was then that Rowena initiated the transformation sequence. In just a few moments, the _Odysseus _realigned itself into a completely different shape. The cannon arm split and readjusted to the center. The sword arm spilt cleanly in two, down to the blade, so that two out-jutting spikes were formed at the sides. In all, the knightmare widened in parts and condensed in others until it resembled a miniature Knight Giga Fortress.

"What the--?!" Nonette started as the two spikes that were formerly the sword fired off and pierced Lamorak cleanly in either shoulder, holding it suspended in the air tautly. Two other small spikes shot off from the bottom of the _Odysseus_ to piece the _Lamorak _elsewhere, making escape even more of an impossibility.

"Don't take this personal," said Rowena, trembling. "I'd rather I didn't have to kill you..."

"Do it!" Nonette shouted. "You are a knight are you not? An enemy does not deserve compassion."

"I'll allow you a taste of happiness, as payment, before I take your life," said Rowena quietly. She closed her eyes and fired a small central spike. Soon a link was established between her and Nonette Enneagram. She opened her eyes and let her Geass activate.

Dreams. Or more expectations. This is what she could bring to people. She didn't understand why. What in her made such things hers to give? She wondered what Nonette Enneagram was seeing in her final moments. A long term dream of happiness. A simple victory here that wouldn't come? It could be either. She wasn't sure what sort of woman this was. She wasn't sure what this woman would be hoping to see in the moment of her death.

But it was likely happy. That made it slightly easier to bear. This knight. This woman she knew. This person she respected. If she had to take her life, that she could do it while the woman smiled made it somewhat easier. It was for that reason that she was grateful for her Geass. She thought this as she powered on her central cannon, twice as strong in this form. It made this easier. Or so it did until Nonette Enneagram spoke.

"I'm happy to see, my beautiful daughter, that you have found happiness..." the woman said in a wispy, dream-like voice.

Rowena jumped. Her blood ran cold and tears freed from her eyes. She couldn't see Nonette Enneagram in the monitor anymore, only her own mother.

She jerked the controls up, desperately. The beam still fired. The blast shook through the ensnared _Lamorak, _ripping through its armor.

But the sudden change of angle made what was meant to be an instantly fatal shot hit off target. Still, _Lamorak _was done and falling to the ground, it's cockpit malformed and most of its armor gone, the damage sever to the point where survival was a minimal chance. Rowena was left in the sky, shaking and crying, wondering where her strength had gone.

---

Wu Chaowei had a grin on his face as he stood facing a familiar unit in his _Baofeng. _He was nothing but confident. He had beaten this opponent with _Dongfeng. _Beating them again with a better unit was sure to be nothing but easy. For once, he had seriously lucked out.

"Heh, so, Knight of Britannia, it is the second time you have been unlucky enough to encounter me, the Ace of the Federation, Wu Chaowei," he said with a laugh. "Are you prepared to see a second loss to me?"

"Is that so, 'Ace'?" the woman in the enemy knightmare said. "Hate to say it, but I don't plan on losing today."

"Then just try and get by me, Knight of Six. Your _Kay _is no match for my new and improved _Baofeng_!" Chaowei declared boldly as he stared the opponent down. Rowena Winfield had not been an easy opponent last time, yet he had managed. Had the EU not interfered, he would have been able to celebrate that day. But here he was facing Winfield and her _Kay _again, the EU nowhere around. He liked his chances.

He fell back at once, the eight arms of _Baofeng, _beginning their incredible barrage as his dexterous hands found each of the eight triggers in rapid succession, leaving hardly a gap. _Kay _was bogged down. Rowena Winfield seemed off. She let out some harsh curses as she stumbled about in the cloud of fire. Eventually, she raised her gun arm. It fired.

Now Chaowei was unprepared. Even at its top setting previously, this blast had only been so strong. The blast that fired at him now was a full powered Hadron converger beam. His hawk-like eyes went wide as he caught it and rolled to avoid it, but the thin beam was swift moving. He didn't fully evade and received severe damage to the lower half of the knightmare.

"You have new tricks, I see, Knight of Six!" Chaowei started. "But no matter, I will still defeat you."

The self-proclaimed ace flew in from the side at a close angle and started his incessant fire once more. Again, WInfield seemed oddly bemused as to how to get out and took more damage than she needed to. Eventually she decided to fly in close, with her sword. The angle of the swing was odd for the length and angle of the sword arm. Chaowei didn't know how to avoid at first.

Eventually he decided not to avoid at all. Instead, he fired his eight slash harkens into the unit, one after the other. Winfield didn't avoid any of them. He smirked. He was beginning to catch on. He let _Baofeng _hold the unit tight in the air and pummeled it with more fierce blasts, depleting its armor.

"I don't know what's going on," said Chaowei with a laugh. "But whoever you are, you suck as a pilot." He laughed again. "Defeating such a failure hardly seem worth celebrating even."

A few seconds later, he let go of the enemy and the cockpit emerged from out of it. He shrugged. At least the unit was well made to keep the pilot safe through his barrage. As the cockpit did leave, the shape of the knightmare suddenly shifted into one he had never seen before, a light model with a short deformed sword and a blue and black color scheme. _Baofeng _turned around then, confident that all threats in the area had been dealt with.

And that was when an explosion reached Chaowei's ears and _Baofeng _began to suddenly descend. He realized shortly that his wing pack had been destroyed.

"I really hate doing this to you again, kid," said a familiar, cursed voice. "Don't blame me too much. I'd rather not have to do this."

"Damn you!" Chaowei cursed the very thought of the invisible mercenary as he pulled his ejection switch. Again, total victory had been snatched from right under his fingers.

---

_Agravain _soared freely through the skies in its fortress mode. Niles' expression was as stalwart and morose as ever. Soon he wouldn't be. Soon he would be embroiled in the battle he so craved. Then his madness would set in, his blood lust. He would lose himself in those memories that haunted him and become that familiar monster. It was inevitable. There was no stopping it.

Cynthia. He dwelled on the girl. The girl who had forsaken him. The girl who had pointed a gun at him twice now. His daughter. The girl he had ironically helped save. The girl he had once wished had taken his life. He wondered of that girl now. Her health. He life. Her happiness. He wondered it all as he reverted his _Agravain _to its original form. He thought of Cynthia as he stared down the unknown custom unit in front of him.

It was a mid sized unit. Mostly black, with hints of white, red and gold, it had a unique look to it. The plate armor was layered downward in an overlapping fashion, to give the impression of a smooth, long coat. It had heavy shoulder armor and a gold crown. The weapons were a cross shaped, thin sword and a shield with a cross. All in all, the knightmare was striking.

"It is called _Agravain_?" the dark voice of a man spoke from the cockpit. "You are called, Niles Moore?"

"Aye," Niles spoke in a somber voice. "You are not mistaken, sir."

"I am a servant of Heaven. My name is Lazarus Cain," the man introduced. "This machine has been christened _Minos. _With it's power and the gifts bestowed upon me by our Lord above, I shall see you punished for your grievous sins before God!"

"A man of God you say?" Niles started, closing his eyes. "I once was a God-fearing man. Truth be told, if you say now that God has called for my head, I do not blame Him." Niles gave a dark laugh. "Still, I will not give you an easy fight, Mr. Cain."

"So be it. God's work is never easy," the man said in a strong voice.

Niles wasted no more words. His missile launchers deployed, barraging the _Minos _with exhaustive fire. The smaller unit , darted through it with its shield held out It was swift for its size. It moved in quicker than Niles had anticipated. It made a swift thrust. It barely damaged _Agravain's _heavy armor. Niles brushed it off and fired his slash harkens, hoping to catch the unit and make this a quick fight.

It was then that a sharp harken cord fired at point blank from out of the _Minos' _ chest. It pierced under _Agravain's _armor. Soon, Niles monitors were taken over. He cursed. It was just the same as the horse unit. This was a Geass user and he had fallen into his ploy by letting him get close.

The black haired man, dressed as a priest who appeared on his monitor merely opened his eyes and all of reality twisted. _Agravain'_s cockpit had been replaced by a dilapidated chapel. It's cross was lying on the floor at an angle before the altar. The ceiling was partly missing. Everything was cold and broken.

And he was staring at them. He was staring at them. Standing right in front of him was Cynthia, blood splattered and shaken holding tight to a gun, appearing as she did six years in the past, on the day his world changed. Next to her was Sophia, his wife, untouched, looking not like she did six years ago, but rather as she did on the day of their wedding, dressed in her flowing white gown.

"Ah, my love, it does my heart well to see you," Sophia spoke in a soft voice, pure as silk.

"Die!" Cynthia shouted, the bang of the gun in her hand somehow distant, the bullet it produced shaking Niles only slightly as it passed through him. he trembled at it all.

"Why, the troubled expression, dear?" Sophia spoke sweetly. "Aren't you pleased to see me?"

"You don't deserve to live! You don't deserve happiness!" Cynthia continued to call out and shoot her gun, the same psychotic look in her eyes as was so often in his.

"Love, you look so pale," Sophia spoke, approaching and grabbing his hand. It felt so real. "Are you well?"

"You don't deserve redemption!" Cynthia continued to scream. "You killed her! You killed them all!"

"I'm so happy we're to be married," Sophia giggled warmly. "I knew ever since we met that you were the only one for me."

"Murderer! Fiend! Monster!" Cynthia gave a new label with each shot of her gun. Each hurt, in a way, probably more than a real bullet would have.

"And then, we'll be able to start a family," said Sophia brightly, coming even closer. "I wonder what sort of children we'll have together."

"You never deserved happiness! Death is your only salvation!" Cynthia shot twice more. Niles, watched, silent as ever, broken and wrecked inside.

"You'll be a wonderful father, I just know it," Sophia said, giving a soft giggle and encroaching even further, so that she was right before him.

"I hate you! Die, monster!" Cynthia shouted with two more bangs of her gun, her voice and eyes filled with a beast-like hatred.

"What's wrong, dear? You haven't said a thing," asked Sophia, expressing concern as she leant forward, embracing him, making the distance between them non-existant. Her warmth felt hauntingly real.

"Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!" Cynthia fired again and again. But this time the shots hit Sophia, who was in his arms. They didn't pass through her either. The first one made her go limp and cold as it splattered blood onto the pure white dress. Each subsequent shot produced more and more blood, until the dress was near entirely red.

Sophia's bloodied corpse fell limply out of his arms. He looked down at her and her skin began to burn off, leaving a skeleton. Then even that caught flame, the fire shooting high up into a pillar before him. He looked up and noticed something else that had changed. Cynthia's image had been multiplied. Hundreds of them were shooting at him so as his back was at the pillar of flame. He fell to his knees, feeling nothing but defeated.

"Why do you show me this?!" he shouted up into the air. As painful, as brutal as this imagery was, it was still an illusion. This was the weapon of his enemy.

"You disgust me, Niles Moore!" the man's voice said down to him, but the illusion did not disperse. "The grievous sins you have committed before God are inconceivable! Unforgivable! It is a special Hell that calls your name!"

"You think your faith makes you worthy to judge me?" Niles started, shaken. The Cynthia images still shot at him as they grew closer. He could feel the flame hot at his back.

"God's has selected me specifically for this purpose, fiend! I shall judge those who sin before His greatness!' Cain howled madly. "That is why, I must deliver you to Hell!"

"That a man of your nature would be the one to ensnare me..." Niles said in a low voice. "You're deranged! You don't understand a thing!"

"Oh, but I understand it all! God led me to you. He saw that I would confront your daughter! He saw that it would then be you I next met!" Cain started in an unhinged way. Niles' eyes widened.

"What did you just say?" he started, suddenly finding the power to stand.

"It is God who has decided I shall punish your sins!" Cain called back rabidly.

"You confronted Cynthia..." Niles said, closing his eyes. "Even if the puppet-master is God indeed, you are but a puppet. You're illusions are brusque and shoddy. They cannot wound me."

"Ah, but _Minos _can," Cain laughed. "And inside my world, you cannot see what is before you."

"Curse your God, Lazarus Cain," Niles said as he reached down and felt for his short sword, worn at his side. "I am a sinner. If it is Hell that calls me, then so be it," He held the short sword up before him. "But it will not be someone like you who sends me there!"

With that, Niles stabbed the sword deep into his left shoulder. The pain was severe. It was blinding. But it was real. And it had nothing to do with Lazarus Cain. Niles concentrated hard on it for a while. Jarringly, in an instant, his senses were restored.

He could tell instinctively that _Agravain _was heavily damaged. It's shields were gone and its armor was torn to shreds, but it was still airborne. the instruments still had power. _Minos _didn't appear to have the fire power to have downed a unit as large and heavily armored as _Agravain_, even in all that time.

Niles moved quickly. He couldn't se anything. His displays were gone. He could trust that _Minos _was in front of him though. He fired both hadron cannons at once and then quickly released al the missiles. He was firing blind, but the sounds of contact could be heard soon after. Satisfied, he initiated his escape sequence.

As the cockpit ejected, he was pleased to see that _Minos, _heavily damaged_, _was in retreat.

---

Ulric Cross was smiling. As _Dagonet Foresight _ripped through knightmare after knightmare, he was nothing but content. The lesser knightmares, whether they were Japanese or, as they increasingly were becoming, EU models, weren't good for much more than a simple work out, but it still felt good. It was energizing, enlivening, and generally just fucking awesome. But he'd grow bored soon. Ulric needed a serious fight. One with a real opponent.

Eliminating a few more units with no effort, his thoughts drifted to the Princess. That was a lively kid. Lots of talent too. He had taken her pretty far, but part of him wondered if she was ready for this. He was perhaps out of touch with the limits of an ordinary human body though, so he supposed he couldn't fairly judge. Regardless, he wished the girl some luck and hoped she was enjoying herself just as much as he was.

He was honestly a little distracted when he flew into a pack of knightmares, painted a deep red. There were about weren't the usual _Panzer-Kugelblitzs_ he had been flying through. They were something a little different. Each one had a spear and cannon and its own energy wings. They lacked the detailing of a custom knightmare, but these were certainly a step up from the usual knightmares.

"_Argonaut _unit, attack!" a strong voice female voice commanded. Ulric scoped out the distance. He spied a custom unit at the back of the pack. It was black in color and had a demonic vibe to it, with a massive claw. Thinking back to his unit files, it was called _Chernobog._

He tried to fly toward it. The red knightmares, apparently called _Argonauts, _surrounded quickly and began to barrage him with thrusts and blasts. He zipped around to avoid everything, but it was a little overwhelming. These units were just a touch slower than most custom units, and there were ten of them. What's more, their teamwork was unnaturally strong. It was like they were somehow connected.

But no matter. Ulric knew how to adapt to a fight. He was pretty sure he could remember beating ten guys, all bigger than him, in a prizefight once. This was really no different. He'd just pick them off one by one. He watched and waited. Then he waited some more. There really was no flaw in their movements. Everything was so fucking precise. it was aggravating.

Eventually, after a time longer than most of his fights lasted period, he found his first opening. There was a safe gap leading up to the back of one of the enemy units. He decided to close it, MVS blade held out, and tear the unit to pieces.

But then there was a heavy impact at his back. It was as if his attack had been expertly predicted to the letter, like it could be somehow sensed in advance, and his opportunity had turned into their's. He straightened himself and turned around. he looked at his opponent.

Now there was a second custom unit. Yellow in color, it was armed with a heavy hammer, which was surely the thing that had left his armor partly busted. It was called the _Golem, _if he recalled correctly.

"Well, fuck," he said nonchalantly. "You guys just don't want me to win today, I take it."

"You cannot win, Ulric Cross," said a strong-voiced man in the _Golem. _

"You guys aren't normal, are you?" Ulric asked, staring at the _Golem _and the distant _Chernobog_. "I take it you're outfitted with one of those fancy geass powers, each of you."

"Perceptive cur," the woman in the black knightmare spoke. " In using my Geass I can form a link with up to ten men. I can awaken something in them that keeps them connected and enlivened to a point, enhancing coordination and ability."

"And I can sense when anyone within a radius feels their life is threatened," said the _Golem's _pilot_. _"With Cesia's power, where these men are even aware of attacks from behind, this means I can accurately predict any attack you make."

"I figured as much," said Ulric in a low voice, shifting his eyes about, trying to think of any way out.

"You're surrounded. Surrender now, or prepare to be crushed!" the woman in _Chernobog _shouted_._

Ulric looked around some more in deep contemplation. What the fuck could he do? Ten instances of a powerful new generic model synched up to a sort of network. One dude in a power based unit that could predict it if he ever made an attack. And then there was the woman herself, probably the weak link as her power did nothing for herself, but she was far in the back.

"So, fool, are you ready to give up?" the _Golem's _pilot started in a full voice.

Ulric continued to search around. He thought as he did. he thought at first about solutions, but he honestly couldn't find any. He then thought about people. He thought about the Empress. He thought more about the Princess. Then he reached his decision.

"Part of being a fighter is picking your fights. Bite off more than you chew and all you get is a mouth full of blood and dirt," Ulric said in a defeated voice. "There ain't no fucking way I can win this. I realize this."

"So, you're to surrender then?" started the woman.

"Nope! I can't beat you, but I'm still a hell of a lot faster!" Ulric called before suddenly splitting straight downward, before anyone could react. _Dagonet Foresight_ then made a pinpoint turn and broke in a completely different direction, leaving the whole force in the dust, surely confused. He noticed they were chasing; he figured this was for the best. Even if engaging them met death, if he could keep these things busy, it'd be a job well done.

"I hate shit like this," he commented dryly as he spun into a weak knightmare and destroyed it while allowing not too much distance to close between him and his pursuers. "But, ah well. Nothing you can do."

On another day he might have let his dumb pride get the better of him. He might have tried to get in close to that black unit. He might have beaten it. He probably would have gotten skewered and shot to death horribly. But today wasn't that day. Today, he felt like he had something more to live for.

---

Llewellyn Mara was nervous. Flying in formation with Knight of One, Gino Weinberg, was an honor, but it also put him and his two comrades in danger. The three units, the _Vincent Grails, _they had been given were spectacular. The _Vincent _had originally been an attempt to mass produce the _Lancelot, _but compared to that unit, they were vastly inferior. These units, an advancement on the absolution _Aether _models_, _exceeded the specs of all _Lancelot_ models up to the final _Albion. _Piloting it was kind of exhausting, but Llewellyn wouldn't let it show.

"What the hell is that?!" Vesta Arnette, the senior officer of the three man _Grail _squad started as she flew just in front of Weinberg, coming to a halt. The Knight of One followed suit. Llewellyn and the final member of squad, a cute girl called Lenna Leander, stopped as well.

Llewellyn stared ahead. The monstrosity on the distance was unreal. It was immense. Llewellyn had heard about Knight Giga Fortresses before. He had even seen _Bedivere Godhand _up close. This thing dwarfed _Godhand_. It was insane. One might confuse it for an airship, if it's shape wasn't so very like that of a Knight Giga Fortress. That it was one person controlling this mass of metal was mind-boggling.

"What do we do, sir?" asked Lenna. "That thing looks more dangerous than anything we can handle."

"Stay strong, soldier," said Weinberg. "A big unit like that won't be mobile. The four of us, together, should overwhelm it."

"Bigger they are, the harder they fall, I suppose," said Vesta with a harsh laugh, sounding eager for the fight.

"Proceed with caution. We do not know it's capabilities," said Weinberg.

"Yes, sir!" Llewellyn started in time with the others.

"Right! Now fire!" Weinberg started, _Tristan Aegis _quickly deploying its sword cannon. Weinberg fired it in turn as the other three fired their high powered VARIS rifles. Even with consistent fire, they were making little impact on the monster's shields.

"It's ironic that we'd meet here, Gino Weinberg" a voice boomed out from the monstrosity. Jarringly, it was a young feminine voice. "When it was you we once served under, you who once mentored my brother and I."

"Regina Granville..." Weinberg spoke in recognition. Llewellyn's eyes went wide. The Knight of Eight had betrayed them and was their opponent.

"You traitor! I will put an end to your pathetic life!" Vesta shouted bitterly, firing her rifle again and again.

"Regina, what is this about?!" Weinberg called. "This isn't... none of this is what Devlin would have wanted! Don't you see that you've taken it too far?!"

"Silence!" Granville shouted. "You know nothing, Gino Weinberg. This world calls for destruction. I will answer its call. I will destroy everything that stands in my way..."

"She's completely mad..." Lenna commented in a low voice.

"What do we do, sir?" asked Llewellyn, unsure how to approach.

"Keep up fire! Do not get close! It's not worth the risk," said Weinberg. "If we hit it enough, slowly the shields will weaken."

"Do you honestly think it will be so easy?" Granville said in a low growl. "This machine, _Typhon, _is well beyond anything the world has ever seen! It's fearsome might will see you to your grave..."

With that, hell descended on the battlefield. Llewellyn could hardly comprehend how many moving parts were operating on the _Typhon. _There had to be at least five cannons, ten lesser guns, and around eight massive, extending spikes. Soon, all of them were in a mad dash for their lives.

"Sir, this isn't going to be possible!" the ever strong Vesta Arnette said in a shaken voice.

"I realize that, Vesta," Weinberg said, having shifted to Fortress mode for mobility.

"What do we do, sir?" Lenna started, horrible fear gripping her voice.

"Retreat! Get hell away from that monster as soon as possible!" Weinberg shouted, frantic.

"Yes, sir!" they all started. Llewellyn threw his _Grail _into full speed. He was eager to get away. He was almost to safety.

And then his machine shook. The damage alarms blared at full blast. The _Grail_ had been punctured by one of the spikes. It was then that he lost control of his monitors. A girl appeared in them. She was pale and mad looking, sanity having completely left her.

"Die in misery," she said, opening her left eye wide.

Something most peculiar happened then. The cockpit of the _Grail _flooded with water. Llewellyn panicked. This was impossible. But there was water all around him and more was pouring in rapidly. he began to breathe quickly. He had always had a horrible fear of drowning. Binding, really. he strained to keep above the water as he screamed and begged God for mercy.

"Llewellyn!" a voice called to him. It was Lenna's voice. He shook his head, wanting to yell for her to stay back.

"No, girl! She'll only get you too!" Weinberg's voice could be heard as the water finally closed over his head. It was happening. Death was imminent.

A tug came at his knightmare. It was harsh and jarring. When it was done, he was free. The water had just vanished as if it wasn't there. The only moisture around him was the heavy sweat he was covered with. His sight was also restored. What he watched shook him down to the core.

The _Grail_ that had his by the arm was suddenly swarmed by five of the giant spikes. They tore into it like butter. The knightmare was ripped effortlessly to shreds. multiple explosions sounded.

"Lenna!" Llewellyn scream, lust for revenge bubbling inside of him.

Then Tristan Aegis appeared in front of him taking a storm of blaster fire aimed at him.

"She died to save you!" Weinberg screamed. "Please respect that sacrifice!"

Llewellyn didn't have to be told again. He turned and ran, Weinberg following after them.

It was clear as day to him, fleeing from the behemoth, that no matter what, Britannia had already lost this battle.

---

Margaret was actually smiling a little as she faced the funny looking horse knightmare down. It was kind of cute. Of course, she also knew that this was the unit that had defeated two Knights of the Round in the last battle. This was the man who had targeted Miya.

"I guess this is for you then, Miya," Margaret said, smiling. "After all, being a mutual friend of her and myself, I'll be seeing you more, I suppose."

"The King of Pie has challenged your claim to the prophecy," said the man as his unit faced _Ywain. _"With the scion's approval and the power of this blessed vessel _Pegasus_, I will fulfill the rights of the purification."

"What the hell could that possibly mean..." Margaret said with a crude laugh, not scared or even phased.

"Prepare to be crushed by the hoof of the Dragon Horse!" the lunatic babbled. Margaret shook her head and fell back, drawing her two rifles and letting them blaze.

The _Pegasus_ flew up and brandished its front hoofs, revealing two powerful blasters. Margaret darted to a side and switched out for her swords. She closed in and made a slash. A horn appeared on its head and a missile launchers on the flanks. Some precision rolls and Margaret didn't have too much to worry about. She slashed upward.

It flew swiftly back. it was fast, for sure. Margaret switched one sword out for a gun and let a line of fire blaze as she flew in for a slash. The horse knightmare dodged readily and deployed another horn blast. She moved to the side of it and moved in. It was then that a slash harken shot from out of the horses mouth, coming to pierce Ywain cleanly.

"Hi there," Margaret said, smiling at the crazy-eyed man who appeared on her monitors.

"The time-snake bends to tempt fate's stallion!" he declared before cackling madly and activating his Geass.

Margaret's sense of time slowed to a crawl. She still smiled. This might have been scary. Might have, but not today. Her Geass had already been activated. She was already prepared. A mirror had been grafted to the lower half of her monitor. She slowly tilted her head to look into it. When she could see into her own eyes, she used the enemy's geass on herself.

Thus time restored to normal. She didn't stop there though. No, she looked right at the man, and made his world slow to nothing.

"Heh! you lose!" she declared tauntingly, before forcing a sword into either flank of the _Pegasus. _

Unfortunately it seemed she destroyed the monitor system in the process, as the enemy was able to get away, his cockpit ejecting, peculiarly enough, from the back side of the horse.

She laughed again. She hoped all of her comrades were having the wonderful ease she was. She giggled and thought about Amelia back home. Sooner the fighting ended, the better.

"You really are nothing but a pest," a voice said from behind her. She flew around to face a strange, knightmare, black and red with a claw like a lion's head. "I wasn't going to step into this fight myself, but silencing you has a certain appeal."

Margaret realized then that she knew the voice.

"How is Richter Novak now an officer of the EU?" Margaret spoke, narrowing her eyes. Only weeks ago, before Glen, before Amelia, facing this man on the battlefield would have shaken her like a child. Here, now, she was able to stand strong.

"I am called 'Alain Renard' here and I only go where my talents are best deserved," Richter said coldly. "Now, prepare. An insect like you is only good to be squashed."

"You don't scare me, Richter Novak," Margaret said coldly. "In fact, I'd be surprised if you have any talent as a pilot whatsoever!"

"Allow me to prove you wrong," Richter said. The cannon inbuilt into his claw arm then fired, producing a massive blast.

---

Katsumi wore a grin on her face as she sat behind her sister, holding tightly to her. She felt a little bad. It was hard not to. They had contacted General Tohdoh shortly after taking back the _Guren _but only to get the location their mother had left for out of her. As it turns out Japan was currently in a losing battle. Going to their mother's aid instead of that of their nation seemed selfish. Katsue was convinced otherwise though. She had said that their being there wouldn't tip the scale in the favor. On the contrary, now, while most of the EU's big hitters were entangled, might be the only time freeing their mother would be possible.

"There it is," said Katsue, "The Vermillion City."

"Beautiful," said Katsumi in a warm voice.

"Yes. Isn't it?" Katsue said, smiling. "And mother should be inside."

"Stop, right there!" a man's voice suddenly sounded.

"Think you're special for stealing that thing under our noses, do ya?" another man's voice started. "Well fuck that, we're just going to take it back!"

Before them were two custom knightmares. One was mammoth, gray and immense with wonderfully long black hair cables, wielding a gigantic blunt sword. the other was very small, not much larger than a man. It was gold, with golden hair cables and held a spear.

"Looks like we got quite the fight on our hand, doesn't it, sis?" asked Katsumi, tilting her head.

"Heh. But we can't fail," Katsue said. "Mom is depending on us, after all."

"Right, well, let's do this!" Katsumi called. She was ready for battle.

---

The sky was filled with explosion clouds and and gunfire, but otherwise clear. The _Cerberus _was in perfect operating from. Every enemy it approached was dispatched. Nothing survived. Signa Norrell's orders were to kill every enemy that crossed her.

the unit assigned to her by Deifilia Amarantha was known as _Cerberus. _A completely new model, it's designs had as much in common with Knight Giga Fortresses as they did Knightmare Frames. it was rounded and stocky, shaped somewhat like the former, but with the addition of four legs for balancing. Size-wise, it was more similar to a knightmare frame. It had heavy armor, painted dark gray, highlighted red. Three maximum power hadron cannons were at the front, under the sight receptor. Two short arms also came out from the sides, either ending in a sharp claw.

Signa downed four _Vincent Wards _at once. It was effortless. The cannons were that powerful. This display brought a custom unit in close. It was the one called _Mórrígan_.The pilot was known as Astrid Weinberg. Seventeen years of age. Formerly the Knight of Nine, she now held the rank of the Empress' personal knight.

She was an enemy. Thus she was to be destroyed. her cannons fired, hoping to destroy the target.

_Mórrígan _rolled out of the blasts path and shot some MVS arrows from its bows. Signa saw them batted out of the air with a well time swipe of her claws. She deployed the missile launchers hidden in the back of _Cerberus. _The air filled with smoke and fire as missiles flew toward the _Mórrígan. _ Astrid Weinberg extended her knightmare's dark saber and ignited them all prematurely with a massive slash through the air.

"Don't you have anything to say to me, enemy?" asked Astrid Weinberg, holding her sword out.

"I have not been ordered to say anything," said Signa, emotionless.

"Perhaps you'd at least tell me your name?" the girl asked then.

"Why? I have no reason to." Signa said. "I am to take your life. Nothing more has requested of me."

"Whatever it is you say," said Astrid Weinberg.

_Mórrígan'_s sword extended toward _Cerberus. _Signa flew downward into a spiral. She then angled up and fired her cannons. The girl dashed to the side and launched off slash harkens from her shield. Signa beat them back with her claw and deployed missiles. Again Astrid Weinberg cut through them. Signa then fired her claws, which were attached to harken cables, off for a quick attack. Astrid slashed at them with her sword, damaging them, while firing off MVS arrows downward. They hit. One exploded inside _Cerberus' _armor.

Damage was incurred. Signa blinked. Her chance of winning was still high. She just needed to activate her hidden weapon now to ensure it. She started up the sequence. The cannons moved forward, dislodging from out the front the claws flew a bit forward and locked together. A massive beam built under the claws. Then they split apart and an incredible wave of energy flew forth.

Astrid Weinberg then revealed the core of her _Mórrígan. _It glowed with a black energy as the sword, which drained to nothing. Signa realized then they did not have full specs on this unit. The girl was anticipating this attack and was prepared to counter it with her own massive blast. Signa had no predictions for the probable result.

Black energy met red energy in the sky. The explosion was violent. Destructive. Immense. it wiped out everything in its path, knightmares, buildings, whatever there was to destroy over a huge blast radius. When it cleared, Signa assessed her damages. They were horribly severe. her armor was shredded.

As was Astrid Weinberg's. Instinctively, she pulled the trigger for the cannons. They didn't deploy. She tried the missiles. Again, nothing. All weapons systems were dead. She had failed. _Mórrígan, _sped off in the opposite direction, probably as incapable of attack as _Cerberus._

_---_

_"_Die!" Hiromi shouted as her spear clashed again and a again with Hildegarde Waldstein's sword. This was her last stand. This was her final moment. If she could just bring this woman down, she could die at least partly appeased.

"I will not fall to you!" Hildegarde cried. Her heart was pounding. This girl fought with intensity behind her blade. There was nothing easy in it. Still, her heart trembled as her thoughts stayed with Yasuko.

Then, as both woman fought, something happened. A blast fired, shaking them violently. Both pushed back and turned to the side. Two units were flying toward them.

"I'll take the _Galahad, _Marcella," Chiharu Ohgi said as stoically as she could, from behind the seat of her new knightmare _Alexander, _trying not to look at _Jinketsu_, trying not to imagine who could be piloting it in her place.

"I'm sorry, Miss Chiharu, but I can't," Marcella Belita spoke, oblivious to most things, but trembling with anticipation nevertheless. "I am under strict orders from Commander Renard to engage _Galahad Renascence _myself should I cross paths with it."

Chiharu had hardly the time to question this. With that, Marcella flew forward at the _Galahad Renascence. _drawing her two blades. Hildegarde hefted her swords to meet them.

"Move out of the way, Waldstein! That unit is my enemy!" hiromi shouted, recognizing _Medusa _from the descriptions. "That's the monster who killed my father!"

Chiharu's blood ran cold. Was that true? Had general Tohdoh fallen at his own child's hand? It was an understatement to say fate was cruel. Fate was a sick joke. Cruel and twisted beyond belief, laughing at the expense of them all.

"if it has been ordered, for Marcella to fight this knight, I cannot let you interfere, Hiromi," said Chiharu in a low, broken voice. "Fate has shown me here to meet you today. I am your opponent."

"I know that voice..." Hiromi started in a low almost whispered voice. It then erupted into a bottomless roar. "You traitor! How can you fly beside this woman now?! Do you not know what she has done!"

"I don't ask you to understand, Hiromi," said Chiharu in a low voice. "I don't ask that you don't hate me. You deserve to. I've made mistakes. I've sold myself." Chiharu closed her eyes, then opened them, activating her Geass. "I am not going to hold back! All I ask is that you do the same!"

"You don't have to ask that Chiharu. You don't have to ask that at all.." Hiromi gave a chuckle.

And with that, a fierce thrust was made. _Jinketsu's _spear came thrusting forward at its former master.

---

A/N:Long chapter after weeks of inactivity. Feels good to have it done. It was a long battle chapter, and i didn't' even finish all the fights. Left a few cliffhangers. Anyway, yeah, Deifilia pretty much won this fight, regardless of what happens from here, but you all expected that, right? First was that twins get the Guren thing; I believe one of my readers saw that coming last chapter; sorry for being predictable, that bit seemed a little rushed to me, but I think it's oaky. After that,, Eilith made her combat debut (and if anyone thinks I named her knightmare what I did just to throw yet another Fate/Stay Night reference in, they are absolutely right...). She tied with Xuemei in the one fight that had no EU intervention. Will lead to some interesting stuff with her. Rowena fought Nonette. Not particularly interesting ,just trying to build a little more sympathy for the former, I suppose. Chaowei got another win followed by a cruel surprise take down. I can just not give the guy a real win, I suppose. Poor dude. At least he kicked Naida's ass. Niles vs Lazarus was an interesting fight. A good break up for the chapter, as it was psychological rather than physical warfare. Ulric was then thoroughly overwhelmed and had to retreat. Ah, then we have the Grail squad, a small group of late game introduced characters, thrown in on a complete whim and Regina's overpowered aerial monster. Margaret then kicked Philip's ass horribly, proving that, as invulnerable as he looked on the first go, against the wrong opponent, he's nothing but a joke. Astrid fought Signa to a destructive tie in a short fight. And then I set up four more fights. Margaret vs. Richter, Twins vs. former Absolution cyborg dudes, Hildegarde vs Marcella and Chiharu vs. Hiromi. should be fun. And it should not take the whole chapter.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully nothing prevents me from writing another one for two weeks from now. I'll even try and release some extras again if I can get back on it.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Destroyer Olympus

Lenna Leander

Vesta Arnette

Llewellyn Mara

Lin Yumin

Gao Ying

Cúchulainn

Odysseus

Minos

Sophia Moore

Argonaut

Vincent Grail

Typhon

Cerberus

Alexander


	39. Turn 38: The Limits of a Human Heart

A/N: Right, so if I'm doing the two week thing, this is actually on time (actually ahead of schedule). Yay. I even did extras.

Disclaimers: Marcella: "The author of this story doesn't own Code Geass. He does own the original characters of this story though... including the ones I can't remember...."

"Heh, They're pretty good," Katsue said in a low voice as she flew _Guren _to the side of the massive gray knightmare's gigantic weapon, which was probably as big as the other enemy knightmare, if not as big as _Guren _itself.

"Yeah..." Katsumi said. She deployed the _Guren_'s missiles, hoping to catch the small knightmare as it spun toward them with its golden trident.

"You're no match for us both. Why are you still even trying?" said the man in the small unit.

"It's _Heracles _and _Achilles _you're fighting. Beating two of the greatest heroes of antiquity at once is no easy task," the man in the behemoth started.

"Heh. I wonder which is which," Katsue laughed. She then sighed. Katsumi could sense the fear in that sigh.

These units together would beat _Guren. _There was no doubt about that. The fight had gone on a while and they had made little headway. _Heracles' _armor was reinforced in layers. With it's size, the twins had gotten to it a couple times, but putting a hole in one layer of armor just revealed another. What would kill most units hardly stalled the giant, and its massive blunt sword kept moving effortlessly toward them.

_Achilles _was just as fearsome. It's trident was powerful, but it also had a mighty cannon that shot charged blasts resembling lightning. It was slow to fire, but the unit was swift and able to use it efficiently.

"Sis, we need to use our Geass," said Katsumi in a low voice.

"I know," said Katsue. "It's the only way to get through this."

"Right," Katsumi called. "Let's try and turn this one around!"

Katsue turned around and stared her sister in the eyes. Either girl used her Geass on the other. Then they were one.

_Guren _moved quickly to evade the trident strike at the last second and made a dead on claw grab for _Achilles. _It would have caught the unit, were it not for a massive full forced downward slash from _Heracles. _She fell back, and then decided to try something risky. She flew up a bit and grabbed the top of the blunt gigantic sword. She let her radiant wave surger do its job, and soon the sword was ripped to pieces.

"Smart, you are, girls," the deep voiced man in _Heracles _started. "But is it enough?"

"The answer is fucking no!" _Achilles' _pilot shouted as his lightning cannon shot forward suddenly from behind. She flew back and tried to take the brunt of the damage with the left side of _Guren, _so as the claw was not damaged. She was able to minimize damage, but _Guren'_s controls momentarily froze up.

"Die!" the man in the small unit started closing in with his trident. The controls started back up just in time. She engaged the fork knife and zipped forward with it drawn. She watched the enemy's path closely and held the weapon out readily. This would be true. This man was overconfident. He would not hit her.

He didn't. The fork knife found its mark however, cutting deep into the side. Even if the man was small, this likely cut into his body given the size of the machine. It would be enough to kill any normal man.

"Fuck!" the man shouted. "The pain... You fucking bitch, I'll kill you!" the man screamed horribly.

Then _Heracles' _massive left arm came crashing down upon, him, sending him flying toward the ground.

"He'll survive all that," the man said. "If he continued, he would have just died."

"Why save him?" she said. This was the first time she had spoken when whole. It was the first time she had been honestly curious about something and seen the need. Her voice had an eerie echo to it as it came from two distinct sources.

"He's an insufferable man, but he is a comrade," the man said. "The honorable thing to do is protect your comrades, even if they know nothing of honor themselves."

She stared at _Heracles. _This was a strange man. A decent man. it was a mystery to her why someone like this flew with the EU.

"This fight is not over," said the man. _Heracles' _right hand then revealed a hidden, large, glorious MVS bow.

The bow fired. It didn't fire just once, but a full nine times in rapid succession, tracing out _Guren'_s path as it tried to escape. Evasion was hard. Getting close was harder. The time to reload between the nine shot volleys was not as long as one would hope. She couldn't' catch a break. She just had to bear it. She flew forward, firing a blast from her claw into the barrage of swords.

It ate up most of them, but two still shot through. One was evaded, but the other pierced into the shoulder. But she couldn't be deterred. She kept moving forward. She fired another blast into _Heracles' _armor. A hole was made into the exterior layer of the armor, but there was just another layer under it. She swiped at this layer, breaking into it, but there was just more armor.

Again and again she kept at it, but even after seven swipes of her powerful weapon, she was still staring at more armor, and now _Heracles _was pounding with it's large fist, trying to get if off. She pulled the fork knife, hoping that would make better progress, but still she was not getting very far.

She grabbed at the layer of armor she was at and sent some radiant wave energy into it, tearing it up horribly, but the blast hardly effected the other layers. She kept at it, blasting through again and again. Then she found something off. Finally she got to the heart. It was hollow, a hatch that went through all twelve layers was open. Her opponent had already ejected.

She flew out and let _Heracles _fall, before sweeping down toward the palace. Her Geass stopped as she slowly landed. Katsumi smiled.

"We did it, sis," she said.

"Yeah," said Katsue. "But we have no time to celebrate. Let's find mom."

"Right!" Katsumi replied. They left _Guren, _the guns they had got from the Federation resistance members still in hand.

From there they broke into a run, charging through the corridors. They were mostly empty. Katsumi shot the few EU soldiers who did approach them. She was a good shot, and could down them all with just one shot. Katsue didn't shoot anyone, but Katsumi didn't blame her. Her sister was strong in other ways.

"Damn it! We have no idea where she is!" Katsue shouted as they came to a forking corridor. The palace was huge and expansive.

"Are you looking for this, perchance?" a high raspy voice started from behind them. They turned around.

There was Mother. She was bound and gagged and on her knees. A creepy one-eyed old-man with a mad smile was holding a gun to her head. Soldiers were on either side of him, all with guns pointed at them.

"Looks like you have the upper hand," Katsue started begrudgingly. "What is it you want for us to all go free?"

The old man cackled madly. "Go free?" he started, amused. "Do you really think we'd allow that after all this?"

"Just what do you have planned for us?" Katsumi snapped, angered.

"Hehe, it's a pleasure to see the two of you again after so long," the man started with a creepy leer. "That you would be forced to take such an unappealing tone...."

"Just who the hell are you?!" Katsue roared.

"Doctor Alfred Selwyn. The very reason you two were ever born," said the man with a creepy smile.

"That's a lie! What could you possibly have to do with us?!" Katsue shouted, hate in her voice.

"It was your mother's body, it was you father's blood, but it was only because of the power of a Goddess and guidance of my mind overseeing it that you exist. Without me, the two of you wouldn't be here. By extension, without her, the woman who grabbed me form the gates of death and rejuvenated my weary form, without Deifilia Amarantha, you would be nothing but a dream in the mind of this broken whore!" the man spoke in a mad yelp, poking the gun hard at their mother's head, his insanity perfectly apparent as the dramatic, overplayed speech built and built.

"Why?" asked Katsumi simply, looking the man dead in his eye.

"Why, girl? Simple! Power! I wanted to prove that it was possible! Even Goddesses believe themselves to have limits. But science is about pushing those limits! A Goddess is a being of creation as much as it is destruction! If one cannot create new life then what right do they have to the title of divinity? You are the proof that my Goddess is real!" the madness never stopped, the man was unhinged, dangerous.

"Goddesses, eh?" Katsue started in a low voice, staring at the ground. "How about I be your Angel of Death?"

"What can you do, girl? You're precious mother will die. You will die. Your sister will die," said the man. "You are trapped! You are defeated! That power you took into your body will not save you here. It's over! You're life ends as it begins, with my hand!"

A gun fired suddenly. Katsumi was shocked. Her sister had fired a single shot, the first shot Katsumi could remember her firing, at least when they weren't using Geass. The bullet sped rapidly forward. It pierced the center of the frail doctor's head. He fell backwards, dead.

All at once, stuff happened. The girls' mother found her feet and tackled a soldier who was just starting to react. Katsumi shot another. One of the soldiers got a shot off and it grazed Katsue's upper arm. She adjusted her arm, obviously in pain and countered with a deadly shot. Katsumi shot another man before he could shoot her. Finally, the soldier under their mother was killed.

Katsumi, untied her mother very quickly and then turned around to help Katsue treat and wrap her wound. Thankfully, it hardly looked serious.

"Girls.... I don't even know what to say..." Kallen started, her voice trembling.

"Nothing that man said matters," said Katsumi. "He was just a maniac. You are our precious mother."

"When did you become so strong...?" Kallen started, her voice holding a lot of emotion. Katsumi turned toward her and smiled.

"We're your daughters, right?" Katsumi started. "Of course we would be strong."

"Girls... I..." Kallen started, still shaking with the words. It was clear every emotion in her had been toyed with constantly for a long time now.

"It isn't the time, mother," said Katsue, stepping forward. "Your _Guren _ is waiting for you outside and Japan is in danger."

"I see," Kallen spoke, closing her eyes. "Let's go then."

"Right!" both twins replied at once, each breaking into a childish grin.

---

Richter Novak had a confident smirk on his face as he faced down the _Ywain. _This unit had felled _Pegasus, _but this was just due to poor matching. Margaret Enneagram was a parasite. She always had been. She had clung to Ava li Britannia, and she had clung to himself. She was just a miserable leech, pathetic in every way, using others to justify her own meaningless existence. A truly disgusting creature in every way.

"Heh, you're a lot better than I would have thought," Margaret spoke, in an intense voice. Richter could say the same. The girl was keeping up with his high speed inputs and calculations. The _Jason's_ druid system's predictions and the shields generated from the Absolute Defense System had kept him safe for the most part, but the girl was wearing him out. He wasn't used to so much exertion. He hoped he wouldn't get sloppy.

"A bitch like you just needs to learn when to lie down and admit defeat," he said, swinging his projectile shield weapon, a metal shield surrounded by an energy field and attached to a thick harken cable, at the _Ywain. _Margaret moved under it and flew forward to attack. Richter projected shields right at the point of her slashes.

"I'll never admit defeat, to you Richter!" Margaret roared.

Richter frowned and fired his claw cannon. "Of course. Why should I expect a dog to change? All you've ever done is fail, not knowing when to just give up. How annoying."

"Is that how you feel, Richter?" Margaret started in a low voice. "I guess I am pretty stupid."

"Hmm?" Richter started, eyeing the enemy.

"How I could ever look to someone like you, I cannot know," said Margaret. "But I have changed, Richter Novak. I understand so much more now."

"A pest like you can't understand anything! You are just a nuisance," said Richter. "That is why I will see you destroyed."

"I can't lose to you, Richter. I have people I cherish. People I fight for," said Margaret in a strong voice. "I will not let them down."

"Then just try and survive!" RIchter shouted. "It's hopeless!"

The battle kicked off after that. _Ywain _pulled one of its guns and began to assault _Jason _with slashes and blasts at the same time. the inputs were getting more complicated, Richter's fingers flew across his shield system's keyboard trying to keep up. It was becoming harder. This girl seemed no less determined than she had when she first started. It was exhausting.

But Richter couldn't be wrong. This girl was a fool. She'd fall eventually. He swiped at her with his lion claw and she fell back. His hadron cannon fired. She rolled to avoid it. He swung the shield weapon again. She darted to the right of it as it passed and continued forward, with another mixed barrage.

Margaret kept up her attacks. They were insistent. Annoying. The girl just wouldn't give in. She wasn't doing any damage. Richter had to wonder why she was still trying to get through. Why did this girl try so hard? Why wouldn't she just submit?

_Ywain'_s slash harkens joined the barrage, firing at awkward intervals with the gun and sword. It was becoming unbalanced and hard to move, even as the attacks were predicted. Richter's breaths became harder. He was sweating. He still wasn't used to being in a small space like a knightmare cockpit. It was physically demanding. His mind was racing. Margaret Enneagram had turned this into a battle of endurance.

"Damn you!" Richter shouted as he tried to keep up with it all. He was doomed to failure.

He missed a sword strike and it moved through, cutting deep into his armor in an inopportune place. The systems were damaged. He panicked. He missed more cues, he took more damage. He was losing. He was losing to this worm, this parasite he wanted to stomp out of existence. He couldn't bear it. As the girl cut his machine to pieces, as all the systems one by one died, he couldn't handle any of it.

"This is your death, Margaret Enneagram!" he shouted as he held _Jason'_s left arm out.

A large missile deployed from under it. It fired off slowly. Margaret seemed to see it. She wasn't about to test its power. She ejected. _Ywain _was devastated by the target. _Jason _didn't even escape all the full force of it. His own attack shook the knightmare crazily until it was completely dead. All he could do was force his own ejection and curse the damned girl who had gotten the better of him.

---

Chiharu was shaking as her hands worked _Alexander's _controls. She couldn't think about Hiromi. She couldn't think about Japan. She couldn't think about Yasuko. If she wanted to stay sane, she couldn't think about any of it. She needed to stay strong. If she want to find the opportunity to keep her promise, if she wanted to get her and Megami out of there, if she wanted to see Deifilia Amarantha to her eventual death, she had to subdue her emotions. She had to cut herself off and best Hiromi here.

Hiromi was livid. Hate was behind her every motion. Tears were in her eyes. She felt betrayed. She did not fear death at that moment. She welcomed it. She just wanted to destroy. She wanted to kill everything around her and then die herself. Everything she loved was gone now. What point was there continuing?

_Alexander, _a very solid white and gold unit with smooth, rounded plates and spiked shoulders, armed with a white sustained energy blade and a small but powerful golden blaster, was beyond what _Jinketsu _could normally stand below. Under normal situations it wouldn't have been so close a fight. But Hiromi had nothing in her mind but destroying the unit and Chiharu was fighting against herself.

_Jinketsu _had avoided blast and slash, one after another, all the while keeping Chiharu on her toes with hate-driven thrusts and blasts of her own. Each one had such weight that it just shook Chiharu further.

Nearby, Marcella Belita was engaging the _Galahad Renascence. _This was the unit she had been told to engage on sight. She honestly had no clue why. There was something nostalgic about it, but she couldn't place it. It was nowhere in her memories.

Hildegarde Waldstein was struggling against the speedy _Medusa, _but her heart was thus far unfazed. Marcella had yet to speak to her. She was suspect to nothing regarding the girl.

"You're certainly a skilled opponent," said Hildegarde in a low voice as her opponent warded off a slash of her sword with her thin nail like blades. "Perhaps I could hear your name?"

Marcella, too, had not yet heard Hildegarde's voice. Hearing it now, a shock went down her spine. The voice was eerie. It was unsettling. She knew it from somewhere. She knew it from her dreams. Why did this woman speak with that voice...?

"I-I'm Marcella... Marcella Belita," said Marcella in a soft voice, full of vulnerability.

Hildegarde was affected by the voice, if only subconsciously. She noted the similarity of it to her beloved, but she didn't dwell on it. The girl had given her another name, after all.

"Very well, Marcella Belita," Hildegarde said, her tone slightly somber. "Let's fight well."

"V-very well..." Marcella replied quietly.

Then it began. _Medusa_ zipped around, thrusting at spaces in _Galahad'_s armor with her blades. Meanwhile, _Galahad _relied on its slash harken fingers to try and keep the unit at a distance. When it pushed it far back enough, Hildegarde made a slash with her blade. Marcella was always able to dodge.

Neither unit was doing much damage. Marcella's attacks were too light to get too far into the heavy unit's armor without fear of being punished, while _Galahad's_ sword was too slow to catch the swift _Medusa. _Marcella knew she didn't have much defense. She needed to rely on surprise. She had already taken to firing her nails off as slash harkens, but it was hard to get them in that way with the number of harkens the enemy had. She needed to get the _Galahad _still so she could use her mystic eye attack and then her ultimate weapon.

Hildegarde similarly was going through the cycle of battle while thinking about how to win. The fight was not to her advantage. _Medusa _wasn't doing much damage now, but it surely hadn't expended everything. _Galahad _didn'thave much more to show, on the other hand. If she was going to win, she needed a good strategy. She needed to know what she was in for. She needed to use her Geass.

"Let's see what you're hiding from me," Hildegarde said in a whisper, mostly just to herself. She concentrated. She focused on the Medusa and just blanked everything out.

Nothing happened. Nothing happened and then _Medusa _pierced into her with a blade. The instruments informed her immediately that her energy was being depleted. She shook the unit off and swung at it, pushing it back.

Why wasn't her Geass working? Ever since she had received it, she had used it every day, usually unable to even control when it would activate on a person. She had seen so much with it. Full glimpses of people's past when she so much as wondered a single thing about them would pop into her mind on a whim. It was so easy for the thing to become active that it was often unsettling, especially when she saw bloody and intense visions like she did at the tail end of her talk with Niles Moore just recently.

But now when she needed the damn thing the most, it wasn't working. It always worked. She could always get one vision from the past of anyone if she wanted it. Sure, if she had already used her Geass on someone once, she couldn't again, but she had never met this woman, Marcella Belita before. Why, then, wasn't it working? She cursed it.

Marcella was confused. Her opponent was becoming sloppy. Distracted. Normally this would please her, as it made things easier to complete the mission, which would ultimately please Miss Deifilia. But something about this woman had her feeling strange. That she sounded like the voice that called to her in her dreams made Marcella unsure of so much.

Hildegarde began to strain herself. She was forcing it. She was forcing it hard. Maybe it was a technological thing? Maybe they were blocking her. She'd just get through it! She'd force down the wall and see into the girl's mind. She'd break whatever barriers were in her way with shear force of will! She'd claim the girl's memories. She'd find a way in! She had no choice. She was a knight of Britannia.

Her right eye, the eye that was said to contain her Geass bulged and strained. She couldn't see it obviously, but the sigil of Geass was burning red upon it. Her Geass was working, but at it's current level, it could not see into Marcella Belita's head. At its current level it could only claim so much of a given person's memories, and though neither of them knew it then, Marcella was in fact the first person Hildegarde had ever used her Geass upon. At it's current level it would not save her.

But still Hildegarde pushed it. She kept it blazing there endlessly. She kept it raging in her eye until she could feel it. Her vision blurred and she felt pain, but still she pushed it.

"W-what are you doing? F-fight me--!" Marcella called, not liking how her opponent was behaving. It wasn't right. She wanted to fight this woman the right way, or else she wouldn't be able to accept it.

It was the sound of Marcella's voice that did it. It was the voice of Yasuko that did it. Hildegarde's thoughts went from "how can I win?" to "why does this girl sound like her?" in that instant. A massive unbearable pain shot through the right side of her brain. She screamed at the pain and quickly closed her eyes. She felt moisture at her right eye. She opened her left and wiped it up with a hand. It was blood. Scared, she opened the right eye. She saw something then, that shook her so completely.

Hildegarde had had many Geass induced visions. She had seen many things within them. Now she was seeing something she had never thought she'd see within them. She was staring down at herself. It was her own form resting gently in a hospital bed, looking slightly pale. Eventually she began to stir.

"You're awake," an all too familiar voice came from the body she was inhabiting, the body that should be Marcella Belita.

"-----… you're… what are you doing here?" her own voice spoke wearily from her body. Part of it was unintelligible. What should have been a name she could not make out.

"They said it was okay for me to leave my room to visit you," the girl who's eyes she saw though said in a pleasing way.

"Wasn't it part of that Chinese woman's mission to free you?" herself asked, making eye contact.

"I stayed behind. I wanted to save you," the reply came softly.

"-----, that's treason." Again, the name could not be made out.

"I know what it is, okay. Still… I couldn't… not after how kind you were to me… I wanted to do my part to help you," the girl said in a slightly broken voice.

"You saved my life then, ------, at the cost of so much. I won't ever forget that," said the image of Hildegarde. "Thank you."

"I honesty never thought about doing anything any different…" her vantage point said in a slightly warm voice. "I wonder if that makes me a poor soldier."

"Even if it does, ------, it also makes you a wonderful person," the Hildegarde image gave a soft nod. "You show compassion to a person in need, even if she is your enemy."

"I could never think of you as an enemy, Miss ----------. Besides, you did the same thing for me back in that prison." What should have been Hildegarde's own name was also unintelligible.

"It's not the same and you know it," the Hildegarde said. "I stuck my neck out to save your life when I didn't have to but I didn't willingly go against the ones I had sworn to serve in doing it."

"I guess you're right." Hildegarde's sight shifted downward to the feet of the girl she was seeing through. "I can't help but wonder what everyone thinks of me now, even if this would always be my choice."

"-------…" the image of Hildegarde uttered the impossible to make name as she stared at the other.

"Miss -----------, I'm so glad you're alright… I've never been so scared," Hildegarde's vision blurred slightly with tears. The image of herself lifted her hand and placed it at the other girl's cheek. A quiet gasp could be heard.

"It's all because of you, ------. Those two would have surely killed me…" she heard herself say to the girl she was inhabiting as their eyes locked.

"I'm a horrible person," said the girl, crying harder. "------, -------, --- and --- and everyone… I love them so much… and yet I'm not sure that I even want to go back now."

"-------… what are you--?" the Hildegarde started. Suddenly Hildegarde's sights changed as two arms projected forward, around the image of herself, as the girl came to embrace her.

"I think I love you, Miss ----------," this girl said in tears. Hildegarde watched as the image of herself completed the embrace, smiling lovingly as she did.

It was at this point that Marcella Belita had enough waiting around and launched an attack, shooting off both of her nail blades into _Galahad's _armor. Hildegarde was still lost in the vision, but she could faintly hear the sound of her knightmare's sirens. She could faintly feel it shaking. It took everything she had but she was able to force shut her right eye and break the vision.

"Yasuko!" she declared boldly as she returned to the true world. She had to keep her right eye shut tightly. She knew that if it was open she would just see more and there was not stopping it.

"T-that name again!" Marcella screamed. "Why? Who is Yasuko?!" she shouted, unsettled.

"I know it's you! I saw it! You are Yasuko Tohdoh, even if you don't know you are!" Hildegarde declared. "Even if everything is being blocked from you!"

Nearby, _Alexander _and _Jinketsu _were still actively locked in fierce combat. They were not out of earshot, especially when the others began to shout. Hiromi Tohdoh was fated to hear Hildegarde Waldstein loud and clear. Shaken, she broke from her lock with Chiharu and flew toward the others.

"That's a lie! Hildegarde Waldstein, you're mistaken!" Hiromi shouted, pointing her spear at _Galahad. _"That fiend, that killer is not my sister! My sister is dead!"

"No! You do not know what I've seen...! Listen to me Hiromi Tohdoh, I speak the truth!" Hildegarde fought.

"You monster! This traitor, this killer of my father, no it is you, who would so defile the name of my dear sister that I shall kill first!" Hiromi shouted, rage in her voice.

"Shut up, Hiromi! She's telling the truth..." Chiharu spoke in a low voice, flying to meet her opponent.

"You're in on this horrible lie, Chiharu?" Hiromi shouted, changing the direction of her spear. "Do the three of you all conspire against me?"

"You're all wrong! I'm not Yasuko!" Marcella screamed, pain ringing in her mind. She was scared. She was scared of losing Miss Defillia's warmth. She was scared of being alone. Scare of losing everything. Scared of her memories. Scared of the truth. "I'm Marcella! Miss Deifilia says so!"

Hildegarde's mind was racing. It was sickening. Just what had been done to her Yasuko to make her like this? It momentarily blinded her from the fact that Yasuko was alive and before her.

"Damn it! None of this is right!" Hildegarde shouted, smashing her fist on the controls. Accidentally then, she opened her right eye. The _Alexander _just happened to fly in front of her just then.

Now she was in another vision. She was in a room full of people. A familiar woman was next to her, the mercenary who called herself Megami Subarashii. Ahead was a beautiful woman with blonde hair and a soft smile. Standing near her was a large man with darker skin and a girl wearing a dark visor. Just to the right of them was a smaller man and another beautiful blonde woman. They were kissing. Hildegarde knew this woman all too well.

"Oho, just one more left," the blonde she didn't know said with a smile as the kiss broke and the smaller man fell back into line. "But I'm sure you want to be able to look into Marcella's lovely eyes as you taste her sweet lips." She approached the girl in the visor. "Let me remove this thing for you."

"By all means," the familiar blonde, the witch who had granted Hildegarde Geass, D.D. giggled in a vile way as other blonde's hands found the girl's ears.

"B-but Miss Deifilia--" the girl addressed as Marcella, the girl who was obviously Yasuko, spoke up. The eyes she was looking though narrowed. "I only want you to kiss me."

"Oh, silly girl. Miss D.D. is someone I hope to be very good friends with. Playing with you would make her very happy and if she's happy, I'll be happy," said the woman called Deifilia, petting the girl on the head affectionately. It was disgusting.

"Umm… okay…" Marcella said hesitantly, looking down. Deifilia then removed the visor, which seemed to attach into the girl's head somehow. The girl moved out from behind Deifilia. If it wasn't obvious before, it was now. Yasuko Tohdoh and Marcella Belita were the same

"Y-Yasuko--?!" the voice of the one she was seeing through, the voice of Chiharu Ohgi, said, in a low voice, the name caught in her throat.

"Y-you bitch! What have you done to her?!" Megami Subarashii shouted, surprise and disapproval evident. She rushed toward Deifilia who waved her hand, causing the girl to halt.

"You know Marcella? How sad," said the blonde woman slowly. "After I saved her from the surest death she lost the entirety of her memory."

The vantage point began to shake. Her vision then bulged out and became different, sharper. Everything was moving slower almost, it seemed. "This girl is not named Mar--!"

"Signa!" Deifilia called. A white haired girl suddenly appeared in front of Chiharu and by extension Hildegarde. She opened her eye and the vision blurred and the girl dropped to her knees, obviously in severe pain.

"Your Geass leaves you in constant pain," said Deifilia. "Because of that Signa can paralyze you so completely in just an instant."

"Please, don't hurt Chiharu," said Megami shakily.

"Marcella, are you happy with the life I've given you?" asked Deifilia smugly.

"Yes, of course, Miss Deifilia," the girl responded cheerfully.

"Do you care to remember who you were before?" the woman then asked.

"No, not really," said Marcella, smiling.

"Do you recognize anyone in the room?" Deifilia presented a new question.

"No… I've never seen any of them," she replied, shaking her head ever so softly.

"Do you know the name Yasuko?" she then asked.

Marcella thought a bit and then shrugged. "I don't think so."

"Then it's settled. You're wrong, Chiharu, Ashlynn, this is not your Yasuko but instead my Marcella. Don't try and upset and confuse her in her condition," said Deifilia readily. "In fact, I think it's best we wait no longer. Signa, please take those two to their room."

"Understood," said the blank, emotionless albino girl as she looked down at Chiharu. Megami offered a hand to Chiharu. The two of them walked toward the door slowly, followed by Signa.

"You're even more disgusting than I ever would have imagined," said Megami with a snarl at Deifilia just as she was leaving.

When they were outside the room, Hildegarde could only watch as a fist of the body she was inhabiting pounded against a nearby wall. "Damn her!"

"C-Chiharu..." Megami started in a soft voice.

"What do I do? What do I say to Hiromi... how can I explain this?" the girl trembled.

"That one would want to know too..." Megami said somberly. hildegarde hadn't spoken to that woman too many times, but she did know Yasuko, and she did know about the two of them. This made Hildegarde positive it was her she spoke of. "It's disgusting..."

"Why does someone like her have to have so much power?" Chiharu asked, defeated. "We both have Geass, why the fuck then are we powerless before her...?"

"I used to ask that long ago," said Megami. "I gave up when I realized there was no satisfactory answer." she gulped. "But all we can do is go along with it now. You have a reason to keep living, Chiharu. If we're to protect that, both of us have to stay strong."

"You're right..." Chiharu shook her head. "I hate it, but you're right..."

Again the sirens and shaking started. Again Hildegarde forced her eye closed. Her heart was pounding. Yasuko's knightmare was draining her again. Her unit was almost dead.

"I'll kill you! I'll do it! I'll erase it all, for Miss Deifilia I'll get rid of what haunts me!" Yasuko declared in a trembling voice. _Medusa'_s visor opened to reveal some tubes that fired a cloud of gefjun particles. _Galahad Renascence _was frozen in place. A weapon appeared at the core of _Medusa._

"I love you Yasuko," said Hildegarde, her one eye that could see the present anymore blurred by tears. "Even if you do kill me here, that remains unchanged. You are my everything!"

Marcella too was crying. Why?! WHY?! She was screaming inside. Everything was shaking. Her heart was pounding. Miss Deifilia was her mistress, her lover, the one who had saved her and given her a home. She didn't know this woman. She wasn't Yasuko. She wasn't. She wasn't!

But Marcella wasn't the only one who heard the message Hildegarde Waldstein had broadcast. Chiharu had. She recalled with Megami had said about Yasuko being happy while she was in Britannia with her. How the girl had found some she could love. She hadn't known what to think then, but now, she knew it was precious. She wanted to protect it. She stared at Hiromi's _Jinketsu _in front of her.

"It ends here, Hiromi!" she called. "I'm sorry..." she said more softly.

Massive spike like slash harkens flew from her shoulders as Chiharu regained a sense of purpose. They pierced _Jinketsu _at places that wouldn't be fatal. Chiharu than charged. _Alexander _tackled_ Jinketsu _fully. Chiharu purposefully then launched it at _Galahad Renascence, _recalling her spikes at the right time to further propel it.

_Jinketsu _was smaller, but it's momentum was enough to break the larger unit from _Medusa's _grasp and send it spiraling downward, it's power still dead from the near-complete drain and Gefjun cloud. Just to make sure neither unit could return, Chiharu then aimed for Hiromi's wing pack and sniped it with her gun.

"Mission accomplished, Marcella," said Chiharu in a growl.

"But I'm supposed to kill--" Marcella started.

"No! It's done," Chiharu shouted, beaten emotionally, if hardly worse for wear in the physical sense.

"B-but--!" Marcella started.

"Shut up! It's over!" Chiharu insisted, angrily.

"A-alright," Marcella timidly gave in.

Meanwhile, Hiromi pondered whether she should pull her ejection switch or just let herself crash and burn into the Earth below. The things those women had said... they were unbelievable. Marcella Belita was not Yasuko Tohdoh. Chiharu Ohgi was a liar. Hildegarde Waldstein was a fool. Marcella Belita was a monster. She'd destroy all three of them and that cursed mercenary as well. it was that thirst for blood and death that made her realize she still wanted to live, at least a little longer.

Nearby, Hildegarde fought desperately to get her ejection switch pulled. She wanted nothing but to live. She needed to set this right. If Yasuko had been dead, that was one thing, but this fate, this cruel, merciless fate, something had to be done about it.

Deifilia Amarantha. That was the villain of the world's name. From the look of the scene, the witch had been as much recruited by the woman as she had been kidnapped. Sickening. To think Hildegarde had shared a bed with that woman. But this Amarantha was worse. She had brainwashed Yasuko. She had manipulated Chiharu Ohgi and Megami Subarashii somehow into battle against their own friends. She was the worst sort of monster.

Hildegarde swore to herself, for Yasuko's sake, she would not be satisfied until that woman was a corpse.

---

Cesia Moreva had a stern look on her face as she stood at the center of the Japanese presidential mansion. She stood waiting.

"The Japanese president has been apprehended, ma'am," said a soldier, a member of the _Argonaut _unit, approaching her.

"Excellent," Cesia said. "With her, the Tohdoh woman, the former president and his wife, the Indian research scientist, and most of the other key advisors and military leaders in our custody, Japan is as good as ours."

"Was this fight even fair?" Elischa, who stood nearby said.

"Xander and Fiametta lost their fights. Even our Commander's unit was destroyed, he injured, as is evident by us being here in his place," said Cesia in a strict voice.

"Even so, I have to wonder what we're letting happen," said Elischa in a subtle.

"Ushering in some sort of mad apocalyptic dream of that woman. That my thoughts at least," Cesia replied callously.

"You can be blunt at times, Miss Moreva," Elischa said, in restrained fashion.

"I'm not going to try and delude myself into thinking were on the right side of this," said Cesia. "it's as simple as that."

"Maybe you're right," Elischa said ,giving a low sigh.

"Mr. Mayer! Ms. Moreva!" another of the _Argonaut _unit came running toward them.

"Yes, sir, what is it?" Cesia started.

"We've received an updated from the Federation! Dr. Selwyn was killed, Kallen Kozuki has reclaimed _Guren," _the man explained.

"So? If one unit decides to fight a war on its own, we'll destroy it," said Cesia. "But Kallen has children. She won't throw her life away like that."

"Understood! Still, if she approaches?" started the soldier waiting for an order.

Alain Renard would have said kill on sight and Cesia knew it. Even if she didn't attack she could survey the battlefield and try and recover some personnel. Cesia had known Kallen when they were both Black Knights. She wanted the woman to do just that.

"Do not pay her any attention unless she provokes us," said Cesia. "This battle is already won. Anything more is unnecessary."

"Understood!" the soldier spoke and went off to deliver the order.

Cesia smiled. Collect them all, she thought. Collect the students she had taught. Give them one more chance to kill her and every one else around her. It might be the only way to save this world.

---

Eilith sighed as she finally crawled out of her broken cockpit. She had had a water landing and just now the cockpit had washed ashore. She was glad to be out of it now. She stood up, eager to stretch her cramped body. The second she was fully up, she noticed something unfortunate. A sword was pointed at her neck.

"Whoa, what's going on?" she started, trying to back up, almost tripping over her feet. She looked into the cold eyes of a beautiful woman with long white hair.

"So, Eilith vol Britannia, luck just wasn't with you today," the woman said. Her voice made if more than apparent that this woman was the same as her earlier opponent, Hu Xuemei. Eilith looked to her right and saw the crashed cockpit of the other woman just nearby.

"Not you, either," said Eilith as she glanced down now, noticing the woman's right thigh was crudely bandaged. "So you're injured?"

"Silence!" Xuemi shouted, keeping her sword rigid. Eilith noticed there wasn't much strength behind it. Her hand went up to catch the girl's arm just below her wrist. She forced the sword from her grasp and pushed her down.

"Don't strain yourself," said Eilith. "There's no point in fighting now."

She scanned the area. It was a small beach. Abandoned. She couldn't see anyone around. That was until she saw a low flying knightmare. It was an EU model.

"Damn it!" Xuemei started, angrily. "That I would still be taken here..."

"I hear you," said Eilith in a low voice. "It would have to be them who found us..."

The unit landed in front of them. Xuemei grabbed her sword and stood. The cockpit opened. Xuemei had intent to kill in her eyes. A single girl descended and that intent vanished in a moment.

"You?" Xuemei started, surprised. "Why are you here?"

A teenage girl with pink hair approached them with a smirk.

"We were a little late to the rescue," the girl spoke. "Things sure look bleak right now."

"And who's fault is that?!" Xuemei shouted. "If you hadn't ran off--!"

"Mother would have been defeated as well. Me and my sister would have been defeated as well. Japan still would have lost this fight," the girl said in an intelligent voice.

"You don't know that!" Xuemei challenged.

"I didn't come to argue this with you," said the girl. "Blame us if you want, but we're here now."

Xuemei glared, not responding.

"Katsumi's chasing Chaowei's signal and Mother went after Hiromi," said the girl. "Come with me. Let's regroup and go from there."

"Go where?! Just what are six people going to do about anything?" shouted the white haired girl.

"You'd be surprised what just two people, what just me and my sister were able to accomplish together," said the pink-haired child. "We were able to rescue our mother."

"Heh, rescuing mine is not so easy a task," Xuemei said harshly.

"Yours?" the girl asked. "Your mother? I thought you were an orphan..."

"Never mind," Xuemei said, looking down.

"Who's this woman?" asked the girl suddenly, glancing at Eilith.

"My prisoner," claimed Xuemei boldly, causing Eilith to sigh. "The so called 'Lost Princess of Britannia'."

"You don't say?" the girl said, taken aback. "An interesting thing to fall into our lap." She smiled. "Alright, I think there's room for three in this thing. Let's move."

Eilith shook her head. "Whatever you say..."

---

Ava li Britannia stared despondently at the Knight of One, his daughter at her right side. He had just given her a full report of the previous day's battle. They had lost. The EU had driven them back and conquered Japan for themselves.

"So... is that all..." Ava started in a low, strained voice.

"Yes..." Gino replied. "That's all I have to report."

"Not one of my men had a clear win? All units were damaged extensively?" Ava spoke, hollowly.

"Correct," said the man.

"The Knight of Three is in critical condition? Eilith was not recovered?" Ava continued, disbelief in her voice. "The Knight of Eight and the Knight of Five are confirmed as traitors?" she shook her head. "The enemy is confirmed to have at least ten Geass users?"

"All correct," said Weinberg, looking down.

Ava was at a loss. A loss was one thing. This was... This was something else. This was not a loss. This was an unbridled massacre. How could success have alluded her so completely? She had faith in her men. They were strong and brave. They flew for her faithfully. How could something like this have happened?

"None of your best knights died yesterday, Ava," Astrid stepped forward. "That's the best thing that can be said of this mess."

"Yes..." Ava said in a somber voice. "I'm grateful that each of you could return." She sighed. "But the fight still had casualties. Britannian blood was lost. The nation will lose faith with losses like this."

"We'll have to win next time then, Empress," Gino spoke in a reassuring voice, nodding.

"I'm beginning to lose faith myself..." Ava muttered, looking down.

"The Knight of Nine told me to repeat her request to have you meet with the Absolution girl in two days time," said Gino in a low voice.

"Right," said Ava. "We'll call her before a meeting of the Round table. I'm not sure I'll be rational enough to make the decision on my own..."

"Ava..." Astrid muttered, reaching for Ava's hand. The girl's warmth was reassuring, but only about half as much as usual. Ava was scared.

"Astrid..." she whispered. "Did I make a mistake somewhere?"

"We all make mistakes, Ava," Astrid said in a soft voice. "That we can recognize them and set them right is the greatest strength humanity has."

"I wonder..." said Ava, defeated. "I wonder if anyone has the strength for this..." She sighed again. "Even mother might be lost..."

"I'll tell the others about the meeting," said Gino. "The Knight of Four expressed to me a desperate need to share information with you, as it is."

"Hildegarde Waldstein..." Ava said in a low voice. "Her Geass truly evolved, you said?"

"Yes," said Gino, nodding.

"I wonder what the true strength of my curse is..." said Ava in a low voice, closing her eyes. She hadn't used her Geass in ages. The Power of the King was beginning to seem oddly wasted on her. She was more a watcher than a player at this point. She was somehow jealous of Hildegarde Waldstein.

"Very well," Ava said after a moment of silence. "I'd be happy to speak with that girl as well."

"Understood," said Gino. "I shall depart then."

"As you wish," said Ava, nodding at the man. He walked out.

"How do you feel about everything, Astrid?" asked Ava. "After your recent fight, how do you feel?"

"I've never fought an opponent so without fear," said Astrid. "She lacked simple concern for herself. That was kind of unsettling, it to tell the truth. Her voice seemed devoid of emotion. It was inhuman, almost."

"It does my heart joy that you survived such a thing," said Ava, smiling.

"I promised you I would, didn't I?" said Astrid. "I don't plan on leaving you just yet, even in all this darkness closing in."

"Your a fool for standing by me, Astrid," Ava sighed. "But it's your strength that makes this bleak situation at least bearable."

"I'll be here, Ava," said Astrid. "Always."

---

"Again the tree of you have failed me," said Deifilia in a cold voice as she faced down Lazarus Cain, Naida Fiametta and Philip Malden Xander. "Cesia, Elischa, Regina, Rowena and even our dearest Ashlynn and Chiharu were able to obtain clear, precise wins. But the three of you..."

"The result of my fight was no less in my favor than that of Ms. Norrell or Field Commander Renard," said Lazarus in a dark voice.

"You think to talk back to me, Lazarus?" Deifilia started, stepping toward him.

"Of course not, My Liege," the priest started rigidly.

"The difference here is that this is not your first time to fail me," said Deifilia, nodding.

"I-It won't happen again, Master," Naida said shakily.

"Yes it will," Deifilia said bluntly. "You, Naida Fiametta are incompetent."

"I-I'm sorry," Naida started loudly. "P-please... I'll try harder, just don't--"

"Silence!" Deifilia raised her voice, a rare occurrence for her. "I needn't have to kill you. You'll save me the trouble if I just keep sending you out there. I might get something out of it in the process too, that way."

"Of course, Master," Naida said readily, trembling visibly.

"If the three of you understand, I have other places to be," said Deifilia turning around and leaving abruptly.

Inside, she was hardly upset. It had been a perfect victory. It was just a good idea to keep her subordinates from becoming relaxed though. Success wasn't certain. Eldridge could see so much of that world, but it was still murky. If enough Geass lines crossed, it could be nulled from his sight. Her world, her dream was riding on them all, those who served her. She had come too far to fail now.

She proceeded briskly to a room she used as a lounge within her Castle. She sat down upon a couch inside. She tried to ignore the fact that it was already occupied. This became hard when another woman draped herself around Deifilia's back.

"You haven't gotten bored of me, yet, I take it?" Deifilia asked, tilting her head up to face the other.

"What can I say, you're a lot of fun," the blonde witch giggled as she moved to the front of Deifilia, sitting atop her lap and hanging off of her.

"I don't mind," said Deifilia smiling. "I can't say I don't enjoy your company, myself."

"This castle is a lot more fun than that other," said D.D. in a low voice. "So many options..." she giggled. "But you'd have to be my top choice. I've seldom met someone so skilled."

"I'm flattered to hear such things from you," said Deifilia smiling at the other. She then gave a long sigh. "When my world is created, things will be different."

"Oh, how so?" asked D.D., tilting her head and giggling.

"Things will be freer," said Deifilia in a low voice. "Things will be more natural."

"Hmm... I'm not sure I know what to say about that," said the witch in a quiet voice.

"You're welcome to stay with me when it's done," said Deifilia, smiling.

"We're completely different, you know that," said D.D. laughing. "I don't care about this world or anyone in it and you care enough to wish to reshape it entirely."

"I suppose you're correct," said Deifilia, taking this as a rejection, feeling a slight tinge of disappointment.

"But if you can keep my simple needs fulfilled, I can think of no partner more worthy," said D.D. is a strained voice before moving in to kiss the other's mouth with her tongue. Deifilia accepted the kiss and reciprocated. It lasted a full minute.

"It's probably because of those differences that you are so attractive in my eyes," said Deifilia in a warm voice. "Or maybe you remind me of someone..."

"Oh?" said D.D. with a giggle. "It surprises me that you can be cute sometimes."

"You're not curious?" asked Deifilia, raising an eyebrow.

"Dwelling on the past is the most meaningless thing a person can do," said D.D. shaking her head. "There's no changing things that have happened."

"I'd agree with you," said Deifilia. "But I am young next to you and I am mortal. I can't escape my nostalgic heart at times."

"I was human once," said D.D. in a soft voice. "Death followed me everywhere I went but never took me, it only left me alone. I sold my body to sustain myself until I foolishly allowed myself to fall in love."

"You're in a talkative mood," said Deifilia, surprised. "So eager to share something you just called meaningless?"

"They killed him before my eyes and then they raped me endlessly. Then death caught up with me and left me cold in the snow. I was reborn then, but different," said D.D. closing her eyes.

"You were immortal after that?" asked the human woman.

"I was no longer human. Gone to was my understanding of humans. I no longer had any remorse for them. They built wonderful things, they uncovered the secrets of the world, they pleased by body on multiple occasions, but they were fragile. They died and I remained. They were transient. It was like I existed in a separate world from them," said D.D. in a weary voice.

"I'm able to keep this body young by using my Geass upon myself," Deifilia in a low voice. "I'm still mortal, yet I could follow you."

"As ideal as it may seem, I could grow tired of even you, Deifilia," the witch said, smirking. "Don't forget that."

"I'll just have to keep you satisfied so long as I can," said Deifilia, her hand going to the woman's chest, which it squeezed fully. The other woman cooed. She raised her head and kissed Deifilia again.

Then a knock sounded on the door. Deifilia looked up, disappointed and on the verge of angry. This had better be good...

"Yes?" she questioned harshly, letting go of D.D.. D.D., on the other hand, didn't let go of her.

"You said you wished to speak with me as soon as possible, Amarantha," a voice started. It was Richter Novak.

Deifilia looked at the woman hanging off her neck, her prominent chest highlighted by the low cut dress she wore. She scowled and then sighed. "Come in, Novak..." she said. "I do have some things to discuss."

The door opened. Richter Novak stepped in. This man, her field commander, had met combat in the last fight. He had fought his opponent standstill, suffering some minor burns and scrapes in the process. His unconditioned frame saw him hospitalized for these injuries. Following behind him was someone slightly unsuspected, his wife, Jacquelyn mi Britannia.

"I don't believe I called for her," said Deifilia, nodding toward the girl.

"She followed me," said Richter in a low voice. "Nothing I could say deterred her."

"I don't take lightly to my husband being called off all the time to see some strange woman alone," Jacquelyn said in her usual haughty voice.

"You needn't worry," Deifilia said, feeling the urge to roll her eyes. "I have no interest in men."

"I, on the other hand, might just snap him up if you're off guard," D.D. said, giggling teasingly. Jacquelyn stomped her feet and turned red. Richter put a hand before her.

"Enough of this nonsense! Tell me, what you wanted to speak of," said Richter in an intense voice.

"Oh? Didn't you think I'd want to speak with my Field Commander after a decisive battle?" Deifilia said, laughing.

"I hardly see the point. You were already given a full report of the battle while I was still being treated for my wounds," said Richter in a quiet voice.

"I just wanted an explanation," said Deifilia, smirking. She enjoyed flaunting her power before a man like this. It was a childish form of amusement, she supposed, but sometimes Deifilia couldn't contain such things. She was just human after all, she was not without humor. "'Power in the hands of a fool is rendered moot'. I wonder who that applies to now..."

"If you have no reason to call me here save to mock me, I'm leaving," said Richter, humorlessly.

"Oh, you're no fun," Deifilia laughed. "I want to hear how an mindless parasite with no place in the big picture fought you effectively to a draw, and with a lower-spec knightmare, nonetheless."

"You seem awful amused when it means you just have another enemy to worry over," said Richter, anger in his brow.

"So, you admit you're wrong then?" Deifilia asked, content.

"Hey, you! My husband is a proud man! He doesn't need you talking to him like that!" Jacquelyn shouted, stomping her foot again. D.D. sighed.

"I'm reminded again of why I didn't discover women until just recently..." she said in a low voice. Deifilia laughed as well, brushing off the ignorant girl's noise.

"You made a less amusing mistake as well, Richter," said Deifilia. "I don't appreciate it."

"What do you speak of?" asked Richter.

"Against my thoughts on the matter, you sent my darling Marcella into battle against the one she once loved. The poor girl's been trembling horribly since then and without Alfred, I no longer have the requisite knowledge to ease her mind back down," said Deifilia in a soft voice. "I rather like that puppet and yet you've broken her."

"It was a simple miscalculation," said Richter in a low voice.

"You're just like that cute little Empress," D.D. cooed toward the man flirtatiously, finally letting go of Deifilia's neck and sitting upright. "Hopelessly naïve. Underestimating the Geass I award is hardly the mark of an intelligent man."

"How dare you compare my Richter to my disgusting little whore of a Cousin?!" Jacquelyn had another adorable little outburst. This was a true puppet. The mindless parasite with no place in the picture was this woman Richter Novak had married, not the one he seemed so keen on scorning. It was hilarious, really.

"Hildegarde Waldstein and Margaret Enneagram will hardly be a problem any longer," Richter said, ignoring his wife's defense. "We've already won."

"Do you truly think so?"Deifilia asked, smirking. "It's a simple minded thing to say... I'm beginning to wonder how valuable you truly are to me."

"Listen you! I don't like you talking to him like that!" Jacquelyn stomped forward. D.D. frowned at her.

"You promised us rule over Britannia. I expect you to make good on that promise," said Richter, glaring.

"And that promise remains in place," said Deifilia in a low voice. "Britannia will fall. The two of you will be placed upon the throne the second Ava li Britannia has vacated it."

"You better be telling the truth. I can't say I like you, and I don't trust people I don't like," Jacquelyn huffed. "Richter and I have sacrificed a lot for you! It's your fault he was injured!"

D.D. then stood. She stepped toward Jacquelyn, glared at her, and then delivered a hard slap across her face, the force of which sent the woman crashing back downwards to the floor.

"The sound of your voice annoys me," said D.D. coldly. "Please refrain from speaking again in my presence."

Deifilia felt like clapping. Instead, she spoke. "I must apologize for my associate's behavior, Princess. I hope you do not hold it against me."

"How dare you strike a proud Princess of Britannia-!" Jacquelyn started, her face red, trying to stand. Again Richter stopped her with a hand.

"Is that all, Amarantha?" Richter started, anger showing through his usual icy expression.

"Hmm... I wonder..." Deifilia started, smirking. "Would you like your own Geass, Richter Novak?" she asked.

"Of course," said Richter forwardly. "Any power would only help. I'm surprised this is the first you ask."

"Jacquelyn mi Britannia, please stand," Deifilia started, horribly amused. The girl did just that. She kept glaring at the woman.

"The choice is yours entirely," she said, motioning a hand toward the witch. "Will you allow this woman, my associate D.D., a kiss from your husband?"

Jacquelyn didn't even think about it. Of course she didn't. The poor girl hardly knew how to think. She didn't look at Richter or D.D. or Richter, just ahead at Deifilia. In a straightforward voice, she said, "never."

"So be it," said Deifilia smirking at the look of frustration upon the young man's face as he glared at his wife. "The two of you can leave them."

"As you wish," said Richter, in a clearly angered voice. "We're leaving!" he said, brusquely to his wife.

"R-right..." Jacquelyn started and followed him out.

"Well, that was fun," said Deifilia, giggling.

"You know what would be more fun?" D.D. teased, crawling back over the other.

"I have a few ideas..." Deifilia cooed before pulling the other into a long kiss.

---

Margaret wore blank expression as she walked the hospital corridor. It had been three days since the battle. Margaret's mother had suffered critical injuries in her fight. She was bedridden. Heavy burns lined her left side, and she had multiple fractures. Still, the doctors said she was strong and would likely pull through alright in time. It was still a hard thing to bear.

Leaving her mother's hospital room, Margaret walked directly into another room. The girl here looked a lot healthier. Amelia Gottwald was sitting up at the edge of the bed, stretching her good arm.

"You look a lot better," said Margaret, smiling.

"I've been trained since an early age to be durable, to bear pain," said Amelia. "I heal quickly."

"That's good to hear," Margaret said quietly.

"Thanks," said Amelia. "How's your mother?"

"She was lucid for a moment. I was able to hear her voice," said Margaret somberly. "Still..."

Amelia stood then. She approached the other and wrapped her free arm, the one that wasn't still in a cast behind the other's back, giving her the best hug she could manage.

"She'll be okay, Margaret," said Amelia. "There was nothing anyone could have done."

"Should you be on your feet, Amelia?" Margaret asked, softly concerned.

"Did you think you'd be wheeling me to the castle today?" asked Amelia with a laugh.

"No, I just--" Margaret started. She was stopped by the smaller girl's smile.

"The bullet to my leg didn't hit bone. There's still a bit of pain there, but as long as I don't jump around too much, I don't think the wound will open up again," the girl said.

"And you're sure about this?" Margaret started. "You're sure you want to talk to her?"

"Yeah," said Amelia. "I'm sure now more than I ever was."

"Alright," the other girl said. "Let's go then."

Amelia smiled brightly, a strange hope in her eyes. Margaret wondered if it wasn't contagious.

A/N: End chapter. THis chapter was shaped a little differently than I envisioned. The battle stuff took longer than I anticipated. ANyway, hope it was good. Started with the twins fighting to save their mom. Fun. Margaret vs. Richer was nice. THen there was that seriously long Chiharu/Hiromi/Hildegarde/Yasuko scene. I thought that was pretty damn cool. A triumphant return to the spotlight for the HIldegarde/Yasuko plot line ending with Hildegarde's Geass evolving. Some basic aftermath rounded out the chapter and set a few things up and then we had a lengthy Deifilia centric scene, that it was my hope felt slightly dissonant, with her and D.D. (who needed another appearance, as did Jackie) exchanging some dialog.

ANyway, there are two extras this week. Yay!

No new items to add to the info page. Thankfully, considering the updated this week took me so long...


	40. Turn 39: Shadowed World, Shadowed Heart

A/N: Stressful, stressful week. Sorry for no Extras and a slight delay. I had other things to take care of. Adult content warning on this chapter for those who like to skip it.

Disclaimer: Eilith: "The author doesn't own Code Geass. He owns the original material though. Simple as that."

Amelia Gottwald wore a stern expression on her face as she entered the Britannia castle's gates for the second time in her life. Last time she had entered into this main corridor she had been singularly focused on assassinating the Britannian Empress. This time her goal was entirely different; diplomacy. She was here to talk to the same woman she once tried desperately to kill.

"Wow! It's so pretty!" called the girl who was here to support her case; her comrade in Absolution, Miya Ashford.

"You honestly never change, Miya," Margaret Enneagram, Amelia's dear friend, the one she treasured, the one whoh had made this audience with the Empress possible, said in a deep sigh.

"I still can't get over the fact that the two of you are friends," said Amelia in a low voice as the group stood, waiting for their summons. "It's so strange."

"Yep! Me and Margaret go way back!" said Miya brightly. "It's great to talk again, especially given things weren't as friendly last time we met."

"Heh... yeah," said Margaret. "You really got the better of me that day...."

"Sorry," said Miya, scratching the back of her head and smiling.

"No... that loss was something of a wake up call for me," said Margaret, smiling quietly. "I think I needed it."

"You say I haven't changed, Margaret, but you really seem a lot cooler, you know that?" started Miya with a cheer. "I'm almost jealous of Amelia here."

"Wait, what?!" Margaret started, blushing.

"Come on, it's obvious isn't it? You two are so seeing each other," Miya said with a snicker.

"I've only known who Amelia is for around a week," said Margaret, her face still red. "And all that time she was in the hospital. How could we have possibly started something?"

"True love can be instantaneous!" Miya cheered enthusiastically.

Amelia began to blush as well. She did love Margaret. It was still strange admitting it, but it was true. That's what made Miya's outbursts harder to bear.

"Miya... you really never miss a beat, do you..." she sighed. "Always so cheerful."

"Of course I'm happy," said Miya softly. "I mean, Cynthia's almost back to normal after all..."

"Really?" Amelia started. "You should have said something sooner. That's wonderful to hear."

"Yeah, from what you said of this Cynthia, her emotional scarring didn't seem like something that would start to fade so quickly," said Margaret. "She must be strong."

"She is..." said Miya smiling fondly. "She's really an amazing girl."

"You like Cynthia, don't you, Miya?" asked Amelia in a low voice.

"Yep. I totally love her," said Miya forwardly, completely composed.

"Completely upfront about it," said Margaret with a laugh. "I'd expect nothing else."

"Isn't it unusual...?" asked Amelia in a deliberate voice.

"Is what unusual?" asked Margaret.

"Girls having feelings like that about each other..." Amelia said timidly.

"Well, you like Margaret, don't you?" Miya asked. Margaret blushed again.

"I don't think that's what she meant," said Margaret defensively.

"Oh? What then?" asked Miya, smiling.

"Isn't it kind of unusual that so many of us would be..." Amelia started in a very low, shaky voice. Thus it was basically confessing her love of Margaret before someone else for the first time.

"Margaret chose you, I chose Cynthia, Astrid and the Empress went for each other," Miya started in a soft voice. "Add in Richter and that princess he married and it looks like the entirety of out little student council decided on women in the end."

Margaret continued to blush. She was obviously bothered about being counted as an official couple. Still, when she spoke, she didn't refute it. "Yes. Isn't that a little bit unreal?"

"People are all different," said Miya. "The circumstances we all went through in deciding the ones we love were world's apart. You can't really compare the cases based on such a small, insignificant detail."

"Doesn't make it any less weird," said Amelia in a low voice.

"Heh, yeah," said Margaret, smiling.

"Lady Enneagram," a voice came suddenly. All three girls turned. A strong looking female soldier started, giving a salute. "The Empress and the others are ready to see your guests."

"Excellent," said Margaret in a quiet voice. "Let's go."

Amelia and Miya joined her in following the female soldier. The four of them readily reached a large door. The soldier opened it and motioned them inside.

"The 101st Empress of Britannia, Ava li Britannia and her Knights of the Round," said the soldier in a strong voice as they walked inside. She then walked in as well and stood behind the man instantly recognizable as the Knight of One, a second soldier, this one male, stood on the man's other side.

Amelia looked at the faces in the room. The famed 12 Knights of the Round had more than their fair share of absences. Ava li Britannia, looking a lot more weary, a lot less confident than she had on their last encounter, sat in the seat directly across from the door. Behind and to her right, standing, was Astrid Weinberg, her personal knight, a girl Amelia counted as a friend. The famed Knight of One, Astrid's father sat at the Empress' right with his two soldiers. At her left and Weinberg's right were empty chairs where the Knight of Two, a casualty of combat, and the Knight of Three, Margaret's now hospitalized mother would be seated. Next closest to the Empress was a strong looking woman with a dark eyepatch over her right eye and a bitter scowl on her face. The seats that would have belonged to the Knights of Five, Six, Seven, Eight and Ten were all vacant due to death and betrayal, making the middle section of the table look unnaturally empty. Margaret slowly moved to her own seat at the table, designated for the Knight of Nine. Finally, on the opposite end of the table from the Empress were two men, a serious looking older man with cold, dead eyes and a rough looking man who looked completely out of place.

It was entirely underwhelming. This was Britannia's pride? Amelia wondered then if it was worth it, if they hadn't already lost.

"Empress!" Miya started cheerfully, smiling and waving, breaking the bleak atmosphere of the room entirely.

"Miss Ashford, please behave appropriately before the Empress of Britannia," Astrid chided pointedly.

"Aw, but come on. We go so far back, you know," said Miya, smiling softly.

"That's true. It's good to see you again, Miya," said Ava suddenly. "It does my heart well to know you've survived this war, even if you've been on the other side."

"Aw, you really mean that," Miya started with a laugh, scratching the back of her head. "I was worried we weren't friends anymore."

"Is this display truly necessary?" the woman with the eyepatch started coldly, clearly wanting to cut into the heart of the meeting.

"Right," said Ava. "There will be time for us to catch up later." She closed her eyes and nodded. "For now, please, the both of you take any seat you like. You are our guests."

"Right!" said Miya. She looked around. She stopped when she spied someone familiar. "Wow, you're that guy who saved me!" she started, focusing on the older man at the end of the table. "I didn't know you were a Knight of the Rounds! Thanks so much for that sword and everything."

"One can't even pretend that they are a knight if they're not willing to help someone in need when they can," said the man. "What I did was only natural."

"Still, thanks to you I was able to save my friend Cynthia," Miya started in a soft voice, taking a seat near the man. "I won't ever forget that."

"I see..." the man started in a strangely affected voice, something strange appearing in his eyes briefly.

Amelia then looked around. She was being asked to sit in the seat of one of the absent knights. She had to be tactful with this. At least she though she did until Margaret grabbed her arm and pulled her into a seat directly next to her. She smiled infirmly and then looked up.

"Excellent. Now then," the Empress started. "For the sake of this meeting, it is best we are acquainted with one another. As you already know, I am Ava li Britannia, Empress of Britannia. This is my personal knight, Astrid Weinberg."

Astrid stepped forward and nodded.

"I am the Knight of One, Gino Weinberg," said the man next to the Empress, standing and bowing. "The two beside me are members of an elite combat unit I command directly." The two soldier bowed as well.

"Hildegarde Waldstein, Knight of Four," the woman with the eyepatch started curtly, clearly annoyed. Eyes fell on Margaret.

"What? Me? I'm pretty sure everyone in this room knows who I am..." Margaret started, shaking her head. When gazes didn't leave, she sighed. "Fine. I'm Margaret Enneagram, Knight of Nine."

The next knight, the man Miya had addressed stood now. In a somber voice, regret in his eyes, he gave his introduction. "I am called Niles Moore, the Knight of Eleven."

Amelia wasn't surprised. There really was no one else this man could be. Miya hadn't pieced it together though. Her eyes revealed hard shock, and for once she looked like she couldn't find words to say. Amelia closed her eyes as she thought about it. Irony was a strange thing.

"Heh, I'm Ulric Cross," the last knight said, not standing, putting his feet up on the table and giving something of a yawn. He looked kind of groggy. "Best fighter who ever lived..."

"The Knight of Twelve," the Empress completed, looking irritated with man. "Now then, your names."

"Amelia Gottwald of Absolution," Amelia started, standing and bowing before sitting.

Miya didn't stand initially. She seemed lost in thought. Margaret called to her, "Miya."

"Ah, sorry," she said with a flustered laugh, scratching the back of her head and stranding. "It's Miya. Miya Ashford," she said in a slightly strained voice before sitting again.

"Very well," said Ava. "Then we'll start with your proposal for us." She nodded. "What does an enemy who once tried for my life have to request of me?"

Amelia stood again and stared directly at the Empress. "As Margaret has surely told you previously, me and my comrades were attacked recently by unknown agents thought to be of the EU." She closed her eyes. "We're unsure of the reason for this attack, but we were ill prepared for it. We couldn't survive another."

"So, we're expected to shield our enemy now?" Weinberg started in a low voice, a smirk on his face. "Isn't that a little much to ask?"

"It would be if we didn't offer something in return," said Amelia in a low voice.

"What is it you're offering then, Miss Gottwald?" asked Ava directly.

"The two of us have agreed to fight for Britannia against the EU," said Amelia. "We offer you our battle tested abilities."

"Two girls, one of which has a broken arm," started the rough looking Waldstein. "What exactly could that possibly be worth to us?"

"I also have another proposal," said Amelia in a low voice. "If the Empress will allow us, I'd like an opportunity for Miya and I to speak with the imprisoned leadership of Absolution. I'd like to convince them to temporarily join your cause."

"You are the daughter of Absolution's leader, are you not?" started Ava in a low voice.

"Correct," said Amelia.

"So, just 'cuz you got attacked and got nowhere to go you think daddy's going to change sides for you?" the rough looking Cross said in a harsh voice.

"I wouldn't be willing to give up on my ideals if I didn't at least partly understand the situation," said Amelia, glancing at Margaret. With her at her side she could stand the gaze of even this crowd. "I know things aren't exactly as they seem. I know something of the threat the EU poses. I know that you lack the manpower to defeat them as you are."

"Yes, the conclusions you and Margaret apparently arrived on together are a chief part of our own understanding," said Ava. "The war between us and the EU is now official and it's a bleak outlook at the moment. Having a boost to our core unit is an attractive proposition."

"But is it even right to trust these people who are our enemies?" asked Waldstein. "If Gottwald agrees to help and we let him out of his cell, what if he then betrays us?"

"I trust this girl's words," said Moore suddenly. "She earnestly wishes to help us. I also trust that her father will not betray her earnest desires."

"Can you really say that about a father who trained his child to be an assassin?" Astrid started then, much to Amelia's surprise. Her friend seemed a lot different than last they met. She was a lot sharper and more direct.

"I speak from having met Jeremiah Gottwald before, not anything else," said Moore in a low voice. "Though he was surely different then, he is at his core a man of loyalties. I doubt this would have changed."

"But isn't a man of loyalties the last you'd expect to lend his enemy a hand?" started Gino Weinberg with a nod.

"That much all depends on what exactly it is the guy's loyal to" said Cross in a cool voice.

"Explain yourself," said Ava, not following.

"Loyalty's a funny thing. It can really drive a man in strange ways. This dude is loyal, but to what? He's a father, so there's obviously family. He took up arms against the Empress here, so there'll be loyalty to ideals as well. But the passion in fighting for that ideal, the fact that he thought he needed to fight as he did, that his ideal was right for Britannia, proves he's loyal to this country on some level as well," said Cross in an easy voice. "It's just my thoughts, but I fought the dude. I don't see him as the type who'd abandon all of Britannia to those fuckers in the EU."

Amelia was taken aback by the man's attitude but didn't press it.

"Those seem like good points," said Ava with a nod. "It remains that Wilde has yet to be able to replicate Jeremiah Gottwald's Geass-canceller. That device could be absolutely crucial given our enemy."

"You don't know how true that is," said Waldstein in a harsh voice.

"There were things you wished to report to me, weren't there, Lady Waldstein?" started Ava in a low voice.

"There are," said Waldstein in a cold voice. "But I don't believe it's something for our enemies to hear."

"Miss Ashford and Miss Gottwald shall be our allies for now," said Ava. "Regardless of what Jeremiah Gottwald may say, Lord Moore is right in saying that we can trust these two."

"Very well," said Waldstein. "If they must stay..."

"That much is their choice," said Ava. "We are to discuss the recent battle against Japan. Do the two of you to partake?"

"I would," said Amelia readily.

"Me too," Miya started.

"Very well," said Ava in a steady voice. "You may speak, Lady Waldstein. Perhaps explain to me what has happened to your eye."

"My Geass," said Hildegarde. "It's reached an evolved state. Taking off this patch will throw me into an endless world of memories. I saw a lot there."

"Go on," said Ava nodding.

"The kidnapped witch, D.D. acts willingly in service of our enemy, completing contracts on a single word," the knight continued in a spiteful voice.

"No surprise. Unlike Gottwald, loyalty is not something that woman even knows," said the Empress quietly.

"She acts willingly, but others do not," said Waldstein. "The enemy uses downright disgusting tactics to secure it's pilots. Threats of deadly violence and at the worst... what can only be called brainwashing."

"Such things... their soldiers are really so unwilling?" started Gino Weinberg, taken aback.

"The pilot of the unit I confronted was called Marcella Belita but this was not her true name," said Waldstein, a sudden foreign emotion entering her strong eyes. "I learned this from her memories and confirmed it via those of the pilot of the unit who flew along side her, Chiharu Ohgi."

Amelia's eyes went wide.

"Wait? Why would a Japanese girl fly against her country?" started Ava immediately surprised.

"That's hardly the question, Ava," said Astrid forcefully. "I know Chiharu Ohgi well. Such actions clearly go completely against everything I know her to believe in."

"I agree," said Amelia. "I also know Chiharu very well. She'd never fight against Japan."

"I saw her memories. The enemy has her intimidated. Her and that mercenary woman who flew with us for a while, Subarashii are in the enemy's grasp. They fear the power of one woman who seems to be in control. It was clear they were being threatened with deadly violence, that only a drive to somehow break out was keeping them from taking their own lives," said Waldstein in a cold voice.

"That's terrible," said Ava deliberately, clearly saddened. "To think fate would deal Megami such a cruel hand once more..."

"So, what of the Marcella Belita? What did you mean when you said that isn't her name?" asked Margaret in a clear voice.

"I saw myself in the girl's memories," said Waldstein simply, somberly.

"What does that mean?" asked Astrid, nodding.

"I saw a scene involving myself play out. One that involved no one by the name of 'Marcella Belita'. One that only one person should have had memories of," said Waldstein, a lot of emotion in the back of her throat.

"So, this is your case of brainwashing then?" started Ava. "You said you confirmed it?"

"I saw the girl face to face in Ohgi's memories. Marcella Belita was the very same girl I knew, former prisoner of Britannia, Yasuko Tohdoh," said Waldstein, her strength wavering.

Amelia's eyes widened again.

"You mean the prisoner girl from the tower... the one who saved you...?" Margaret started, giving a gulp.

"She was killed in the New Pendragon prisoner exchange disaster," said Astrid in a cold voice.

"She should have been," said Waldstein. "But sure enough, I saw her. She was different. She wore a computerized visor and held herself differently, but I knew this girl well. It was her."

"I do not doubt you," said Ava in a faint voice. "I only wonder why should the enemy be forced to use such means to secure pilots."

"It does seem a little far to go, especially for a fairly unknown girl, of no real renown as a pilot," said Margaret, nodding quietly.

"That such a pilot can match Waldstein now, proves she is no longer quite the same," said Moore. "With this visor Waldstein has mentioned I am lead to believe she's been enhanced."

"You mean like me?" Cross started up, smiling.

"A strong possibility," Gino Weinberg sighed.

"So now they got brainwashed cyborgs and Geass users?" Margaret said, hanging her head. "And here I thought things would look better when we talked things out..."

"Every one of you encountered at least one Geass user, did you not?" started Ava in a ready voice.

"Yes. Our former Knight of Eight, Regina Granville was my opponent and she has in fact been given a fear-based Geass if Llewellyn here can be believed," Weinberg said, nodding to the male soldier behind him.

"Chiharu Ohgi is a confirmed Geass user, as is Megami Subarashii, who I confirmed to be in the enemy's control," said Waldstein. "Additionally, I witnessed as Marcella Belita was about to be given her Geass. There were two other men in that memory who I suspect have been given Geass that match none of the descriptions of known Geass users given so far. And I saw one more confirmed Geass user; a peculiarly hollow pale girl."

"The last could potentially have been my opponent," said Astrid, nodding. "I didn't see her, but the why she carried herself could only be called hollow."

"I fought the horse guy who attacked Miya. He's clearly mental, but his Geass is dangerous if you're not prepared for it," said Margaret with a steady nod.

"Heh, thanks for kicking his ass for me, Margaret," Miya chimed in playfully. Margaret smiled.

"The man I fought had a fearsome Geass that could tear a wavering man to shreds," said Moore coldly. "He was a passionate man dressed as a priest. Deranged, clearly not all there."

Miya took on another shocked expression. "That sounds like the guy who hurt Cynthia..." she said in a soft voice.

"Y-you don't say..." Moore started, looking down. It was beyond simple irony now. Amelia wondered if this didn't have to be the machinations of some sort of advanced fate.

"Both those champion guys had Geass too, as I've explained before," Cross returned things to point.

"Right, and if two of the four champions have Geass, the other two must as well," said Gino nodding.

"Additionally, we have Mother's opponent, the former Knight of Six, who's also now a Geass user," said Margaret in a low voice.

"So that makes a total of fourteen likely Geass users in our enemy's possession," said Ava nodding at the information.

"Fifteen actually," Waldstein corrected. "There's one more person who has Geass in that vision I saw. The enemy leader."

"Belisario Nemesio is a Geass user?" Ava started, her eyes going wise.

"He's not the leader I'm talking about," said the woman in a cool voice. "This wasn't a person of official capacity as far as I could tell, but there was never any doubt that she was in control. She was the one who Chiharu Ohgi was in fear of. She was the one who told the witch what to do. She is the person pulling the strings at least on some level."

"What can you say of this woman?" asked Ava, suddenly very curious.

"Her name," said Waldstein closing her eye.

"You have such information and you've withheld it until now?" Ava started, shocked and excited.

"The name that belongs to our enemy is Deifilia Amarantha," Waldstein said, uttering the name in a loathing fashion.

"Deifilia Amarantha?!" Ava exclaimed, her eyes going wide.

"Do you know the name, Empress?" asked Weinberg.

"I... I don't know..." said Ava in a strange voice. "It seems vaguely familiar..."

"Tell us what you can about this Amarantha?" asked Moore of Waldstein.

"She's an ethereal beauty by appearances alone. Blonde. In terms of personality, she seemed deceptively placid whenever is suited her," said the Knight of Four nodding.

"Very well," said Ava. "I think there are some documents I should look over. This meeting can be dismissed."

"Empress?" Margaret started, nodding toward Amelia.

"Yes. Please escort Miss Ashford and Miss Gottwald to the prison," said Ava with a nod.

"Right!" started Margaret brightly.

The meeting soon dispersed.

* * *

Kallen Kozuki had a strong expression on her face as she approached the camp site her group had set up. They had fled Japan. Everywhere was enemy territory. It was easier to hide in a more open territory like the Federation than a closed off territory like Japan. Still, they needed to decide where to go from here.

"God, why do things keep getting worse and worse. It's totally fucked up..." Chaowei complained from where he sat by a fire.

"It could be worse you know," said Katsumi in a soft voice. "We're all still alive, we have _Guren_ and we have the Crown Princess of Britannia as our prisoner."

"The entire world is now covered in hostile territory and you think any of that honestly softens the blow?" Hiromi scoffed. She had been even more jaded since her rescue. It was hard for Kallen to believe her story that Chiharu had betrayed Japan, but if it was true, she could understand how the girl felt.

"It is at least something," said Xuemei. "Not enough to do a lot, but the Princess and the _Guren _are worthy bargaining chips."

"I love how you guys talk about me like I'm an object..." the princess, Eilith vol Britannia started sarcastically. "It's just great."

The girl was strange. Kallen had met a number of Britannian royals over the years and they always carried themselves in a particular way that this girl didn't. She seemed a lot more natural, a lot more affable. She wasn't being bound or forced into anything. She could run away at any time, but for some reason she seemed content to stay their prisoner. Likely she was just weighing the threat they posed against that posed by the EU occupiers, in which case she was just being smart, but at times it felt like she honestly desired to help them.

"You have the royal blood of our true enemy in your veins. It takes every ounce of my strength to refrain from killing you," Hiromi snapped harshly at the woman.

"Most of you guys seem pretty cool, but this one seriously needs to ease up," said the princess. "No one's ever going to fall for you if all you do is snap everyone's head off when you open your mouth."

"Silence! I don't need to hear that from you, scum!" Hiromi shouted, pulling out a gun and pointing it at the girl. Kallen quickly restrained her and took it from her.

"The Princess is right, Hiromi. It would be a lot easier for us if you didn't have to be so tense," said Kallen with a nod. "The situation is bleak, but we don't need to be reminded of this constantly. It speaks for itself."

"We should be considering were to go from here," said Xuemei. "They'll find us eventually."

"I wonder just what we could extort from Britannia for the Princess here," said Katsue. "You're right, Hiromi in saying it won't be be enough to change anything, but we're going to have to start somewhere. This provides a door in."

"You're suggesting we go to Britannia?" started Xuemei with a nod.

"Why bother? If we'r'e going to deal with an enemy why not just use the closer one?" Hiromi started cynically.

"Britannia is not our chief enemy anymore," said Katsue. "That may be hard to hear, but it's true."

"Agreed. The EU are our occupiers," said Xuemei. "In the war between them and Britannia we'd wish to see the latter win."

"But getting safely to Britannia..." Kallen started in a low voice.

"Will not be easy," started the Princess is a cool voice. "We're going to need some real luck if we're going to do it."

"Aren't you our prisoner?" Chaowei started. "What're you doing acting like a part of the group."

"You needed all the help you can get it," said the girl. "Besides, as these two just agreed, I'm not your true enemy at the moment."

"You're still an enemy," said Xuemei pointedly.

"Whatever you say," the princess sighed.

"But she is right," Katsue spoke. "This really isn't going to be easy by any stretch. it's not like we can all fit into the _Guren_."

"We just have to stay confident. It's difficult, but not an impossible situation," said Kallen with a nod.

"Right," said the princess. "It's possible to get anywhere with a little effort and a lot of luck."

"Is it even worth it?" Hiromi grumbled darkly.

"Don't you want to find out why?" asked the princess. "You could throw your life away, but that wouldn't give you any answers really."

"What give you the idea you even have the right to talk to me like that, prisoner?!" Hiromi roared, angrily.

"I don't hate you," said the girl. "I have the right to, considering your own sins, but I don't." She closed her eyes.

"What are you talking about?!" Hiromi snapped.

"Heh," the princess spoke, sighing and lying back into the grass. "I probably wouldn't have been pushed to fight if it weren't for you, Hiromi Tohdoh. I should curse you for that, I could have set my eyes on revenge but I haven't. I can't bring myself to blame you.."

"You..." Hiromi seemed surprised. For once she looked to be at a loss, as if she was remembering something somber. "I had forgotten that detail."

"As you should. A good fighter doesn't see his opponent as a man, just a beast to put down," the princess said coolly. ".?docid=17745153That's what the man who taught me to fight told me at least."

"Strange wisdom for a Princess to share," said Katsue, surprised.

"I've only been a Princess so long," the girl shrugged and smiled. She was wonderfully relaxed given her situation. She was definitely an odd girl. "Guess I don't fit the part."

"How can you not want to kill me?" Hiromi asked, directly, her voice cold and somber.

"War isn't a personal thing, not to me at least. It's about the whole force, not a single person," the Princess spoke quietly. "Losing sight of this, things just get ugly. Why take the actions of a soldier out on them when it's a superior's orders their following through?"

"But it's their choice to follow the orders!" Hiromi started. "If they don't agree with them, why do they fight on that side?!"

"Because they think they have to," said the Britannian. "It's hard to know things you don't know and it's wrong to fill what you don't know in with spite. Everyone has fears, dreams and hopes that are a major part of them. Difficult decisions are made sometimes according to them."

"But..." Hiromi started but stopped herself. She looked as if she wasn't sure what to say. She was lost in thought.

"You're an interesting girl," said Kallen to the Princess. "Nothing like any Britannian raised among the royal family whom I've met."

"Yeah, you're kind of cool for a Britannian, Princess Eilith," said Katsumi with a nod.

"Thanks, I guess," the girl laughed and sat up.

"Your name was the final word to leave her lips," Hiromi said in a very low, deliberate voice.

Eilith closed her eyes. In a heavy voice she spoke. "Thank you for telling me."

Strong blood made for strong people. There was no stronger bloodline than that of the Britannian royals. Sure, even such a strong line was occasionally marred by foolish children, but it had to be for the truly remarkable ones to step out of it. The iron-fisted Charles, the masterful and elegant Schneizel, the gentle strength of Nunnally, the warrior's passion behind Cornelia, the reckless boldness of the current Empress, and of course Lelouch, who not enough could be said about. This girl, this "lost princess" showed signs of being a worthy addition to the group.

Reflecting on it more, Kallen supposed the same could be said of a couple other "lost princesses", even if she was determined to keep them "lost". Regardless, after her talk with Hiromi, Kallen was positive this princess would be an asset to them if they were going to survive in this hostile world.

* * *

"Heh, well that was a kind of surprising meeting," said Margaret in a low voice, as she looked to either side, at the two girls walking along side her through the Britannian military prison. Miya glanced at her. It certainly had been.

"That's something of an understatement," said Amelia. "Chiharu Ohgi is flying to the EU, as is Hiromi's sister only as a brainwashed cyborg? I still find that hard to even legitimately believe."

"I know Hildegarde," said Margaret. "She's very honest. Her Geass is no joke either."

"Then I suppose it's all true," said Amelia sighing. "Poor Chiharu. This Deifilia Amarantha must have some serious threats at her disposal."

Miya was less concerned with Chiharu then she should be. Instead other details of the meeting were racing through her mind ad nauseam. Specifically her mind was on Cynthia and her father. Her savior had turned out to be Niles Moore. Cynthia's savior had turned out to be the very man she had swore to kill. Moore had even gotten a hand on the creep who messed Cynthia up. It was becoming hard to hate him. It was becoming hard to see the monster Cynthia did.

What if Cynthia was wrong? What if this was a man who had made some simple mistakes? What if this was a man who earnestly desired and deserved redemption? What if Niles Moore didn't deserve to die? Could their relationship maybe be salvaged. Miya hoped so. Thinking about it, she smiled.

"Your father's cell is up here," said Margaret in a low voice to Amelia, bringing Miya back to focus. "Should we speak with him first?"

"If we get his approval, the others should be easy enough," said Amelia nodding.

"Right. I agree," said Margaret in a quiet voice. They walked a little longer and then stopped before a heavy metal door. Jeremiah Gottwald had obviously been given the strongest cell they had to constrain his powerful body. There were no bars or anything. No windows to the outside.

"Let's go in." Amelia said, looking clearly anxious.

"Right. I'll go first," said Margaret, readying the key she had been given. She unlocked the door slowly and stepped inside.

"Jeremiah Gottwald, you have visitors," she said in a strong voice as Miya walked in, Amelia behind her. Miya looked around. It was a mid-sized cell, sparse but fairly well-kept. Mr. Gottwald was unrestrained. The cell walls were so thick even he would not be unable to get through them. There was a special mechanism in the door which allowed food to be placed into the room without a guard having to open it and enter.

"Odd? What's this about?" the man spoke, standing, clearly surprised to see others walk right into his cell for once. His surprise only grew when Miya and Amelia stepped forward.

"We're here to talk with you, father," Amelia said in a soft voice, looking nervous.

"A-Amelia...?" Gottwald spoke in a stunned voice, stepping forward and instantly embracing the girl. Amelia teared up. Miya smiled at the scene.

"Father..." Amelia cooed softly, looking greatly relaxed. Gottwald let go and backed off.

"I don't understand, what is this? Why is your arm...?" he trailed off as he examined the girl's cast-clad arm. "Why would the two of you be here, and who is this? An ally?"

"I am Margaret Enneagram, the Britannian Knight of Nine," Margaret said in a strong voice, nodding.

"Heh, so not an ally," Gottwald said looking down. "Then I suppose this visit isn't good news."

"Father, a lot has happened in the world since you were taken prisoner," Amelia started in a very sloe voice.

"Is your mother alright?" the man asked directly.

"She's well," said Amelia. "She sent the two of us to speak in her stead."

"It's good to hear as much," Gottwald spoke. "But I must have some answers. Why does the top prisoner in Britannian custody suddenly get alloted the luxury of a visit by his own daughter?"

"The war, no, the face of the entire world has changed," said Amelia quietly. "Just recently the Chinese Federation and Japan have been conquered."

"So, Britannia has secured a sure victory then?" Gottwald said in a low voice.

"On the contrary, Britannia is at this moment fighting a losing war," said Amelia quietly.

"Your words contradict themselves," the man said slowly, not following.

"Not when you know that it wasn't Britannia that laid conquest to Japan and the Federation," said Amelia in a steady voice.

"Then who? The EU?" Gottwald started, legitimately surprised.

"Correct," said Amelia.

"The EU had been gradually militarizing despite the peace, but to think they could..." Gottwald started deliberately. "No, it's impossible. Even with a superior force, for the EU to conquer the entirety of the Chinese Federation in a matter of only months isn't conceivable possible."

"The EU has gotten a hold of weapons of a truly tide-turning nature," said Amelia.

"No... You don't mean F.L.E.I.J.A.?" Gottwald started, looking shaken.

"Actually, I don't," said Amelia in a drained voice.

"Then what?" started the man, perplexed.

"Geass," said Amelia simply. The man's eyes widened at the name.

"The EU has a Geass user as well now?" he grumbled.

"No. The EU has a Geass giver now," said Amelia. "The one who had given the Britannian Empress her Geass has been kidnapped by them."

"So, they have more than one user than..." Gottwald spoke, fully aware of what this could mean.

"They have, at minimum, 15 that we know about," said Amelia in a ready voice. Shock was on the man's face.

"Fifteen?!" he started. "That's... that's absurd."

"It's true," Margaret interjected. "The simple fact of the matter is that our force is waning; that the world is on the verge of falling completely into the EU's hands."

"And why am I being informed of this? Why is my daughter allowed to appear before me?" asked the man, looking up at Margaret.

Amelia answered him. "I've decided to temporarily fight for Britannia against this threat, father. I come to ask you do the same."

"My own daughter asks me to lift a sword for that Empress who destroyed the world my master sacrificed himself to create?" started Gottwald.

"I know it's a hard decision to make," said Amelia. "But the Empress will allow you your freedom should you accept the offer."

"What does your mother say of this?" asked the man sternly.

"She'll fight for any cause you do," Amelia said, closing her eyes.

"I see," said Gottwald, studying the girl again. His eyes stopped at her arm. "What happened to you?"

"Just recently EU assassins made an attempt on my life," said Amelia. "I was shot three times by a Geass user. I would have died if this knight... if Margaret hadn't saved my life."

The man looked up at the red haired girl. "I owe you a debt, I suppose."

"Miya and Cynthia were attacked too. It was clear that they were trying to eliminate what remained of Absolution," said Amelia quietly.

"Surprising considering we're enemies of the Empress?" the man started. "But it gives me proper motivation."

"Father?" Amelia started in a low voice.

"I pledged my life to that man, to Lelouch vi Britannia. I would protect his ideals," said the man with a laugh. "World domination by a single power which stands on propagating that infernal power known as Geass is easily more of an offense to those ideals than Ava li Britannia ever was." He closed his eyes. "And if they are stupid enough to strike at my daughter and her friends than that only seals what must be done."

"You'll fight with us then?" asked Amelia.

"Of course, my daughter," the man said. Amelia smiled.

"I will inform the Empress of your decision," said Margaret. "You should be cleared to leave by tonight."

"I still find it alarming I'm just being allowed to walk out, Knight," the man spoke in a low voice.

"Even if you betrayed your daughters earnest desire to help us, another enemy wouldn't make things any bleaker than they already are," said Margaret quietly.

"I see," the man replied. "Is the same deal to be made with the others?"

"It is," said Margaret. "In fact, we should be headed that way now."

"Of course. My child is not the only one who wished to see a parent's face today, I'm sure," the man said, glancing at Miya. Miya smiled. Even with all the Cynthia related mess in her head, she was honestly looking forward to seeing her mothers again.

"See ya later, father," Amelia waved and smiled. The three of them left the cell readily after that.

"The other four Absolution leaders are being kept in two normal adjoining cells further up this corridor," said Margaret, putting her knowledge of the prison to use. The group moved swiftly through the hall, mostly silent. Amelia wouldn't stop smiling.

Soon, they reached the cells they were looking for. It was two cells right next to each other, just as Margaret had said. One contained Anya and Nina, the other Milly and Cecile. Miya ran toward them.

"Mom!" she started, smiling and waving to both of her parents. All four women looked up.

"M-Miya?!" Milly and Nina started at all but the same time, completely stunned.

"Amelia... you're here too?" Anya spoke, tilting her head and smiling at the girl she had always treated as a younger sister.

"What's going on?" Nina asked. "No, don't tell me the two of you got caught too...?"

"Wrong!" Miya chimed with a toothy grin.

Milly looked over at Margaret. "I've seen this girl before; she's a schoolmate of yours, isn't she?"

"Yep, Margaret Enneagram," Miya said with a nod. "She's really cool."

"She's the daughter of one of the Rounds," said Nina in a low voice.

"Actually, she's a Knight of the Rounds herself now," Miya started with a consistent nod.

"Why do you come to us with a Knight of the Rounds, Miya?" started Cecile, as confused as anyone.

"Easy! I'm here to let you all go free!" Miya started cheerfully.

"We're being released? I find that hard to believe," said Anya, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes.

"Yup! All you have to do is agree to support Britannia now!" Miya started as exuberant as ever.

"W-what?!" Milly started, everyone else was just as shocked.

"Miya, that's not... why would you even suggest that?" Nina asked, looking worried.

"Come on! Me and Amelia are helping out," Miya started with a light pout.

"You'd really betray us... your father?" started Anya in a gentle voice.

"Actually, just now father agreed to help us," said Amelia in a low voice.

"W-WHAT?!" Milly exclaimed again. She wasn't the only one confused either.

"Why would the leader of Absolution suddenly decided to join up with Britannia?" asked Cecile, her voice very low and placed.

"To prevent the world from slipping into darkness," said Margaret in a deliberate voice.

"What does that mean?" asked Anya, concerned.

"The EU has conquered nearly all of Asia, the Federation having fallen to them," said Amelia. "Their sights are now on Britannia."

"Their forces are buffered with innumerable uses of the ability known as Geass. They have Britannia overwhelmed and facing sure defeat," Margaret added. "At this rate, within a month, the entire world will be under singular rule by the EU."

Things were silent after that. Anya was the first to speak. "Then there is no other choice. Such a thing must be stopped."

"Yeah," said Milly. "I may disagree with the Empress, but I'm still a Britannian. I don't want to see my country overrun by another."

"We'll join you, Miya," said Nina. "If that's truly the situation, it's the only choice to be made."

"Agreed. We'll do what we can," said Cecile smiling.

"Very well," Margaret spoke. "I'll inform the Empress of your decision. Someone will be by to release you some time tonight."

Miya smiled lovingly at both of her mothers. It was a reassuring thing to see them again. It convinced her she was wrong to worry so much about Cynthia. Things would surely work themselves out soon enough.

* * *

Ava sat in the castle study, madly searching through document after document. Deifilia Amarantha. Why did that name sound familiar to her? it was an unusual name, but even if she had come across it in some book, why should she recall it over any other name? Still, something about it felt eerily familiar. She was determined to find out why. It was only that she couldn't find it. Nowhere. She wasn't sure where to look exactly, but that was no excuse.

A knock came from the door. She turned back. "Yes?" she started.

"It's me, Ava," a soft, beautiful voice that she knew all too well reached her ears. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," said Ava readily. The door opened and Astrid walked in quietly.

"You've certainly been busy here," Astrid giggled examining the disheveled books all about the study, left by Ava in her frantic search.

"Yes..." Ava said, sighing. "But still no luck."

"Are you sure you know this name?" asked Astrid in a soft voice. "You could have been mistaken."

"I could have been," said Ava. "But I have this hunch that I'm not. I just know I've seen that name in writing somewhere."

"But you don't remember where?" asked Astrid. "You don't honestly recall even what sort of source it was in?"

Ava stopped to think. She had been trying to place it all day, ever since she had abruptly dismissed that meeting to seek it out, but her memories were fuzzy. She tried desperately to recall the name as she had seen it.

"If I had to guess, I'd say something handwritten actually..." Ava started, surprised with herself. "But I'm not even sure as that."

"A letter maybe, or a note," said Astrid thinking. "Some sort of report..."

"I'm a fool," said Ava, something finally snapping inside of her. The name finally becoming clear through the fog of her memory. "It's not something I'd ever find here."

"What are you saying?" asked Astrid, tilting her head.

"The name was written in my mother's handwriting," Ava said, closing her eyes.

Astrid's eyes showed surprise. "So yo mean you'd have to return to you father's manor."

"I've been wanting to visit him for a while now as it is," said Ava in a low voice. "Now that I understand him better, there are certain things I've wanted to say."

"I'll accompany you," said Astrid. "As your knight, it's best I never leave your side."

"A-alright..." Ava gulped. Did Astrid intend for her to tell her father about the two of them while she was at it. Even if she wasn't one to seek the approval of others, saying such things to her father was sure to be awkward.

"Great," said Astrid. "So shall we leave now?"

"Tomorrow," said Ava in a soft, lightly emotional voice. Her father deserved time to prepare himself for the encounter. "It's important, but it can wait a day. It's already too late for such a thing."

"I see, Ava," said Astrid smiling. "How considerate of you."

"You really can see through me," Ava sighed.

"Of course. I couldn't call myself your lover if I couldn't," the girl giggled. Ava grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her in.

"I'm more than grateful that you can then," she cooed before kissing the girl sweetly. Astrid giggled and initiated another kiss, this one longer.

* * *

Cynthia Moore wore an empty expression as she stared ahead at a small television screen in her apartment, not really watching it but making Sayoko Gottwald think that she was. It was succeeding as the woman paid her no mind. She was succeeding in making them all believe she was better. She wasn't.

No, she could still see it all. When she closed her eyes, when she went to sleep, all she saw was that hell, that image of her father transformed into a true monster, multiplied to infinity chopping into her flesh again and again, only to in the end do the same to an effigy of Cynthia's mother. It had only become more violent, disturbed and twisted. Her mind visited it constantly as she sat and thought. The boundless desire for blood screamed inside her so loudly she could hardly contain it.

The door began to unlock and open. Sayoko's hand went to her thigh, to where she kept her knives, just in case something was amiss. It wasn't. Amelia Gottwald and Miya Ashford were the ones who walked in. Sayoko relaxed.

"Welcome back," she said with a smile to her daughter. "What's the news?"

"Father has agreed to help them," said Amelia. "Once we laid it all out onto the table with the Britannian's, we has a solid case that no one with an investment in this world could refuse. Naturally, the others will be released too."

"I see," Sayoko said. "If that's how it is, I will offer my assistance as well."

"Of course, mother," Amelia said. "But, anyway, we should probably leave."

"Now? But why?" started Sayoko. Amelia glanced at Miya.

"I think it's best we give an opportunity for Miya to explain everything to Cynthia personally," said Amelia, smiling.

"I see," said Sayoko. "I suppose that would be best." She then stopped for a moment's thought. "But where are we headed? I've been sleeping here since you've been in the hospital."

"Britannia is providing housing for us," said Amelia. "I've been given an address."

"Understood," said Sayoko. "Let's go then."

"Bye guys," Amelia waved to Cynthia and Miya. Then they were gone.

"So, Miya," asked Cynthia presenting a soft smile. "I suppose everything turned out good then?"

"Yeah," said Miya. "My parents were really happy to see me. It was pretty nice."

"I can imagine," Cynthia said with a giggle. She couldn't imagine. All she could see was her parents. She held a desperate wish that she could escape their image but she couldn't. It haunted her.

"It was kinda nice seeing the Empress and Astrid again too. They've really changed," said Miya. "It'll be kind of different working with them this time, but for the safety of the world as a whole, it's the best option."

"Yeah. I agree," said Cynthia with a smile. "it's clearly the best option."

It was. It definitely was. Cynthia's heart still rejected it. It meant working with him.

"I'm glad you're willing to accept it now," said Miya, smiling softly. "It's proof that your condition has really improved."

Cynthia felt sorry for the girl. Improved? She wasn't any better. She didn't want to trouble this girl, the one precious thing she had. That's all it was. If she had remembered what it was to be normal sooner she would have started this charade then. As it was, only now could she force the cute, girlish smiles and giggles that this girl expected from her.

"It's all because I have you to take care of me, Miya," Cynthia said in a high voice, smiling.

"Aww," Miya said, blushing. "I'm happy to help. I really do love seeing you smile again."

"I like it when you smile too," said Cynthia softly, extending a hand to touch the girl's cheek. It was warm. Cynthia found herself smiling.

"I saw him today.." Miya spoke in a low voice suddenly. "Your father..."

Suddenly, Miya's cheek felt cold. Cynthia was to pull her hand away and scream when she remembered that would break the act. She didn't want to hurt Miya, at least while she could avoid it.

"Of course you did. He's one of the Rounds. You were always going to see him if you went there with Amelia," said Cynthia, still forcing her smile steady.

"I suppose your right," said Miya. "Still, it was strange sitting at the table with him, knowing you so well."

"Yeah?" Cynthia started, tilting her head.

"Are you sure you're right about him?" Miya asked in a soft voice. "Maybe once we all start working together, you can let yourself try and understand him a little better?"

Cynthia almost lost it. This was her Miya, her precious one, saying such impossible things. That man was a fiend. A beast. He needed to be purged from existence. There was no understanding. There was no mending anything. There was just Cynthia's bullet finding the back of his skull.

But she had promised herself. She would only show Miya this calculated kindness. She wouldn't worry the girl her heart wished it could truly love. Even so, she couldn't say it. Something told her that Miya didn't legitimately expect it though.

"I don't think I can do that, Miya," she said in a heavy voice. Miya's hand grabbed her own. It was warm.

"I thought you'd say that," said Miya in a soft voice. "And I know I shouldn't say anything more on the matter."

"Thank you," Cynthia said, her voice becoming weak.

"Say, Cynthia, do you remember that day when we were attacked? Before all the bad stuff happened?" asked Miya in an uncharacteristically flustered voice.

"Of course I do Miya," said Cynthia. "Had things been different it could have been one of the happiest days of my life."

"I still feel the same as I did then," said Miya softly. "Today, I even told Margaret and Amelia as much."

"You're so sweet, Miya," Cynthia giggled. She then suddenly pulled Miya forcefully toward her, on top of her where she sat on the couch. Cynthia kissed the girl fully, eventually allowing her tongue to enter the girl's lips. Miya's eyes were wide when their lips parted.

"Wow, Cynthia..." she started. "I guess someone's in an excitable mood."

"Allow me to please you, Miya," Cynthia started, holding the girl close. She needed the girl's warmth. It would fuel her. It would make it possible for her to go on.

"You're really not pulling any punches, are you?" Miya giggled cutely. "Not that I mind. You're really the one for me. Why on earth should I even try and resist when it's you?"

Cynthia giggled and stood. She pulled Miya up as well. "I don't deserve to hear such things from you," she said as she led the girl to the bed and say down there, Miya sitting beside her.

"Yeah. You really do," said Miya before kissing Cynthia again. It was like electricity. Cynthia flared with desire to ravage the other girl so completely. Her hands went to Miya's small chest and began to playfully knead it. Soon she was pulling the girl's shirt up over her head. Seeing so much soft pale flesh revealed to her left her lost in excitement. She bent in to kiss hard at Miya's neck while her hands explored the girl's torso, eventually moving to her back where they briefly fought the clasp of the girl's bra, rewarding Cynthia with an even more alluring sight when it fell to the floor.

"So beautiful," said Cynthia her hand rubbing at one of Miya's small but sensitive breasts until the nipple hardened completely under her touch. It was so wonderfully erect. Cynthia had to taste it.

"I'm glad you think so," Miya giggled. "I know I'm small, but some people like it better that way, right?"

"It's cute," Cynthia said, giggling herself and then bending forward and running her tongue across one of the beautifully erect nipples. She showered it with tongue before taking it fully into her mouth. Miya moaned hard.

"Cynthia..." she started, grasping at the bed. Cynthia licked and sucked harder and faster. She didn't want to hurt Miya, but the urges inside her had become animal-like. Miya's breasts, both of them as once she had satisfactorily tasted the first she switched to the second, were thoroughly covered with saliva. All the while Miya continued to moan in ecstasy.

Cynthia pulled up then and began to kiss the girl hard with her tongue. Miya kissed her back passionately and began to embrace her tightly. Miya's hands wavered over to Cynthia's own chest and began to pat it though her shirt. It felt comfortable having Miya touch her. It was enough to remind Cynthia this wasn't just about her. She pulled back and removed her shirt and then, shortly afterward, her bra.

"But yep, for me bigger is better," Miya giggled before grabbing at Cynthia's sizable bust. "They're really soft and sexy," she laughed as she played with both fleshy mounds under her fingers. It felt good.

"I never really thought of myself as particularly attractive," said Cynthia softly. "But it pleases me to receive praise from you, Miya."

"I'm horribly biased given how much I love you," said Miya, bending forward and placing a kiss at the other's chest. "But I really do think your the sexiest ever."

"Well, thanks," Cynthia said, blushing, feeling almost like her facade was real for a moment.

"Well, that said, excuse me while I get a good taste of these beautiful things," Miya said with a sexual laugh before suddenly taking one of Cynthia's nipples into her mouth. Cynthia moaned. She held Miya's chest to her breast and reveled in the feel of the girl's warm tongue upon her sensitive breast.

"So good," she said as Miya stopped and shifted her attention to the other breast. Cynthia could still feel the cool saliva on her other breast where Miya's tongue had been. It felt nice.

Miya broke contact and began to squeeze the large breasts with her hands while Cynthia bent forward for a kiss. It lasted a long time and felt so right. Cynthia couldn't resist anymore She pushed Miya back onto the bed and crawled over her. She kissed her mouth once more before moving down her neck and chest. Her hands found the girl's pants. She hastily undid the button and Miya assisted her in removing them. Excitedly Cynthia let Miya cute striped panties follow the pants off of her.

"Wow... so this'll be my first time... my heart's really beating..." Miya started in a soft, sweet voice.

"I'll be gentle," Cynthia lied. She wasn't going to be able to fully control herself and she knew it.

"Good," Miya giggled. She then tentatively spread her legs apart in invitation. Cynthia coed and moved in.

Her tongue moved instinctively once she was in position. Its strokes were full and broad at first. Miya cooed in delight as Cynthia's tongue traced through her slit. Cynthia lifted her head and explored the moist organ with a finger briefly. It was so warm and wet. Miya was excited, that much was clear. Cynthia giggled evilly and then returned to pleasuring the girl with her tongue.

Soon Cynthia's composure broke and she was going wild. Her tongue was moving recklessly through the alluring wet opening. It moved swiftly, beyond Cynthia's control touching on every inch of Miya's sensitive sex it could get to. The taste texture and scent were so intoxicating that Cynthia just wanted more. The sloppy sounds of the contact playing harmony with Miya's beautiful moans only pulled her further in.

She needed to feel even more. She pulled back and lifted her hand to the girl's opening once more. She thrust two fingers into the wet opening very suddenly. Miya gave a sharp cry and began to pant as Cynthia pushed past resistance deep into the girl's tight opening. It became even more warm an moist. Miya continued to pant hotly and whimper a little. Cynthia moved her fingers in and out, marveling in the feel of a part of her being surrounded by Miya.

The fingers moved rapidly. She bent in and began to lick at the girl's clit in unison with the thrusts. Miya's moans became higher and more regular. Cynthia's speed and intensity only increased. Miya's whole body began to quiver. Then she cried loudly and fell relaxed onto the bed.

Cynthia removed the fingers and looked at them and the sopping slit she had just thoroughly ravished. There was some blood. Miya hadn't been kidding when she said this was her first time. Evidently she had never even penetrated herself all that deeply while masturbating. Cute. Cynthia giggled and crawled up so they were facing each other.

"You big liar," Miya started in a tired voice. "What about that was gentle?"

"You didn't like it?" Cynthia asked.

"It was painful for a bit but I was already so excited from before... and then it started to get really good," said Miya in a soft voice. "I liked it fine." She giggled before kissing Cynthia's lips.

Cynthia gave a soft laugh. "Feel free to be as rough as you please with me."

"Oh, that's a challenge, isn't it?" Miya giggled mischievously. She sat straight up.

"I'm looking forward to this," Cynthia purred and undid the button on her pants. She began to pull them down her legs. Miya helped her and then climbed on top of her.

The girl's hands went once more to Cynthia's healthy bust and began to grope it hotly. Miya bent down and briefly sucked either breasts hotly into her mouth, lining it with her full tongue, before kissing down Cynthia's stomach. She shivered from anticipation. Miya's hands went to the hem of her pink silk panties and pulled at them, removing them slowly until they were lying on the floor at the foot of the bed. Cynthia cooed suggestively and spread her leg for the girl.

"This is going to be fun," Miya giggled with excitement. Her hands went to Cynthia's thighs, tracing along them as the girl moved into place. One hand then moved to Cynthia's quivering sex. It played at the opening before finding its way inside. Cynthia moaned at the wonderful, electric feel of it. Miya's fingers slid deep inside her with ease and began to move rapidly, further exciting Cynthia until she was absolutely sopping wet. She could hear the lewd sounds of Miya's fingers penetrating her over her hard breaths and moans which alerted her to how truly turned on the girl had her.

Then Miya pulled out, leaving her empty. She replaced her fingers readily with her tongue and began to let it fly rapidly through the wonderfully excited slit. Miya's tongue was like magic. The warmth it filled her with was so fulfilling it made Cynthia's mind go numb. The girl really wasn't taking it easy on her either. She moved incessantly, her tongue showering the full of Cynthia's sex with powerful licks.

Cynthia gave a high moan as the pleasure built inside of her. Miya kept licking. She had so much energy. Her small head bobbed up and down incessantly. Every flicker of tongue was something amazing. It was invigorating. In the midst of the white hot pleasure Cynthia felt complete. She felt as if everything that was broken inside of her was suddenly whole. She never wanted this to end.

She never wanted it to end. Miya's tongue didn't stop moving. She wanted it to never stop. Her moans were becoming higher and heavier. She began to squirm as the pleasure became unbearably strong. She cried as it suddenly spiked and then came flowing out. Amazing warmth swept over her entire body, leaving her so relaxed and refreshed. It was wonderful.

Miya moved up on the bed to lay beside. Her face was wet and dirty with fluid. Cynthia licked around her mouth before kissing her deeply. It was a beautiful kiss. Everything was beautiful.

"That was wonderful, Miya," Cynthia said, stroking the girl's hair.

Miya giggled. "I'm so happy it pleased you."

"You wouldn't have to do much to please me," said Cynthia. "Just always be you. No matter what becomes of me, don't stop being Miya."

"What're you talking about?" Miya asked with a light pout. "Of course I'll always be who I am."

"Then I needn't worry," Cynthia said, smiling.

"I really love you, you know?" Miya started, embracing the other fully.

"I'm thankful to be able to hear those words," Cynthia said. She didn't deserve them.

"You want to continue?" Miya asked suggestively.

"Please," Cynthia started, far from exhausted.

Activity resumed for a long while. That night was beautiful; hauntingly so. Holding Miya was energizing, eye opening. Cynthia really never did want that night to end, for once it did, she'd be empty again. She'd be forced to come face to face with her demons again.

And it did end. Eventually Miya's limitless energy gave. She collapsed on the bed and expressed her pure, innocent love to Cynthia once more before drifting into a sleep. Cynthia felt a pang of guilt.

Her heart beat swiftly and that remorseful feeling only grew and grew as she silently sat up and quickly pulled on her clothes once more. She looked at Miya; she literally glowed in her sleep. Cynthia combed a strand of hair out of the sleeping girl's face and smiled.

"I wish I could love you," she said. "But I now know, I'm not meant for love. Not yet."

Tears left her eyes as she stood. "I'm sorry, Miya." she said in a broken whisper. "Please forgive me." The tears were becoming incessant. "Please wait for me."

Cynthia gulped and collected herself. She moved quietly to the door and opened it. She gave one last look back at the shinning beauty on the bed she fought with herself once more. Maybe this was wrong. Maybe this was stupid. Maybe this beautiful warmth Miya had filled her with was enough. Maybe she should stay by Miya's side after all.

She though these things, but she knew she was only deluding herself. She shook her head and looked forward. She gazed into the darkness in front of her. It was calling to her. She was a fool. She was the monster, the beast now and she knew it. She had let it happen. She knew it. She cursed it. But she couldn't change it. And thus she walked forward, into that darkness, her vision painted red with blood.

A/N: End chapter. This one turned out rather long for having so few scenes. Some of them may have dragged a little, but I thought it was a nice enough chapter. Oh, Cynthia... I wrote this and I feel like yelling at you. Poor Miya. Sex scene was pretty cute though. The Eilith and Hiromi exchange was interesting to write. Most of the chapter was focused on the characters piecing things together and the Absolution people joining the Britannian cause. Kinda cool.

Anyway, as I said, no Extras. Sorry. Also, there was nothing to add to the info page.


	41. Turn 40: A Hope to Cling to

A/N: slight delay, I know. Had my final exams this week to keep me busy. Again, no extras, but I will be doing some soon enough. The semester is done, after all.

Disclaimer: Lucrecia: "The stupid penguin guy doesn't own Code Geass, okay! Just the original characters and stuff! Hmmph!"

She couldn't understand. She just couldn't. Her night had been filled with warmth and magic she seldom thought was possible but upon waking her bed had been nothing but cold and barren. Why? Where did she go? Cynthia...

Miya wasn't crying. Hours had passed into that morning and she had already convinced herself that crying wouldn't accomplish anything. She still felt like crying. Her heart was torn. Broken. She wanted Cynthia to come back to her. She wanted to feel that magic again.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" asked Amelia in a soft voice. Miya wasn't sure. She wasn't sure about anything...

It had been a call from Sayoko that morning that had stirred her from a deep, pleasant sleep. Alarm had entered her immediately at being unable to find her beloved. She had come here, to the estate being alloted Jeremiah Gottwald for so long as he cooperated with Britannia to enlist the help of her friends and companions in finding the girl. Sayoko was still searching, but it seemed hopeless at this point. Cynthia likely disappeared hours ago.

"Yeah... I guess..." Miya lied, gulping hard as she looked at the other. She looked up at her mothers, who sat beside her, having been trying to console her for some time now. Jeremiah Gottwald stood a distance away, looking out a window.

"Cynthia Moore..." this man spoke. "I struggle to remember that girl's file. As one of the handpicked early agents of Absolution, I wonder who it was who found the girl and brought her to us?"

"Does that much matter?" asked Milly in a quiet voice. "The girl was one of us and now she's gone."

"Absolution was formed to put this world on the right path once more. In the meantime that means cooperation with Britannia," Gottwald spoke. "An agent who shares our ideals should realize this immediately."

"I believe it was Maldini who submitted the girl's name as a worthy candidate," said Nina in a low voice.

"I suppose that only makes sense," said Gottwald. "A man who used us only to fulfill his own personal desires would have no need to screen others to see if they fit our ideals."

"It wasn't a mistake... Cynthia was one of us..." Miya said in a weak voice. "That hasn't changed."

"All the same, as there was no signs of forced entry, the girl has likely willingly abandoned us," said the man. Miya felt a pain in her heart.

"I don't think it was her either," said Amelia. "Her mentality was disturbed in the recent attack. She's probably just confused. Fighting alongside her, I never knew her as anything but a true agent of Absolution."

"It's hard to know people," said Gottwald in a deliberate voice. "Especially when it comes to their darkest thoughts and desires. That attack might have changed the girl, but it could have been heading toward this all along."

"Cynthia..." Miya muttered to herself. Nina gently stroked her back for comfort. "What did all that mean...?"

"I just can't believe Cynthia would hold a desire for personal revenge closer to her heart than the safety of the world as a whole," Amelia said in a quiet voice. "There has to be something else to this."

"And if there isn't?" Gottwald started. "If Cynthia Moore becomes our enemy?"

Amelia glanced at Miya and didn't say anything. Miya looked up fragilely. She thought, strangely as it was, about Ava. That Princess who was hard to figure out, harder to approach, but had always seemed to have a strong heart that was in the right place. That classmate who had always looked out for Miya, even if she likely wouldn't admit to as much. Miya had took up arms against Ava with hopes of finding out the truth, with hopes of confronting the girl and maybe helping her realize what she did contradicted the sort of person Miya knew her to be.

Miya closed her eyes. This was the same. It was exactly the same. No, it was harder. Cynthia meant so much to her. Cynthia was everything. Thinking it made her tremble, but there was nothing else to say. She knew it had to be.

"If I find that Cynthia is now my enemy, I will not hesitate to strike her down like any other," she said grimily. Milly and Amelia seemed surprised. Gottwald nodded.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," he said in a low voice.

Miya was shaking inside. So much of everything felt so broken. She didn't know what to do. If she honestly did meet Cynthia on a battlefield, would she be able to even lift a finger?

* * *

Ava li Britannia could almost feel a chill as she looked up at the familiar mansion. Last time she had been here it had been like looking at a long dormant memory, now it was more like walking through a vivd dream that had no connection to her current reality. All the same, there was something about it that unsettled her. With Astrid walking alongside her, anticipation was supplanted with strength and she felt strangely lucid moving through the dream.

"It's been so long since we spoke..." she said as they reached the door, smiling infirmly.

"Too long, Ava," said Astrid. "It's not something you should keep running from, especially when you understand him better now."

"Yeah..." Ava sighed as she knocked upon the manor door. The immaculate servant, Padriac Princeton appeared quickly in the door. He greeted her with a bow.

"A pleasure to be graced by Your Majesty's presence," he said in a low voice. "And you as well, Lady Astrid."

"It's good to see you again as well, Padriac," Ava spoke, waving the man to raise his head.

"Quite," Astrid said, nodding.

"Please, come in," said Padriac. "Your father is expecting you."

"Right, we'll see him at once," said Ava, walking into the manner, Astrid behind her. The insides were even more ominous and creepy to behold once again.

Ava didn't stop. She walked the familiar corridor to her father's study, only stopping to give the occasional glance at her beloved's face. Astrid's smile gave her strength. The door was already open when she reached it. A brief pang of nervousness ran through her heart as she laid eyes upon her father, sitting there at his desk. It only worsened when his head moved upward, making his awareness of her presence clear. Astrid seemed to sense this. She grabbed Ava's hand and held it tightly, restoring Ava's confidence entirely.

"Ava..." the man spoke, his voice showing an unclear mix of emotions.

"It does my heart well to see you, father," Ava spoke as she entered the room. "I shouldn't have put off meeting with you again this long."

"Who is with you, Ava?" the man asked, alerted to Astrid's presence, even if his failed eyes could not clearly see her.

"You recall my friend, Astrid Weinberg," Ava spoke in a soft voice.

"Ah, yes. Astrid... Weinberg's daughter," the man said, nodding.

"It's good to see you again, Lord Guilford," Astrid spoke in a strong voice.

"You seem to have become strong with the years, child," the man spoke, nodding at the girls. "I had heard you were accepted into the Knights of the Round."

"I was," Astrid spoke with a nod. "But I now serve in a different capacity."

"Is that so?" Guilford started, curiously.

"Astrid is my chosen personal knight," said Ava in a low voice. "She serves me now just as you served Mother."

"An unusual thing, every woman of the royal family is alloted to select knights to hold in their confidence," the man started. "I've never heard of a woman being selected to fill that capacity."

"But it remains that Astrid is the only knight I wish for," said Ava in a quiet voice. "She is the only one I want so close to my heart."

"it sounds to be a deep friendship the two of you share," the man started.

Ava nodded and looked at Astrid. Astrid smiled. "In truth, father, the bond between me and Astrid extends well beyond friendship."

Guilford's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Y-you don't say," he started. "For the Empress of Britannia to be involved in something like that..."

"I don't wish to hear your thoughts on the Empress of Britannia," said Ava in a quiet voice. "But instead your thoughts on your daughter."

"I find it hard to believe you came to me for my blessing," said the man. "What value could that be? As broken as I am, as harsh as the words I said to you on last we spoke were, what worth could such a thing have to you?"

"I understand now, father," Ava said. "I understand so much more than I did that day we last spoke."

"Do you regret the path you've chosen?" the man asked.

"No," Ava said. "I was naïve. I saw only the surface of all that was before me, but even as it all crashes down all around me, I can't find it in myself to toss my convictions aside and label it all a mistake. I've brought death upon this world, the very world may fall into dark hands as it is now, and it would all be traced back to me, and yet, even knowing that, even understanding the pain I've caused, the pain I've still yet to cause, I cannot say it was wrong to try and correct the faults of this world, to try and make this world more honest with itself, if only just a little."

"Child..." Guilford spoke. "I cannot agree with your decisions, but I can at least praise your conviction."

"Father?" Ava spoke.

"The timid girl who hardly understood what she was doing I saw here last time, is gone now, and for that at least I can be grateful," said the man, nodding.

"That's not all I've come to understand thanks to this war, thanks to Astrid," Ava spoke in a soft voice.

"What else is there?" asked the man.

"Death," said Ava, closing her eyes.

"What of it?" Guilford questioned.

"I've lied to myself for six years," said Ava. Astrid seemed surprised to hear Ava say this; they hadn't spoke on the matter in a while. "Death was something from which I had my distance, so I denied it could touch someone I love."

"You've come to terms with your mother, then?" the man spoke, sighing darkly.

"There is so much darkness in this world and it is far to large, but death isn't something that pulls its hand," said Ava. "We'd have heard something by now."

"So finally you've accepted the miserable truth of it?" the man started.

"Death does strange things to us. It can cause us to to lift a sword, lose our minds, or systematically destroy ourselves," Ava said in a low voice. "I learned this all personally when Astrid was pronounced dead."

"But the girl stands beside you?" the man spoke, tilting her head.

"Thankfully she does. But for almost half a year, she did not. She was in enemy hands and I was all alone," Ava spoke, the words heavy. "It was then that I came face to face with my own inner weakness. It was then that I came to understand true pain. It was then that I came to understand what it is that keeps you confined to this house."

"You didn't..." Guilford started, hopefully.

"I did. I succumbed," said Ava. "You and I are not so unalike, father. I fell victim to the same trap as you have these past six years."

"And yet, as you've already said, my tale has no happy ending. Your mother will not stand beside me as this girl does now," said the man.

"That is but an excuse father. A weak, tepid excuse," said Ava. "It was the knowledge that Astrid was still out there that gave me the strength to step out, but it was Astrid herself who helped me realize how stupid, unrealistic and worthless I had been."'

"My daughter..." the man spoke, surprised by the girl's conviction.

"True love is such a powerful bond. When it breaks, the emptiness that is left is staggering, encompassing. The pain is not something which can be be described with just words. But in that pain we lose sight of ourselves. We lose sight of the world around us. As I fell into that darkness I lost sight of the people who needed me. I let that which I built begin to unravel all around me. In my pain, I unknowingly caused more and more pain," said Ava in a heavy voice.

"I am no Emperor but rather just an old knight who had lost the one for whom he holds his sword. The pain I cause is not so grave," the man started.

"Is that what you really think father..." Ava spoke, tearing up. "That watching you for six years... that there was never any pain from being alone..."

"My daughter..." the man started emotionally. "I know I am a fool. I've given up... I've lost. I've caused you sure pain and yet I had not the strength to stand with you. Even now the urges to escape into that world with your mother bind me... I can admit my fault, but I can no longer erase it. I'm a prisoner of this pain."

"There are addiction treatment facilities in the city," said Ava in a quiet voice. "The pain won't go away, but they could at least restore your strength to you, so you could face it standing up. With your permission, I'd like to..."

"I will not refuse your help, daughter," the man said. Ava smiled.

"Father..." she said.

"And you have that blessing," said the man quietly. "As unusual as it may be, there's no doubt that the light this girl brings out of you is exceptional."

"Thank you, father," Ava said, still a little teary.

"Padriac said that you had something else for which you came today. I shouldn't keep you from that," said Guilford in a low voice.

"It was nice seeing you again, my lord," Astrid said with a nod.

"Please look after this foolish daughter of mine, Lady Weinberg," the man spoke. "Sometimes her head is too thick for its own good."

Astrid laughed as Ava shook her head and blushed just slightly. "Believe me, I have noticed this," Astrid said. "I'll look after her as best I can, you have my word."

Ava smiled softly. It felt great. The happiness then was of a genuine sort that even reminders of the hell on the horizon didn't supplant.

* * *

Cynthia Moore stood stoically, dressed entirely in black. Her eyes were cold. She had killed the emotion inside of her. It was useless to her. It annoyed her. It called for her to turn back, but she had already made her decision. That's why she was here.

That priest had showed it to her then, in that hellish nightmare. He had shown her where to go back then, and only last night had she realized it. She had found the small building, the location the priest's group likely used as a permanent base while in the city. There she had met an old man. The old man looked in her eyes and told her she had beautiful potential. Eventually the old man took her on a plane. After a very long flight, she was escorted off of it.

Now she was looking at a peculiar castle, gloomy yet beautiful. It oozed a vile darkness which Cynthia felt strangely familiar. This was where she belonged now. If she was to let a bullet find its way into Niles Moore's skull, this was where she needed to be.

"Hi Grandpa!" an excitable voice started, as they approached the castle gate. A cheerful young girl ran toward them and embraced the old man.

"Hello, dear Lucrecia," the old man spoke in a deep voice.

"Hmm, so this is the new girl?" the child known as Lucrecia started, studying Cynthia. "She's pretty."

"This child is an agent of your master as well?" Cynthia started coldly, looking at the old man.

"Aye, looking at her, you would hardly know her skill," said the man, nodding.

"I see," said Cynthia simply, walking ahead. A child soldier shouldn't faze her. No horror these people showed her should faze her now. It was this group that was now his enemy, so it was this group that now she had to join.

Words were hardly exchanged as she found her way into the castle and through much of it. The child and the old man led her slowly to a chapel at the back of the castle. Two wonderfully beautiful women were inside, as was a familiar face, the priest, Lazarus Cain. Cynthia still couldn't view this man with anything but contempt. Her eyes avoided him as she entered the room.

"So this is Miss Cynthia Moore," one of the women, a more elegant, softer beauty said, approaching her with a smile.

"Aye, this girl wishes to join us," said the old man with a nod.

"You've done well to bring her to me, Eldridge," the woman said. "Though I suppose it is you, Father Cain, who is truly responsible for this girl coming to us." The woman nodded at the priest. "That one of your earlier failures turns out to be a success... you have restored yourself to my good graces."

"I am blessed that you think well of me, my Holy Liege," the priest spoke reverently, making it apparent that this woman was the master to whom they were all pledged.

"So, Cynthia Moore," the woman started. "The wanton bloodlust inside you compels you to my side. Absolution's remnants have decided to team up with my dearest pet Empress, but you'll have no part of it."

"Correct," Cynthia said, blankly.

"You'd sooner be tasked with reaping through all your former friends than work along side the father you so hate," the woman continued to smile.

"I am but a beast with a craving for blood," Cynthia said somberly. "Grant me the power I need to fulfill my revenge."

"So you've accepted your sins, child?" Cain spoke, approaching her. "So forcefully you refused me then, and yet here you are. You've come to the side of God to grant the sinner Moore a path to Hell below. God just may yet show you mercy when it comes your time."

"I care not for mercy. I deserve none," said Cynthia. "I laugh at the God who doesn't cast me into Hell when all is through."

"What an amusing girl," the woman, the leader said. "You've betrayed not only your friends, but your very self. You've abandoned everything you had built up in your life, and all for the sake of a dark desire. How horribly tragic."

"It's all I can see. It's all I can think about it. There are great things in this world, beautiful things. But they are no longer for me, not so long as he still breathes," said Cynthia in a heavy voice. The woman smiled.

"I am called Deifilia Amarantha," she said, "As horribly pathetic as you are, I can tell you are a worthy pawn. You are allowed the power you so thirst for."

"I suppose that's my cue," the other blonde woman, this one a rougher, dirtier sort of beauty, strode toward her with a seductive smile.

"As you will, D.D. Grant this child the weapon she needs to strike her father down," Amarantha said in a quiet voice.

"Mmm... I always look forward to this part," the woman addressed as D.D. started. She continued to approach until she was face to face with Cynthia. What she did next, Cynthia wasn't prepared for. The woman bent forward, joining her lips to Cynthia's, prompting a long, deep kiss.

Her lips were soft. Something warm overtook her. The evening before came back to her all at once.

"Miya..." a broken, cracked voice came from Cynthia's mouth as she fell to her knees. She began to shake and then scream.

"Regret finds you at interesting times," said Amarantha, observing. "Don't forget, this is what you desired."

Cynthia continued to sob on the ground for a while. Her mind eventually cleared and she regained her composure. She didn't deserve Miya. She was a monster. That girl needed someone far cleaner, far purer than she was. Their paths had intertwined beautifully for a while, but they were never meant to stay that way. Cynthia had made her choice. There was nothing more to be said or done.

"I apologize," said Cynthia, standing. "I lost myself momentarily."

"Really?" Amarantha started, smirking. "I would have wagered it was the opposite. You found yourself for a moment."

"It won't happen again," Cynthia said resolutely.

The woman laughed. "You're an interesting girl, Cynthia Moore. I'll be interested to watch what becomes of you."

Cynthia started ahead blankly. She could cut off her emotions, but she could still feel them somewhere inside of her. She needed to work on it. She needed to make sure they didn't surface again. She needed to make sure that when the time came, she'd be able to go through anyone on path to her father's head, even that girl. Even Miya Ashford.

* * *

Ava was smiling still as she left her father and returned to the main hall of his manor. Astrid nodded to her.

"I was proud to stand beside you, Ava," the girl said. "You said everything to him that needed to be said, and you never once showed fear. It's because of that he was willing to listen to you today."

"It's all because of you, Astrid. You give me courage," said Ava in a fond voice.

Astrid sighed. "You really do rely on me too much..."

"I fear I do," Ava said. "But in your radiance I find i hardly know how not to."

Astrid blushed softly and shook her head. "But you still remember that I'm not all there is to this world around you, right?"

"Could I have told my father what I did, if I didn't realize it myself?" asked Ava in a quiet voice.

"I suppose it's alright then," Astrid said nodding. "Now come, we should investigate the basement."

"Right," said Ava. "Let's not forget our reason for arranging this in the first place. I must find where I saw that name, Deifilia Amarantha."

The two emerged into the open front room. Padriac approached.

"Did things go well with your father, milady?" the servant asked in a low voice.

"Yeah..." Ava said. "In fact, I believe I may have convinced some progress out of him. I'll send you some details in time, Padriac."

"Very well, milady," the man started, nodding his head.

"My father was not my only reason to come here today," Ava spoke to the man. "I am taking Astrid down to the basement where I look to find something within my mother's notes."

"As I recall you saying beofre," the servant started. "Would you care for one of the maids to bring tea down for you and Lady Astrid?"

"We'd like that," Ava said, smiling.

"Very well," the man said. "You know your way."

"Right," Ava said and moved for the spiral downward staircase that led to the old basement.

"It's funny being back here now, when it was down here that it happened. It was here that it all started," said Ava in a low voice.

"You found a witch suspended in time," Astrid said. "The event which set this all off."

"True, but that was far from the beginning," said Ava as they continued downward, finally reaching the basement.

"What do you mean?" asked Astrid, curiously. Ava walked straight forward through the basement until she was standing face to face with the central statue of the Baron, Brighton Ellesmere. She grabbed at the shimmering sword it held and held it before her.

"This. This sword, this key," Ava spoke in a low voice. "It allowed me entrance to that witch's chamber. It was the singular spark that set this all off, and yet I know not where it came from."

"A curious mystery," said Astrid, examining the sword.

"One I've given to little thought to," said Ava in a quiet voice. "But it's not the mystery we are here to solve today."

"Right," Astrid nodded. "Where does your mother keep her notes?"

"They should be scattered all about. Unless luck is on our side, we shouldn't find what we seek so quickly," Ava answered.

"Alright," Astrid said. "Let's start."

The two of them split up and began to examine the bookshelves for any handwritten notes. There were lots of notes scattered about, but only so often were the documents in Ava's mother's writing. Ava did find some documents to look over though. Soon, an hour of searching had passed. Her and Astrid each had a fair stack of pages to look through in search of the name. It was about then that a maid descended, bringing them tea and a selection of exquisite cakes and sweets on a tray.

"Let's take a little break," Ava said, putting her stack of papers on a table and pulling up a seat. Astrid did the same.

"Of course," she said, smiling.

The two enjoyed light conversation as they shared the tea and snacks. Ava quickly devoured more than her fair share of the cakes to the point where Astrid began to laugh.

"What's so amusing?" Ava asked, blushing.

"Nothing... you just really do like this sort of stuff," Astrid giggled. "You should have the chefs at the castle make you sweets more often."

"I believe I get enough," Ava said quietly. She really couldn't restrain herself when it came to stuff like this. It wasn't something she needed to subject herself to more often. Excess wasn't healthy.

"Suit yourself. You like this stuff a lot more than I do," Astrid said, nibbling on some cake and sipping at her unsweetened tea.

"You'd rather have you pizza any day, I know," Ava laughed.

"So?" Astrid started, narrowing her eyes.

Ava laughed. "Nothing." She poured herself another cup of tea and mixed into it a very healthy amount of sugar.

"It doesn't apply to the world around us you know," Astrid started as she observed.

"What's that?" asked Ava, not following.

"The sweet things can never fully mask the bitterness of life," Astrid said in a quiet voice. "Don't lose sight of the truth you so revere, Ava, even if it's easier to take that way."

"You're being surprisingly philosophical today, Astrid," Ava said in a quiet voice. "I don't think my eating habits have much to do with my world view at the moment."

Ava said this, but she wondered if Astrid wasn't onto something. She had several times thought it. As bleak as things were now, with Astrid there beside her, things would somehow be alright. She really did rely on the girl too much. In coming days, she would likely need to find her own strength or pay a price for it.

Ava thought this as her and Astrid finished their tea. When done, she smiled and looked at Astrid. "You think we should start going over the documents, or look for more?"

"Let's search what we have," said Astrid. "If we find nothing, we can look for more."

"Agreed," said Ava, nodding. The two began to search through their stacks of papers for something. Several minutes passed. Ava's stack depleted itself quickly. She moved back to the shelves while Astrid continued to look through hers. Several more minutes passed. Ava had a sizable second stack already gathered when Astrid suddenly called out to her.

"Ava, I think this is it," she said, excitedly. Ava moved quickly to her lover's side.

"What, really?" Ava started. "Where?"

Astrid pointed to spot on the page. Sure enough, "Deifilia Amarantha" was written there. A year was written beside it. Ava examined the page. It was some sort of list. There was an alphabetic index at the side, with names written beside certain letters. They all had years beside them.

"Just what is this?" asked Astrid, examining the page along with Ava.

Ava searched the page for familiar names. She found some. "Lelouch vi Britannia", "Charles zi Britannia" and "Brighton Ellesmere" stuck out to her immediately.

"Geass users," Ava deduced quietly. "This is a list of Geass users."

"Heh, I suppose it's of no use then," said Astrid quietly. "We already know this Amarantha has Geass."

Ava's eyes traced down the index. She stopped at the letter D. This index had the longest list of names attached. Ellesmere's name was the final one on this row.

'There's more to it than that," said Ava, nodding. "it's a list of known Geass users as well as a list of their corresponding Geass givers."

"Are you sure?" asked Astrid, tilting her head.

Ava knew little of the Geass givers aside from D.D.. The only other one she knew was the Geass user Megami had spoke of, the Geass user attached to Charles zi Britannia's Geass directorate, V.V.. Sure enough, this was the row that contained the 98th Emperor's name. It ended, after the name "Rolo Lamperouge", with the words "many others; unconfirmed. Thought exterminated, 2018 a.t.b.."

"I'm positive," said Ava nodding. She noticed little marks beside the index letters. All of the index letters that had names beside them were marked aside from the C row, which ended with the the name of "Lelouch vi Britannia". "These markings, indicate that mother believed the Geass giver to be dead."

"C.C. is the only active Geass giver alive then?" Astrid started, tilting her head.

"Mother obviously didn't know our witch was sleeping right behind that wall," Ava said, nodding. "This C.C. who gave Lelouch vi Britannia his Geass... I wonder what became of her..."

"So the names? What do these dates mean?" asked Astrid.

"i wonder..." said Ava, looking over the list. The year beside both the 98th and 99th emperors was the same, 2018, a.t.b.. Ellesmere's name was punctuated with the year 1796, a.t.b..

"These are years of death," said Ava with certainty. She looked it over. Some had the letters "est." beside them, indicating an estimate.

"So then our enemy was granted her Geass by a dead source called F.F. and has been dead for an estimated 42 years herself?" Astrid started, confused. Sure enough, that's what it said. Amarantha's name was on the F row and the year by her name was "est. 1996".

"Peculiar," said Ava, looking it over. "Our enemy passed for dead in mother's eyes I suppose. I wonder if that isn't why she was trapped by them."

"You believe this group is the same from back then," asked Astrid.

"Isn't that much apparent? The man who attacked you six years ago was dressed as a priest, much as one of Amarantha's servants apparently is. Megami's connection to them only cements it.," Ava explained, nodding.

"I suppose you're right," said Astrid. "But isn't this bit peculiar?" she asked while pointing to a name on the list. One listed directly after Amarantha.

"Eldridge Delaney," Ava read allowed. "What's so strange of it? So our Amarantha wasn't the last to receive a Geass from this F.F.? What does that get us?"

"There's no year by his name," Astrid started. Ava's eyes widened.

"So this Delaney might be alive..." said Ava deliberately. "And he bears at least a tangential connection the mysterious Amarantha at the heart of the matter."

"It's worth at least looking into the name to see if we have anything on file for the man. He could be a valuable lead," Astrid spoke quietly.

"Very right, my dear," Ava said, smiling. "I'll have the files and records perused throughly for what I can on this man. I'll have my men see if any more exists on Amarantha while they're at it."

"Hmm, so, I suppose that's it then, unless you recall the name in duplicate," said Astrid in a low voice.

"No, it stood out to me, but I only recall coming across it once. That Deifilia Amarantha was dead to my mother makes me doubt she was onto the woman on any level," said Ava. "I think we found all there is."

"Then should we return?" asked Astrid.

"Yes," said Ava. "It's best we get back to the castle as quick as we can."

The two of them walked back up the staircase slowly, until they were again on the ground level. Anne Levine, the head maid, approached Ava holding something. Ava's eyes narrowed.

"What is this?" Ava started, tilting her head.

"Ah, my lady, it is good to see you," the woman started. "It seems to have happened again. Someone has left an unmarked parcel in our mail. It contains a sword, just as before."

"Show me," Ava said, immediately. The woman placed the sword in Ava's hands. She unwrapped it quickly. She unsheathed the blade. Ava gasped, her eyes widening beyond belief.

"What is it, Ava?" asked Astrid, tilting her head.

"This is mother's sword," said Ava with certainty. "The very one she had on her the last day I saw her."

"But that's...!" Astrid spoke, unsure what to say.

"I wonder what reason this could be placed in my hands?" asked Ava, frustrated. "Is Deifilia Amarantha toying with me?"

With that, Ava sheathed the blade. As she did, she noticed some strange resistance. Curiously, she unsheathed it. She held the sheath upside down and tapped at it vigorously. A crumpled piece of paper fell out from within it. Astrid bent to pick it up and handed it to Ava. She carefully straightened it. She read the message inscribed.

_"Come to the hill. Bring the sword. Leave your knight at home. You may find the truth you seek about your mother," _a typed message read. Ava was confused.

"What is this?" started Ava, shaking her head. "Who could have sent this..."

"it's a trick. The enemy will kill you if you go," Astrid said immediately. "You already said you've accepted her death. Don't let them deceive you into thinking any more on it."

"You may be right, Astrid," said Ava. "But I'm afraid I have to know what this is about."

"Your father is right about you," Astrid sighed. "I can't stop you, but please know that I don't want to lose you either."

"I'll be careful," said Ava, closing her eyes.

"But what hill is it?" asked Astrid, curiously.

"The large one just north of here, I suppose," said Ava quietly. "I used to venture there a lot in my youth."

"Where that monument to your mother was placed? I suppose that makes sense," said Astrid. Ava stared ahead coldly.

"Don't follow me, Astrid," she said.

"I can't promise I won't," said Astrid. "But I won't let my presence known. I can say that much."

"Very well," said Ava. "I suppose it's some comfort that you'll be watching over me."

Ava smiled, unsure what she'd find by following this mysterious message.

* * *

Megami Subarashii gave a long sigh as she sat in the large main hall of Castle Amarantha. A crowd had been gathered to receive orders from the commander, Alain Renard. It seemed as if Deifilia Amarantha was currently biding her time, making only small moves as she prepared to crush Britannia completely. Few of them were actually being given tasks in the meantime. Megami was simply to stay here for now. She wouldn't be forced out until time came for another battle.

Megami gave yet another sigh as she looked at the faces gathered there. Every one of them was a murderer, traitor or psycho. Some were all three, like the disgustingly twisted Regina Granville. All of them were still human though. Looking at the ever present regret in Rowena Winfield's eyes, the shaky fear that showed when Naida Fiametta's hands moved or the pure, warm smile that occasionally showed upon Lucrecia Harrison's face was enough to recall that. The others gathered, Marcella Belita, Lazarus Cain, Bernard Farris, Lyall Gavin, and even Chiharu, all served as reminders of the duality of Deifilia Amarantha's forces. These were powerful soldiers, but also broken, wayward humans. Megami could be counted in the same group. So could the newest face at the table, Cynthia Moore.

"You made a mistake, you know," Chiharu spoke to this girl, a few minutes after Renard had left. Megami had been surprised to see this girl here. Apparently she wasn't the only one.

"I see no error in my choice," said Cynthia coldly, hollowly.

"You hardly understand this child, Ohgi," the malevolent Cain spoke with a foul smirk. "She has seen Hell and chosen to jump headlong into its fires! For the sake of grievous sin, she has cast off her humanity, her remorse. To kill the one who wronged her, she will abandon entirely the light of God!"

"Is that so, Cynthia?" Chiharu asked, looking disgusted.

"I wouldn't use those terms, but I won't deny them," said Cynthia in a low voice.

"Then you're a liar," Chiharu said curtly.

"What do you--?" Cynthia started.

"It is only those who fight for no reason, who kill haphazardly with no remorse in their hearts that are beneath us," Chiharu quoted. "That was the first thing you ever said to me."

"My remorse is gone, but I still have a reason," Cynthia replied coldly. "That's what makes me superior to him."

"Will you honestly be able to say that still when out on the battlefield? When your hands are soaked in the blood of people who once trusted you?" Chiharu shouted, standing.

"You're here too, Chiharu. How is the sin of your betrayal any more favorable?" Cynthia started, smirking.

"I'm not here by choice," said Chiharu. "Every second I spend here is a painful wound I must endure."

Cynthia laughed. "And that makes you more sympathetic? I think it makes you only more pathetic instead." She smiled fully. "You're motivated by idiotic fears while I know what I want and am trying to grab it. I've embraced my role while you've been kicked and stomped into it like a beaten dog."

Megami had enough with this. She stood quickly and slapped Cynthia hard across the face. She fell over backwards but seemed strangely unfazed.

"You've become a bitch, you know that?" Megami started. "You made a cool first impression, but now you're just twisted. You do a disservice to the memory of the Cynthia Moore I knew before."

"Megami..." Cynthia started.

"Anyone who's here because they want to be is truly worthy of pity, even more so than the rest of us broken fools," she started, angrily.

"Big sister?" Lucrecia started, standing and tilting her head in confusion.

"That includes you, Lucrecia," Megami said. "Used, abused and twisted until you hardly resemble something human at your core. That's what Deifilia Amarantha does to us."

"But what can we do, even knowing this?" Rowena Winfield stood suddenly. "Even knowing I've chosen to trod on my very humanity for the sake of power, what can I do." Tears were in her eyes.

"I wonder if there's anything we can do now," Bernard Farris said in a low voice. "That woman holds all the cards over us."

"Is this even the place to discuss such things, given so many here are loyal to her," said Naida very shakily, looking at Cain and then at Granville and even at Marcella and Lucrecia.

"God will punish those who rise up against Him in time. You can delude yourself otherwise, but it will only result in untimely death at His hand," Cain started coldly.

"I doubt there's a damn thing we can do about anything," said Lyall in a cool voice. "We're trapped, but whatever. There's enough here to keep me content. Why fight it? You agree, right, Marcella?"

"I-I..." Marcella started, quietly. "Miss Deifilia is so nice to me... I don't like to think she's someone bad..." Despite the girl's words, doubt could be seen oozing out of her very being. The last fight had shaken her horribly, and she had yet to fully recover.

"Yeah... Mistress is kind to me too, Big Sister," Lucrecia spoke timidly. "Everything I have right now I have because of her... "

"So you've lost before you've even started, Megami Subarashii," Cynthia spoke. "The odd handful of you here that even want out all realize how futile it is." She smiled. "It's time to let go and just embrace the darker side of your humanity."

"I'm not a killer, Cynthia Moore, nor will I ever be," said Megami resolutely.

"Not a killer?" Regina Granville finally spoke up. "Why not? What values do human lives have? They're just silly fleeting things waiting for us to erase them. And why shouldn't we, when it's so much fun to hear their cries as they slowly embrace their imminent deaths?"

"You really outdo yourself, Regina Granville," said Megami in a sigh. "You're a psycho even by Cain's standards."

"Those are indeed most sinful thoughts," Lazarus started, nodding.

"What is sin? I fear no laws, corporeal or divine. This world has nothing so convenient as a God to listen to us pathetic beings. We are just hopeless insects who like to convince ourselves we matter," Granville continued to speak, her eyes wide with insanity. Megami wondered if the effects of Geass hadn't made her even more unhinged then she already was in Britannia.

"You denounce the name of the Lord," Lazarus murmured. "Though that is but one reason Hell will claim your soul."

"It's amusing seeing two unhinged beasts assault each other, gleefully unaware that they are equally as mad," said Cynthia in a dark voice.

"Amusing? I'd call it disgusting," said Chiharu in a cool voice. "Just the same as you."

"You seriously have it out for me," Cynthia said. "How amusing."

"That girl who used to cling to you, Miya... What are you going to do when it means fighting her?" Chiharu asked, pointedly.

A vulnerability could be seen in Cynthia's eyes very momentarily. She then became calm and cold again. "I see not why that girl would matter to me over any other."

"You really have become twisted," said Chiharu, closing her eyes.

"So, what if I have?" Cynthia started. "At least I know what I want and have everything I need to grab it."

"I pity us all," Rowena Winfield started. "That humans could be reduced to what we all have... it's a cruel joke."

"It''s what happens when we fail to see what's before us," said Chiharu in a low voice.

"Or when fate simply hands us a shit hand," Megami added, looking squarely at Marcella, even if she knew it applied just as much to herself as well as at least half of them gathered there.

"We just have to hold onto that hope that things will get better, huh?" Naida started in a low, nervous voice. "That's beginning to sound like a fucking pipe dream."

"Tell me about it," Megami sighed. "But hope is all we have."

"Hope is a strange yet powerful thing," said Farris. "It can grant us strength past what we have."

"I wonder if that strength will be enough to get you anything," said Cynthia with a laugh.

"I'm sure it will be," said Chiharu. "I'll make it be, if it isn't."

Megami smiled at the girl's words. Chiharu Ohgi was her hope. She was her strength. She was her everything.

* * *

Hildegarde Waldstein stood at the usual tower window, peering out at the world below with her eyepatch off. Like this, she could see everything so clearly. There were no memories to get lost in up here, and yet, visions of unknown memories flashed before her eyes, showing her frivolous things. It was strangely relaxing. It allowed her to think.

Yasuko Tohdoh. Marcella Belita. Hiromi Tohdoh. Chiharu Ohgi. Deifilia Amarantha. Names swirled in her brain. Fate was twisted and cruel, but hope was beautiful. She supposed hope could exist where it didn't before now that Yasuko was alive and not dead, even if that hope was marred in uncertainties. It was clearly too much to hope that they may be together again, but then again, it was possible now. That gave Hildegarde a new sense of strength.

She heard footsteps then. Before she could pull the protective patch over her eye, her Geass began to pick up on something. Pleasant memories. A beautiful woman. A bright eyed, blonde child. Either had a smile on her face. Either had love in their eyes as they looked upon the one Hildegarde saw through. Either trusted this man.

Last time Hildegarde had seen these two, the woman had put a bullet through her own head, while the child, a few years older in that vision, had hefted a gun at her vantage point. The world around them then had been covered in blood. Here it seemed like an idyllic family home. Negative energy was nowhere as the blonde haired child hugged at Hildegarde's, or rather her father's, leg.

Niles Moore had lost so much, and would never get it back. Hildegarde pitied him. She closed her eye and forced the eyepatch on over it.

"I suppose you had the same idea as me yet again, Lord Moore," she said without turning as the footsteps continued to approach.

"No one else ever comes here?" he started, surprised by the girl recognizing him without looking.

"The power in my eye shows me parts of you more personal than your face, and all you have to be is within a certain range," she said in a low voice.

"And that flimsy cloth stops it?" the man started, surprised.

"Apparently the ability is triggered by a reaction with light. With all light blocked from that eye, I can't use it," Hildegarde spoke firmly.

"So what have you seen of me with that eye?" asked Moore somberly.

"Enough to understand you, if only a little," Hildegarde replied.

"A dangerous woman, you are. One could never keep a secret," said the man with a laugh.

"I suppose so," said Hildegarde with a nod.

"My past is not something I'll ever escape," said Moore with a sudden sigh. "It's actually a relief that there's someone who knows of it without me saying a word."

"Cynthia... do you know what's become of her?" Hildegarde asked the question at the heart of her mind. Cynthia Moore was the young blonde child in the memories, the man's only daughter.

"She joined Absolution to become my enemy," said Moore somberly. Hildegarde wondered if she should be more surprised.

"That girl at the meeting mentioned a Cynthia..." Hildegarde recalled aloud.

"The same," Moore started.

"So she'll be an ally now?" Hildegarde asked, curious.

"She would have been were she not to disappear last night," the man started.

"Disappear?" Hildegarde started, eyes widening.

"Absolution requested assistance in finding the girl. No one was successful," said the man.

"You don't think she left because of you?" Hildegarde started.

"What else is there to think?" Moore spoke morosely.

"That girl would forsake her friends to avoid being on the same side as you?" Hildegarde asked, surprised.

"It doesn't sound like the Cynthia I once knew," Moore said in a somber voice.

"Perhaps someone interfered," said Hildegarde. "People can change completely if the right sort of misfortune befalls them."

"That girl you spoke of at the meeting, the one who was brainwashed..." Moore started in a low voice. "You speak of her, do you not?"

"I suppose I do without realizing as much," Hildegarde sighed.

"But Cynthia was not brainwashed..." Moore started.

"She was attacked according to reports. it could be the catalyst that pushed her down a completely different path," said Hildegarde in a low voice.

"A fair point," Moore spoke. "What remains is that she could yet be my enemy. I must be prepared for her fury."

"It's a miserable situation..." Hildegarde said softly. "Fighting one who you cherish yet sees you as nothing more than an obstacle. The pain from that sort of fight is staggering."

"You speak again of that girl," Moore said knowingly. Hildegarde laughed.

"I know your secrets, so I suppose I can tell you some of mine," she said in a low voice. "Say what you will. Yasuko Tohdoh was an enemy combatant and another woman and even still we found ourselves in love."

"As someone who once saw love, I understand that it hasn't any barriers," Moore started understandingly.

"What would you do, Lord Moore, if your wife was revived but as someone else, her sights set on claiming your life?" asked Hildegarde in a low voice.

Moore laughed. "I couldn't fight Sophia. I couldn't even begin to." He gave a long sigh. "I'd let her reap me apart if it was her wish."

"And yet I intend to fight," said Hildegarde. "I intend to fight and pull Yasuko back to my side or die trying. Is that foolishness?"

"No. It is youth," said Moore. "I haven't the energy for such a grueling fight any longer."

"Then Cynthia?" asked Hildegarde.

"If I am weaker than her then I shall fall by her hand," said Moore. "It's that simple."

"You old men should value your lives more," Hildegarde said. "They're worth a lot more than you think."

"Now you speak of Lord Marsh I suppose, or perhaps your father," Moore said in a low voice.

"You're adept at seeing through my words," said Hildegarde shaking her head.

"You speak frankly," said Moore nodding. "Your words are always close to your heart. They're meanings are remarkably clear."

"Then listen to what I say," Hildegarde spoke directly. "At least try and preserve your life. Humans all have things they regret. But the past is the past. Sometimes it's best to put it behind us and look to the future instead."

"If only I weren't such a nostalgic old fool," the man started, looking out through the window. "There's hardly anything left in this world but the battlefield which calls to my inner beast. That and a child who wants my head."

"You have Britannia," the woman said strongly. "You're a knight. Don't abandon your duty."

Moore laughed. "You amuse me Hildegarde Waldstein. You're nothing like Sophia. There was hardly a woman like you in my life."

"It's no joke, you old fool," Hildegarde said coldly. "You should fight too. Perhaps yours too will come around if you fight hard enough."

"I suppose that's all I can hope," said the man with a sigh.

Hope. Yes, that's all there was to do. Yasuko. Was it possible? Could it work? Would Hildegarde become like this man in the process, a beast who's very sight offends her beloved? There were too many questions and no one around who's memories held the answers.

* * *

Ava nodded as her trek ended. She had reached the large hill at the edge of manor's grounds, a fair distance north of the manor itself. Beyond it was a dense forest. Ava had come here many times as a child, as the view was superb and the peaceful scenery made for a refreshing place to read. Often mother had followed her here. They'd lie atop the hill and chat about things.

Thinking about it now, as a young, stupid child, Ava couldn't have been very good conversation, but always her mother had smiled. Always she had seemed so at ease. The thoughts made Ava smile as she walked up the hill. She hadn't been here in so many years. Her father had chosen the hill as a sight for an exquisite stone monument to be place in honor of his wife, but this was Ava's first time actually seeing it. She approached it cautiously.

It was finely crafted, polished and pristine. It looked untouched and immaculate. The stone shined with the sun. But none of it seemed so gaudy as Ava feared. She smiled as she examined the single word engraved, her mother's name. "_Cornelia_."

Ava bent beside it nostalgically, smiling for a while. She momentarily forgot her reason for being there. She forgot all her worries, all her questions for a moment. Instead her thoughts rested with her mother, with the past. She thought of all that she had lost and all that she had gained. At the end, she was still smiling.

"So you came as instructed," an eerily familiar voice snapped her from her daydreams. Ava snapped around to look for the source, but she could see nothing yet. "Wonderful."

"Who are you?" Ava demanded, drawing her mother's sword. "What do you want of me?"

"I wonder," the voice, feminine yet strong, started, getting closer. "Just who am I?"

"Show yourself!" Ava demanded. "Reveal yourself before me, coward!"

"As you wish, child," the voice said, showing amusement.

A figure rose slowly up the far side of the hill. Ava stared at it while pointing her sword in its direction. When it became visible, she dropped the sword entirely. She was face to face with the very woman the monument before her was built to honor. This was her mother, Cornelia li Britannia, the very woman she had only recently accepted to be dead.

"M-mother..." Ava started, shaking. Unsure what to even think.

The woman said nothing, she only smiled. There was no doubt it was her mother's appearance. She looked exactly as Ava recalled her. In fact, perhaps too much. She looked no older than she did six years ago. She was dressed in black and had her hair out straight. She had all of mother's beauty but there was something disingenuous about her smile.

"You can't really be her..." Ava spoke rationally, though she was gripped by a million emotions. "Mother should be dead by now..."

"And yet can you deny your eyes, child?" the woman asked, still smiling.

"Eyes are flawed instruments, easy to trick," said Ava with a huff. "Tell me, are you her, or aren't you?"

"I would say I am your mother," the woman replied with a laugh. "Just as much as I would say that I am not," she added.

"Explain yourself!" Ava demanded.

"Perhaps this shall serve as an explanation," the woman murmured before suddenly pulling a sword from her belt.

"W-what?" Ava started, fumblingly lifting her own sword once more.

"Defend yourself, child, unless you wish for death!" the woman shouted before running breathlessly toward Ava.

The swords clashed loudly between the two.

A/N: End chapter. Gotta love seemingly random, completely unexplained cliffhangers, don't you?So, finally a chapter where Ava had stuff to do. For a protagonist, it sure seems like she's not very active in many of these things. Here she was at the heart of three full scenes. All the other scenes more or less focused on the Cynthia/Miya subplot, though I squeezed some of the other ones in as well when appropriate. But yeah, Cynthia's character has reinvented itself. She's been pretty messed up, and being granted Geass and purposely trying to cut off her emotions isn't going to help make her normal again. It was kind of odd in the Chiharu scene, as she seemed like a completely different character. But yeah, most of that was just something to do in between the Ava bits. Ava reconciled things with her father, which I think was a fairly sweet scene. She then did her little research with Astrid, and discovered some new info. Just what's the deal with this F.F. and Deifilia's past in general? What's up with the Old Sage, a character I haven't included much of late, and what will Ava find in investigating him? Bu those questions probably don't compare to the last scene. Who is this "Cornelia"? You'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out.

On an odd note, I was looking through my older chapters... For some reason, every single three dash scene break I've put into this thing has randomly disappeared for no reason I can explain. I know this is fucking annoying for rereading chaps. I don't understand it and I don't know when I'll care enough to fix every single one of the almost forty chapters. I hope no one minds too much.

No extras like I said, but next time there will be some.


	42. Turn 41: Inner Chaos and Clarity

A/N: Turn 41... wow, the number of chapters left until I reach the number I'm shooting for is now a single digit. That's really something.

Disclaimer: Rayner: "The author of this story doesn't own Code Geass, only the original characters within the story. Nothing else to say really..."

Ava had fear in her eyes as she held off the sword with her own. Who was this person who took her mother's form? Her sword arm was strong. Ava grimaced at the strength. She couldn't let up or this person would kill her in an instant. That much was made instantly apparent to her.

Knowing she had the underhand in raw strength, Ava moved to the side and fell back. The other pursued with another slash. This one was light and easily deflected, but quickly followed with a trickier one. Even so, Ava was no amateur. She moved her blade quickly to hold the other's off and quickly stepped out of the way. She then stepped back, holding her sword steady.

"You're not bad at this, child," said Ava's opponent, smiling.

"Who are you?" Ava demanded, her Geass blaring active. "Tell me!"

"Cornelia li Britannia, obviously," the other said with a laugh.

Ava froze up. It couldn't be... But her Geass should be working. Why wouldn't it work? She shook with fear. She couldn't do this. She couldn't let this woman get to her with such things when it was too much to believe.

"What do you know about Deifilia Amarantha?" she asked with Geass. If this was an enemy immune to Geass it would not betray its master.

"I'm surprised to hear that name on your lips," "Cornelia" spoke softly. "You know more than that woman gives you credit for."

Ava's eyes widened, further confused. She now knew for sure her Geass didn't reach this woman. It was no relief. Why? How was this possible? Only the witch and the cyborg Gottwald, with his eye, had been immune to her power.

"How do you resist my Geass?" asked Ava harshly.

"So many questions..." "Cornelia" sighed. "Do you honestly think I'm here to entertain you with answers?"

"Then why are you here?" Ava demanded, holding her sword out straight.

"To laugh in your face," the other said in a simple voice.

Ava shook her head. What sort of cruel joke was this? It was absurd. None of it made any sense. She clenched her free fist. Her heart felt tormented.

"There was some talk of an enemy Geass user who could alter her physical appearance as she pleased," said Ava, nodding, trying to remain cool. "I suppose that is you."

"You believe me to be that undependable servant?" "Cornelia" laughed. "I'd like to see Naida Fiametta raise her sword arm to you. I wonder how long it would stay attached to her body..."

"You don't say..." Ava started, somewhat shaken. "If it isn't Geass that gives you that form, what then?"

"Can't you just accept it?" "Cornelia" spoke, stepping forward. "What you see in front of you is the the truth. There's nothing else to it."

"If you are my mother, why do you act this way?" Ava demanded, thrusting the air in front of her with her sword.

"Nothing stays the same in this world, child," the woman started, smiling. "Six years ago you lost your mother. At the same time, you blamed yourself for injuries sustained by the one closest to you. The Ava li Britannia today hardly resembles the Ava li Britannia of six years ago. Is it too much to accept that the same may be true of your mother?"

"But you're not even the same pers-!" Ava started until she suddenly recalled something horrible. "No..."

"You recall something unpleasant, child?" the woman started, smirking.

"She said something about brainwashing..." Ava started, horrified. "Deifilia Amarantha... she twisted you into this..."

"My, my you even know about those three?" the woman started with a laugh. "Feel free to believe whatever horror story you will. I'll award you no answer."

"This is cruelty of the highest order..." Ava started. "What sort of monster could change a person down to their core."

"Monster?" the woman laughed. "An interesting thing for one such as yourself to call anyone."

"I've never done something like this! It sickens me," Ava spat angrily.

"You've never transformed someone into something they were not?" "Cornelia" laughed again. "What of those this war touches? What of everyone who has lost a loved one all because of the choice you made? By example, your one time knight, Regina Granville. A child in the throes of insanity, with no thrill apart from murder and a body not entirely human. Would that girl be as she is now were you never to start this war which took her brother's life?"

"I'm not proud of the death's this war has wrought! But for the sake of a stronger, Britannia, a Britannia not afraid to openly stand up for itself in front of the world. For the sake of a Britannia where hiding behind fear is no longer necessary, where we don't have to resort to lies, it is a necessity!" Ava started in a strong, building voice.

"You're rhetoric is naïve, stupid and horribly inadequate," the woman said harshly.

"Who are you to say what it is or isn't?" Ava shouted.

"You're purposely nearsighted. You only see what's convenient to you and gloss over the ugly bits. It's disgusting," "Cornelia" spoke. Spoken in her mother's voice, the words were like sharp blades cutting into her.

"You're wrong!" Ava screamed. "I know what I'm doing! I have strength! Confidence..." Her fist clinched tighter. "I understand pain. I understand sorrow. I hold it close to my heart and use it to fuel my ambitions."

"But those ambitions are faulty at the core," said "Cornelia". "You can't commit. That's why you're a failure. You took lies as your enemy but you pointed your sword elsewhere. You don't understand what it is to change the world."

"What would you have me do?" Ava shouted, angry.

"Die at my blade," the other laughed. "You're not fit to even pretend you're deciding the fate of this world any longer."

"So you are here to kill me?" asked Ava resolutely.

"I received no such order," said the woman. "I am to do as I see fit. At this point in the game, your death wouldn't change anything and it would do so much to sate me."

"What wrong have I done to you?" Ava stammered,

"Simply being born is an offense enough on your part," the woman said cuttingly. Ava knew now that this wasn't truly her mother, at least not the mother she knew, but that didn't change the fact that it looked and sounded like her mother saying such a thing.

"Then there's nothing to discuss," said Ava rigidly steadying her sword before her.

"Agreed," said "Cornelia". "Let's make this quick."

Swords met again. They clashed many times in the air as either tried to break through the other's guard. This was hard. Fighting someone with her mother's body, even if it wasn't her mother, was near impossible for Ava. She couldn't find a rhythm and was getting flustered.

She backed up and went into a sharp thrust. The woman caught the blade and flipped it up. Ava had to roll onto the ground below to escape the ensuing slash. She found her sword quickly and got to her feet atop the hill. if she stood above the woman she could maybe find an advantage she thought. She made some rapid thrusts to try and push the other back, with some success.

"Cornelia" slashed upward at her. She side stepped it and made a sweeping cut of her own. It was then that the woman lifted her foot and kicked her hard in the stomach. She flew back and landed on her rear. A sword was pointed at her head. Her own sword had been dislodged from her hand.

"You fight dirty, 'Mother'," Ava said spitefully, not wanting to admit defeat and forfeit her life, but not sure how to get out of her predicament.

"The fight for the truth has no rules," the woman said with a huff. "Your failure to realize that today has cost you your head!"

Ava was certain of her death then. The woman had her trapped. She'd run her through before she could even stand. To be killed in such a fashion was ridiculous. It was unfair. She could seldom believe the cruelty of it all. Curses ran through her mind. She cursed fate, she cursed Deifilia Amarantha and more than anyone she cursed herself for being weak.

"Cornelia's" blade moved differently than she anticipated it. She blinked. And then she craned her neck to find that blade knocking a swift moving arrow from the air. Ava grabbed her sword and rolled a distance down the hill before standing.

"Of course you'd defy me and bring that girl along..." the woman said, closing her eyes.

"I couldn't stop her," said Ava. "And given how things have gone, I am grateful for that."

"Suit yourself, Ava li Britannia," said "Cornelia" sheathing her sword.

"Is that it? What happened to killing me?" started Ava intensely.

"Batting an unsuspected, fast-moving arrow from the sky with a sword is not an easy thing to do. Your friend won't show herself, and knowing her skills I know I can't count on her to miss," she sighed. "Your mother's body can only survive being filled with so many holes, after all."

"You bastard..." Ava growled.

"As I said, my orders were never strictly to kill you," "Cornelia" laughed. "In fact, I'll give you a present before I depart."

"I want nothing you people have to offer!" Ava shouted, beyond angry.

"Oh? But you accepted the sword in your hand which I sent," said "Cornelia" in a low voice. "Just as you accepted the other sword we gave to you."

Ava's eyes went wide. It wasn't that she had never considered it, but to hear it confirmed. It made her sick. It was her enemy who had put D.D. into her hands. her actions had been orchestrated to an extent to which she wasn't sure. She didn't like being made a puppet.

"Starting to understand how little control you really have, false Empress?" the woman said in a harsh voice before throwing a rolled up piece of paper on the ground. "Follow this when you've decided you had enough and want your miserable, useless life to come to an end."

Ava didn't grab for or even look at the paper. She felt ill. The cruelty of the foe with her mother's face was too miserable for her to stand. If Astrid wasn't there she'd be dead. Even if she did resume the fight, the woman's sword would no doubt find it's mark before Astrid found hers. Ava felt inferior. She really did feel like a child looking up at her mother, save that mother offered no console only words of hate.

"And with that, I leave you," the woman said with a smile, stepping back. "But as I'm feeling especially charitable today, I offer you one question to which I will give you a straight answer."

Ava snarled. As miserable as it made her feel, not accepting this deal was not wise given how many questions she had. But what to ask. Who was this evil woman who took her mother's form really? What was Amarantha after? Why was Ava being manipulated? So many imperative questions, but Ava settled on none of them. If she wished to beat an opponent, such things were not necessary to know. Looking ahead all she saw was an opponent she wished to beat.

"Why is my Geass powerless against you?" asked Ava coldly.

"You surprise me? Of all you could ask you pick something so mundane," said the woman with a laugh. "You are familiar Geass cancelers, aren't you?"

"My top men have been unable to replicate them. Gottwald's is the only I know to exist," started Ava quietly.

"That is one of the most marvelous little toys the Code R team developed, and one of the most complex. The sole member of that team who survived, the late Alfred Selwyn, was a comrade of ours for a while. He did what your shoddy scientists could not," said the woman shaking her head.

"The power that technology requires is not something a normal body could stand," Ava started.

"This body is no longer normal," said "Cornelia", smiling. "And in fact, the machine is right here." She said, while pointing to the center of her chest. "Unlike Gottwald's the main mechanism has been implanted internally."

"All this to torment me?" Ava started, almost impressed.

"Heh. That you have to stab your mother in the heart to get me to tell the truth," the woman smiled. "It's a fun game, is it not?"

"Y-you-!" Ava spoke almost compelled to reengage her sword despite knowing it would be her loss.

"You'll see Hell, next time we meet, Ava li Britannia," said the woman confidently, turning to leave.

"You think I'll let you just walk away from here?" Ava demanded. "You think you can turn your back on Astrid's bow?"

The woman fondled with some device at her belt. Something then flew swiftly from the forest up the hill. It stopped just behind the woman. It was a armored knightmare suit, much like the _Dagonet Foresight. _Decorated in shimmering gold armor with a horned helmet head and equipped with sword and shield, it looked much like an armored knight. Parts of it split open and "Cornelia" stepped inside.

"This is _Perseus_," said the woman. "A truly beautiful machine."

Ava stared ahead dumbfounded as the knightmare flew straight upward into the sky.

If that woman had something like that why was she alive? Why had that woman feared Astrid's flimsy arrows? How did she even get something like that into Britannia? It should be impossible. Was it some sort of super stealth unit? Ava shook her head. There were even more questions now.

She bent down to lift the paper the woman had left. She then turned to find Astrid rushing toward her. Ava analyzed the paper. It was a map.

"I-I don't understand..." Astrid started, looking especially pale as she looked at the other. She obviously hadn't been able to hear the conversation, only see.

"Neither do I, and I was right here," said Ava. "All I know is that my mother's fate is not as simple as I perceived it to be."

"Was that really her?" asked Astrid in a concerned voice.

"Not as I know her," said Ava nodding. "The person who appeared today was an enemy, nothing more."

"I see..." said Astrid, looking at Ava and then down at the map in her hands. "So what is that?"

"It's a map of the EU," said Ava. "A single location is marked on it."

"You don't think it's their base of operations?" asked Astrid.

"Apparently it's my grave," said Ava giving a quiet laugh.

"I'm going to need a full explanation of everything, Ava," said Astrid seriously.

"In time," said Ava. "First let's return to the castle. It's been a long day and I'd like to retreat to comfort."

"Very well," Astrid spoke, smiling very lightly.

* * *

Kaguya Sumeragi had an even expression on her face as she sat in a cold prison cell somewhere within the EU. She glanced at her cell mate, sleeping softly nearby, her purity tarnished by the prison garbs lack of proper keeping. Lihua was the one thing that made this easier to bear. She wasn't as timid now as she had been as a child, but the Tianzi still required a lot of comforting even now in a situation like this. She supposed it was natural. This was a bleak thing for all of them, but especially for the gentlest of spirits.

The cell across from them contained Villetta Nu and Rakshata Chawla and another neighboring cell held Nagisa Tohdoh. Conversation was possible and the guards did nothing to discourage it, but there was seldom much to talk about anymore.

Kaguya hadn't lost her hope, even if it had grown thinner. She smiled just slightly as she looked at Lihua. The smile deepened as she saw that woman's eyes open slowly.

"So you're awake?" Kaguya asked softly.

"Yeah..." Lihua started with a yawn, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She was over thirty years old now, but there was still something infectiously cute about her. Kaguya figured it stemmed from her soft spoken purity; she had grown stronger, but she still retained a sort of innocence.

"No real developments to report," Kaguya said. "They really aren't telling us much of anything as usual."

"I see," said Lihua. "I have to wonder what their final plans are for us."

"I'd have thought we'd hear a date by now," Rakshata spoke from the other cell, alerting Kaguya to the fact that she was awake as well. She looked over and saw Villetta raise her head as well.

"The leaders of a country are usually executed immediately when that country is conquered," this woman started. "It's been far too long now. Even longer for the Tianzi."

"Exactly. I suppose we have no right to any information on it, being prisoners," Kaguya spoke. "But not knowing our fates sure is hard."

"It's easier now for me with you all here, Kaguya," Lihua said in a soft, vulnerable voice. Kaguya didn't like the thought of the woman sitting here in this cell all alone. It made her sad.

"Well, I'm glad I can provide comfort, but I really hope to get out of here," said Kaguya.

Rakshata laughed. "Don't we all?" She gave a long sigh. "I miss my pipe..."

"Some of us have more real concerns then that..." Villetta said through a gulp.

"Your daughter was never tracked down if I recall..." Kaguya started somberly.

"It's hard to bear..." Villetta started. "After losing Kiyoko, not knowing anything about Chiharu... it's just too hard to bear..."

"My eldest child's the only hope I have left," said Nagisa's voice. Kaguya couldn't see her, so it came as a mild surprise to hear her butt in.

"War is horrible," said Lihua in a somber voice. "It's robbed you all of so many loved ones..."

"Did you ever see what became of Katsuo, Nagisa?" Villetta asked, in a composed but darkly emotional voice.

"He was taken captive along with me," said Nagisa, anger entering her voice. "I've received no word. He may be in this very prison somewhere though I know not what use this army may have for a 12 year old boy."

"It must be hard..." Kaguya said in a heavy voice. She had never had children, but she was still able to imagine the pain these two were facing. She glanced over at Lihua and noticed tears were streaming down her face. She knew the cause immediately. Lihua didn't have to do any imagining.

"Lihua... you're thinking about her, aren't you...?" Kaguya whispered, inching closer to her dear friend.

"Before I was taken captive we talked..." Lihua started. "She discovered the truth... For the first time in years I got what I had always wanted... a chance to hold that child again."

"What ever could the Federation's pure Tianzi be musing about over there?" Rakshata started in a warmly teasing, high voice. It was ignored.

"You'll see her again, Lihua," Kaguya assured. "We'll get out of her. I'm sure of it."

"It's surprising that you're still so hopeful, Miss President," Nagisa spoke in a low voice.

"My view is not so blackened by tragedy on a personal level as some of you, so perhaps it is only a naïve fancy on my part," said Kaguya with a low sigh. "But I think it's fate who ripped Kallen from us during that losing fight, that permitted none of those kids to be caught and thrown in here with us."

"Kallen's a talented kid, but she's no Zero," Rakshata commented in a soft voice. "And my dearest _Guren _can't fight the army of monsters the EU supposedly has alone."

"Zero..." Kaguya spoke the name of the one she once intended to marry. "I wonder what he'd do in a situation like this..."

"That man could wrest power from the hands of anyone," said Nagisa with a slight reluctance. "But there's hardly any savior like that now, just Kallen and a bunch of hot-tempered kids."

"It's someone's daughter here who has the hottest temper," Rakshata commented lightly.

"I'm well aware of that," Nagisa sighed.

"Is it time it place our faith in Britannia?" Villetta asked. "Or were they to win would they just toss us in a different prison?"

"That much would depend entirely on the circumstances," Rakshata started.

"I wonder if Britannia even has the power to stop them," said Nagisa.

"We just have to believe they do," said Kaguya, smiling at Lihua. "Hope is all we have. We can't lose sight of it."

"She takes after him so much..." Lihua said in a soft whisper. "I wonder if she'll come and set me free, just as he did so long ago..."

Kaguya kept smiling. She smiled until she heard something. It was the sounds of footsteps in the empty corridor. The noise of them grew as did her anticipation. Eventually, two figures appeared at the prison bars. Kaguya examined them. One was a very large, strong, but not unkind looking man. The other was a tan girl with sunken eyes and dark hazel brown hair.

"Elischa Mayer and Valeria Giullare. One half of the famous Four Champions," Rakshata spoke in recognition from her cell.

"Rakshata Chawla..." the man, Mayer, nodded back at her.

"You were there when we were taken prisoner," Kaguya spoke, suddenly recognizing Mayer. She had seen him that day, at the front of the force that apprehended her.

"They were both there in the group that stormed the Vermillion City," Lihua spoke solemnly.

"What do you want from us today, Champions?" asked VIlletta in a low voice.

"Our field commander wishes to speak with the two of you," said Mayer in a steady voice, facing Kaguya's cell.

"Very well," said Kaguya, standing. She helped Lihua up as well.

"Valeria," Mayer spoke to the girl beside him. She nodded quietly, not saying anything and stepped forward. She pulled out a small key and used it to unlock the cell.

"Just so you're aware. We are both armed," said Mayer. "We're not going to restrain you, but if you try anything, there will be repercussions."

"Understood," Kaguya said softly, nodding. Lihua nodded as well.

They both exited the cell. Mayer walked behind them while Giullare led them through the corridor. Kaguya stared at the girl. There was a distance in her eyes, but Kaguya didn't get the sense that she was evil. She didn't get that sense from the man either when she thought about it.

"What does the EU think about all this? I've often wondered what a people are to think as their leaders go mad..." Kaguya commented emptily.

"You honestly intend to initiate a conversation with us, President Sumeragi," said Mayer. "You're as bold as your reputation would lead one to believe."

"My curiosities are hard to contain," Kaguya said. "And I've seen the face of a soldier who doesn't like his own orders before."

"The EU is a diverse body. Just decades ago we were divided entirely. Now were under the autonomous rule of a power mad fool," said Mayer. "It's easy to fall into a charismatic trap. To believe petty promises that sound convenient. It's easy to miss the evil in this world."

"You really do disapprove of your President so?" started Kaguya, a little surprised. "To the extend you'd tell one such as I? A captive enemy leader..."

"Belisario Nemesio let himself become a puppet. He's not worthy of any regard," said Mayer.

"Does your companion feel the same?" Kaguya asked, glancing at the girl in front of them.

"Valeria is a strange sort. Immensely gifted, but a little lost in her own head," said Mayer. "It's a question what she truly think about anything."

"You don't say?" Kaguya started. "Well then, I'll just ask." Kaguya walked up quickly to the girl. "Valeria Giullare, what do you think about the war?"

The girl looked at her stunned for a while. Then she stopped in her tracks and tilted her head. "So many horrible deaths... it's horrible... Sad..."

"Saddened by the loss of life wrought by war," said Kaguya with a sigh. "I suppose it's not uncommon for a soldier."

"All the poor knightmare frames... that they have to die...I can hardly ..." Valeria said dreamily, looking down, sadness glimmering in her eyes as her body shook.

"K-knightmare frames...?" Kaguya started, surprised.

"As I said, this is an odd girl," Mayer spoke with a mild laugh.

"So if Nemesio is a puppet, does that mean there's a puppet master?" asked Kaguya, smiling.

"Naturally," said the man. "I became a champion to support my family. I ended up a whipped dog, one of many, on the leash of a despicable master."

"You're very frank, Elischa Mayer," said Kaguya in a quiet voice. "I pity good men like you who end up in such an uncomfortable place."

"The pity of my prisoner? How bizarre..." the man started in a low voice.

"It's sad, isn't it? A man like you can't simply lower his sword and leave it all behind, not when ones he love are riding on his blade," said Kaguya. "So you keep fighting, hoping in the end you'll be forgiven of it all, all the while cursing what fate had in store for you."

"Your wisdom also matches your reputation," said Mayer somberly.

"Have we been called today to hear the date of our execution?" asked Kaguya very suddenly.

"I don't know," said Mayer. "I cannot say anything on the fate that has been decided for you."

"Very well," said Kaguya brightly. "I rather like surprises anyway."

"If I had your strength maybe I wouldn't be here today," the man said quietly.

"You are strong, Mr. Mayer," it was Lihua who spoke suddenly. "I can tell." She nodded and looked back at the man for a bit. "That strength will serve you well, whatever may happen. I am positive."

"Such words from the holy Empress of the Federation," the man said. "I know I am not worthy to hear them from you, yet I appreciate it all the same."

Things quieted after that. The group concentrated on walking. They eventually exited the prison. A nearby car took them to a connected military facility. Mayer and Giullare showed them inside and to a small but orderly room. A masked man in an elaborate outfit was sitting in a chair.

"Field commander of the EU, Alain Renard," said Mayer in introduction.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both, President Sumeragi," the man started, standing and offering a hand to shake to Kaguya. "And you as well, Tianzi."

Lihua shook the man's hand just as Kaguya did. He nodded to them and stepped back.

"I'm sure you're both curious why I have called you here," said the man, Renard in a smooth voice.

"Obviously," Kaguya said brusquely.

"My superior is entertaining the notion of letting you both free in time," said Renard. "You only have to agree to a few conditions."

"You'd let the very leaders of your conquered territories go? For what conditions could that possibly be worth it?" asked Kaguya with a disbelieving laugh.

"My superior intend to relinquish the conquered territories in times. You could be reinstated as the leaders of your respective nations." Renard started, his voice impossible to read.

"That's stupid! You mean to say this superior has set out to conquer the world just for the sport of it, with hardly a care for the spoils of the bloody war?" Kaguya shouted, angered horribly.

"It's a very specific thing my superior is after. A system that only absolute fear and power could enforce. Land and resources mean nothing to her," said Renard quietly.

A female superior? Renard wasn't even going to hide and say Nemesio was who he served, Kaguya supposed.

"Your superior disgusts me!" Kaguya shouted. "I'll make no deal with her. I wish not to even hear it!"

"Even if the alternative is death?" Renard asked.

"I'd sooner die than become any sort of puppet to one who toys with human life on such a grand scale," Kaguya started bitterly.

"Do you share this woman's opinion, Tianzi?" asked Renard.

"I stand with Kaguya. I don't wish for death but I can't resign myself to whatever it is you're superior is trying to accomplish. Anything that calls for this is not right," said Lihua in a strong voice.

"That comes as no surprise," said Renard. "Just like Ava li Britannia, the new world she forms will see you replaced."

"If that's all you called us for, I'd like to return to my cell," Kaguya spoke indignantly.

"As you wish," said Renard. "I wonder how many days she'll give you to live..."

"My answer would be the same if you were to kill me for it right her and now," said Kaguya coldly.

"Amusing," said Renard simply. "Mayer, Giullare, escort these two back."

"Yes, sir," the man said, hate clear in his voice. The girl only nodded and stared ahead, the distance still in her eyes.

* * *

Rayner Wilde wore a tired expression as he peered down at the documents in front of him. A lot of work had just been shoved in R&D's lap. It'd meant a lot of long nights in the coming days.

"Ah, you've arrived," Earl Asplund started from nearby. Rayner looked up to see a small group walk in. Rayner recognized them at once as key members of Absolution, Jeremiah and Sayoko Gottwald, Cecile Croomy and Nina Einstein.

"Cecile and I were obviously ordered to do our part to help on this end," Nina started in a low voice.

"It was to save the world from a cruel darkness that last pulled us to the same side, Miss Einstein. I wonder if this is the same," Asplund spoke with a laugh.

"It's similar, I suppose," said the woman quietly.

"And it's more than a pleasure to be working with you again, my dearest Cecile. I was so broken when it was that you left me," Asplund said to the other woman with a dramatic flair.

"Honestly... Lloyd..." the woman spoke, shaking her head. Her eyes seemed to purposefully avoid Rayner.

Asplund smiled. "I suppose it's proper to introduce my friend here, as the four of us will be working together, it seems. This is Dr. Rayner WIlde, a truly brilliant man."

"It's nice to meet you," Nina spoke, shaking Rayner's hand. He moved toward Cecile, smiling.

"We've already met," Cecile said coldly.

"Oh? When did this happen?" Asplund started, surprised.

"This lovely lady was my senior back at the institute," Rayner said with a laugh. "A fine mentor really."

"How amusing," Asplund spoke. "That you'd then be united after all this time."

Cecile gave a huff. "It's not amusing. This is a hard person to deal with."

"You don't even give me a shot..." Rayner started, shaking his head.

"Ah, so your past together was one of animosity?" Asplund started with a smirk.

"Not on my end," said Rayner. "She helped me through a lot. Most of the ideas that I used to impress the Institute back then I got from bouncing things off of her."

"Ah, so perhaps it was Cecile's stubborn side that painted you as someone reprehensible," Asplund started with a smile.

"Don't speak without knowing, Lloyd. It's not healthy," Cecile said coldly.

"I was a lot colder than. So fully committed to my research," said Rayner. "I may have lost track of the human aspects of what was going on then in my failed haste to get out of that school before the war ended."

"That's putting it mildly," Cecile quipped.

"There will be time for catching up later," Jeremiah Gottwald stepped forward suddenly. "We must go over the work that must be done."

"Of course," said Asplund, nodding. "To start with, we did indeed recover large portions of the _Sieg Genesis _after the fight for New Pendragon. Refurbishing it into something new would hardly be too much trouble."

"Excellent," Gottwald started. "Knightmares will also be needed for my daughter, miss Einstein's Daughter, the former Round, Anya Alstreim and my wife."

"Miss Sayoko will be flying a knightmare? I was unaware she was capable?" Asplund started, mildly surprised.

"I've never done it before," Sayoko spoke. "But I won't be the only one to sit back and not fight. I do know the basics of how the machines work. I'm usually good at adapting to situations."

"After the sudden departure of two of our knights, we were left with two unattended units, Knightmare Frame _Kay _and Knight Giga Fortress _Bedivere Godhand. _Filling those seats if possible could save a lot of work."

"I believe with some small modifications, _Kay_ could fit well with Miya Ashford," said Rayner. "It's of a similar build to the _Dinadan _to which she is accustomed."

"Very well," said Nina. "What of this other unit? Aren't Knight Giga Fortress's not compatible with pilots who aren't cybernetically enhanced?"

"That's not entirely true," said Asplund. "It certainly helps, but if someone is sufficiently well disciplined physically and mentally, they should be able to take the strain of the systems."

"Sayoko should be more than capable then," Jeremiah said strictly.

"Pushing a Knight Giga Fortress toward your wife who has never before piloted anything? Are you sure about that, sir?" Asplund started, smirking.

"Amelia's body won't be at 100 percent when the fighting starts, and the girl is no stranger to lapses of emotional weakness. Sayoko is easily more suitable," Jeremiah started, looking completely sure.

"I'll try it. If it's too much for me, we can try something else," Sayoko said, nodding.

"Very well," said Asplund. "We'll be reviving _Mordred_ again for Anya, I suppose."

"Of course," said Jeremiah. "It's only suitable."

"And your daughter? What do we have planned for that girl?" asked Rayner.

"A full reworking of her _Brunnhilde. _I believe you've already seen the plans that have been drawn up," said Gottwald, nodding.

"Ah, so that's what this is. Looks pretty fantastical," said Asplund. "But making units that surpass even our _Mórrígan..._ It's kind of exciting."

"Speaking of which, we're to make whatever improvements we can to existing units, especially those which are still being rebuilt," Cecile said in a low voice.

"This sounds like fun," said Asplund, smiling.

"I suppose the two of use will leave you to your work then," said Gottwald, turning to leave.

"Very well," said Asplund. "Good bye."

"Good bye, Master," Sayoko said as she too turned around and began to pace away, her voice changing entirely for a moments, becoming hauntingly familiar. Rayner couldn't quite place it though.

"My..." Asplund started, laughing. "Such a surprising, amusing world we live in..."

* * *

Amelia stood outside the Enneagram mansion, smiling brightly. Facing her was Margaret Enneagram.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Margaret asked. "You need time to heal still."

"I'm not sitting this fight out," Amelia insisted. "I'll learn to fight with just one arm if that's what it takes."

"You're crazy, you know that," Margaret huffed. "Stupid, stupid crazy."

"Heh, well you'll just have to punish me then," Amelia spoke. Margaret blushed a little.

"Fine by me. I'll help you train," she said, activating her Geass. "Let's do this!"

"That's more like it," Amelia called. She then ran full speed toward the other into a full powered jump kick. Margaret dodged to the side of it quickly and then quickly followed through with a high kick of her own. Amelia did a full flip back, landing on her feet and then rushed forward, throwing a punch. Margaret caught it and made for a blow of her own, knowing Amelia hadn't the second arm to block it.

Instead, Amelia slid under Margaret's legs and tried to pull her downward. Margaret used her hands to support herself and quickly tried to find her feet. She did just in time to block a coming swift kick. She moved quickly to the side and trying to sweep at Amelia's feet. She needed to end this quickly so as Amelia didn't get hurt.

Amelia caught herself on her one good hand an pushed herself back up and directly up into a forward flip kick. Margaret dodged it with a precision jump back. She, however, wasn't prepared when the girl then immediately went into a forward flip onto her, sending her down onto the ground, pinned beneath Amelia.

She panted a bit before looking up. Their eyes met. She blushed and looked away. Amelia giggled and pulled herself off, sitting to the side.

"That was pretty good," said Amelia. "I didn't think you could control it though. I'm kind of surprised I won."

"I have been having more and more control over the powers I borrow recently..." said Margaret. "Was it that obvious I was holding back?"

"I don't blame you for not wanting to hurt me. I am a fool for asking for this," said Amelia quietly. She smiled blissfully. It was wonderfully infectious.

"Amelia..." Margaret started.

"Yeah?" the other said, tilting her head.

"I'm still so confused..." Margaret said meekly, looking down, her face red.

"About what?" asked Amelia quietly, putting her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"About us," said Margaret quietly. They hadn't really discussed it face to face since the night so much had happened. Their minds had been elsewhere. They had been focused on so many other things they hadn't had time.

"You have nothing to fear," Amelia said softly. "My feelings are not so weak as to just suddenly change. I still love you. Nothing has changed that."

Margaret's heart fluttered excitedly. Just hearing Amelia say it so simply made her feel so warm. "I'm happy..."

"Cynthia had her reasons, I suppose, but I won't abandon love," she said softly. Margaret finally looked up. Their eyes met again. Amelia's soft orange-tinted eyes looked so beautiful. "It's more important than anything."

"Amelia..." was all Margaret could manage to say. Amelia then pressed their lips together softly. It was wonderfully pleasant but all too short.

"i've been wanting to kiss you again for a while now," Amelia said, blushing and giggling a little, girlishly. Margaret smiled.

"Not as much as I wanted it. Because this time there was no disguise. It was just you, the one I love," she said in a very soft, gentle voice.

"Such open sweetness from you, Margaret... it's almost hard to take..." Amelia said with a giggle and lightly teasing tone.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Margaret questioned harshly.

Amelia gave another giggle. "Is it wrong that I'm grateful that things happened as they did? That meeting you was worth all of this to me?"

"You idiot..." Margaret said, blushing and shaking her head. "You're not supposed to say it like that..."

"It's true though," Amelia spoke quietly, smiling at the other.

"Let's both make it through this together, okay?" Margaret started. "And when it's all done, let's stay together regardless of everyone else."

"Heh. Who's the one saying strange things now?" Amelia giggled.

"I'm serious..." Margaret said staunchly.

"I know," said Amelia before kissing the other once more. "But it doesn't need to even be said. I won't leave you."

"Do you want to train some more?" asked Margaret then. Amelia laid back into the grass.

"Nope. Let's just stay here like this for a while. Okay?" She started softly. Margaret reclined herself next to the other.

"Okay," she said while smiling brightly.

Miya's heart was in shreds over Cynthia's betrayal, Margaret's own mother was hospitalized, still in critical condition, darkness was poised to overtake the world at any moment, so much was so wrong at that moment, but next to Amelia, Margaret could only smile and feel blessed to be alive.

* * *

Ulric Cross wore a somewhat distant expression as he peered outward across the castle courtyard. It was bugging him. It definitely was. She was a fucking princess, so it's not like he had any right to become attached. Still, he couldn't help but recall the time they had spent together. He seriously hoped that girl hadn't gotten herself killed.

"Ah, Mr. Cross," a voice started. Ulric looked up. He was surprised to find himself looking at the Knight of One, Gino Weinberg, a man to whom he had never really spoken at length.

"Hey. What could the Knight of One, want with a guy like me?" Ulric started, shrugging.

"I was just passing by when I was you standing here, with that solemn look on your face. It looked out of place," said Weinberg in a low voice. "I was unaware there was more to you than battle."

"Not much more," Ulric said blankly.

"It's the Princess for whom you worry, is it not?" Weinberg asked.

"I suppose," Ulric commented. "It reflects poorly on the teacher if the student goes and gets herself killed."

"Is that all it is?" Weinberg asked.

"It's not something for you to-" Ulric started. he stopped himself halfway though, unsure if he should let himself just say whatever to a dude so high up the chain of command. "I'm not sure I want to talk about it..."

"The first woman I loved my family deemed I couldn't have and I was too young to fight the decision. The second I loved, loved someone else, even after he was a ghost; there was no room for me. I'm happy with the third, my dear Lilia, and everything she's given me, but I sometimes wonder how different my world would be were either of those other pure feelings able to reach their height," said Weinberg in a quiet voice.

"Tch. A great fighter cares not for things like love," Ulric started. "It's a fucking waste of time. All it does is make you soft."

"Ah, I see," said Weinberg in a low voice. "I suppose I am a criminally soft man at times. I won't be Knight of One much longer."

"You retiring?" Ulric started curiously. "You're not too old. You got quite a bit more in you, I say."

"Thanks," Weinberg said. "But there's no telling I'll even survive this war."

"You got reason to what with a wife and kid," Ulric started.

"We all have reasons to want to survive, but fate is a tricky thing," said Weinberg. "It takes a truly strong person to grab fate by the neck and control it. I'm not sure I have that strength anymore."

"Then what, you're giving up?" Ulric started.

"Of course not," said the other man. "I just have to accept the possibility."

"And why tell me all this?" Ulric asked in a harsh voice.

"Because you're a simple man, easy to understand," said Weinberg. "And I can tell for a fact that you're a man in control of his own fate."

"Sure don't feel like it with that Empress barking orders left and right," Ulric commented dryly.

"It's a mistake that the knights draw so heavily from just the nobility. Men like you make us stronger," said Weinberg in a low voice.

"What makes you suddenly say something like that?" Ulric started.

"Nothing," the other replied. "I can just tell, regardless of what you may say, that you do care greatly about that Princess."

"It's not like it matters," Ulric started. "She's a fucking princess."

"And you're a knight, are you not?" Weinberg started, smiling.

"I'm just a street fighter who's had a long lucky streak," Ulric said in a low sigh.

"Maybe," said Weinberg. "But the truth doesn't change that title attached to your name now. It's not so unusual for knights and princesses to get along."

"You like putting your nose in things, don't you, old man," Ulric laughed. "You should try and mind your own business."

"Surely you're right. I apologize," the knight replied bowed his head and began to walk off.

The princess' smile flashed in his mind again. He was a damned fool. He needed something to punch. He gave a long sigh and then looked up into the sky.

* * *

Chiharu Ohgi sat awake on her bed. It was nighttime, yet sleep wouldn't find her. There was just too much wrong to sleep and it all kept circling in her mind. So she sat there, staring ahead through the darkness, lost in thought. She didn't notice when she was suddenly no longer sitting alone.

"Can't sleep?" Megami asked in a soft voice, sitting up next to Chiharu on the bed.

"Can you blame me?" Chiharu asked, shrugging.

"Considering I have occasional bouts of insomnia myself I'd be a hypocrite if I did," Megami replied softly.

"What do you do to get to sleep finally?" asked Chiharu curiously.

"Something really fun..." Megami said with a suspicious laugh. Chiharu wasn't entirely sure what the woman was getting at. "After a little excitement, I can usually fall asleep pretty quickly."

Chiharu blushed as she thought about the words. "You don't mean you...eh... does that really help?"

"What do you mean 'that"? I can't read minds, you know," Megami asked with a laugh.

"Aren't you talking about ... you know... " Chiharu started, blushing horribly and looking away.

"I've seldom seen you so cute, Chiharu," Megami commented dryly. "Are you thinking about something dirty?"

"You mean it isn't something dirty you do?" Chiharu asked, tilting her head.

Megami gave a weak giggle and then looked away herself. "Eh... it's a little dirty, I suppose..."

"Now I'm curious," Chiharu commented.

"I'm sure there are some kind of dirty things we could do together that might help us both... if you're up for it..." Megami said in a playful coo. Chiharu shook her head.

"You should know not to press your luck," Chiharu said, closing her eyes.

"Really? You're the one who was just thinking about masturbating to take her mind off all her stress," Megami said knowingly. Chiharu's heart leapt and her face turned a deep red.

"S-Shut up!" she stammered, hitting the other softly.

"I'm kind of curious, honestly, what would Chiharu Ohgi think about as she pleased herself..." Megami started, looking up..

"It's not for Megami Subarashii to know," Chiharu said firmly.

"No, I'm serious. You just seem so asexual to me, it's hard to picture you doing something like that at all," said Megami quietly.

"That's not true," Chiharu commented. Sex wasn't something that she thought about often, but that didn't mean she didn't have urges, that she was never attracted to people. She just had a hard time putting it together and capitalizing on it. It was in her nature to resist stuff like that.

"I'm glad," said Megami. "In that case, I might still have hope."

Chiharu looked down. She couldn't honestly place her feelings for this woman. Sleeping beside her for so long now was having effects, even if it was just sleep. Sometimes she'd awaken early in the morning and just stare at Megami, watch her sleep. It was strange to her. There was a certain intimacy in having someone sleep so close to her. Megami was a tad unstable and far too quick to drown her misery in jokes but these flaws were more than made up by her gentle spirit and the fact that she was just fun to be with. Chiharu couldn't call it love; not yet, but she could at least admit she was very attached to this woman now.

"Perhaps," said Chiharu, "But stealing my heart won't be easy, even for a master thief."

"My Chiharu saying something so romantic..." Megami teased. Chiharu blushed and looked down..

"Well, anyway..." Chiharu started, making it clear she wished to change the topic of conversation. "What should I do then to find sleep? What sort of 'fun' is there to have in a damned place like this?"

"You may be surprised to learn that Castle Amaranth actually does have video games..." said Megami in a low voice.

"You don't say...?" Chiharu started, surprised. "That is kind of surprising..."

"Yep. They're in a room on the East wing of the Castle," said Megami softly.

"I really don't think I'm in the mood to play games in a place like this," Chiharu said.

"I can't really blame you there," Megami replied.

"Besides, just talking to you has already put me at ease to an extent," said Chiharu in an almost whisper, almost hoping the other wouldn't hear it.

"Is it just Act Really Cute Day for you or something?" Megami laughed.

"I'm being serious. Don't take this like I know you will, but having someone like you here with me makes it infinitely easier to bear," said Chiharu in a soft voice.

"Personally, I wouldn't be able to do last a day here if it weren't for you," said Megami in a quiet voice.

"You value yourself too little," said Chiharu in a low voice. "It's not fair."

"Wow, it honestly feels like you're about to confess to me or something..." Megami said with a short laugh.

"You wish," Chiharu said dismissively.

Megami laughed.

"Things will turn around, won't they?" Chiharu asked suddenly.

"I was never the best optimist, Chiharu," Megami said in a low voice. "But fate would be even more of a bitch than I thought were it to rob someone like you of even the slightest happiness in the end."

"I suppose you're right," said Chiharu in a whisper. "I made that promise after all. I'll keep it one way or the other."

"I'm sure you will," said Megami. "This will all fall apart eventually."

"I think I'm feeling tired now," said Chiharu.

"Good," said Megami. "Let's try and get some sleep then."

"Alright," said Chiharu, smiling despite herself. She lied back onto the bed. Megami did the same. They faced each other there and both smiled.

"It'd probably be you," Chiharu said in a soft dreamy voice, smirking, sure her meaning was veiled.

"What would be me?" Megami asked, not following.

"Good night, Megami," Chiharu said, smiling.

"Wait, what..." Megami started, confused.

Chiharu closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep. That was, until sleep overtook her for real.

A/N: An interesting chapter, hopefully. The most plot relevant scene was the first. Nope I did not reveal who the mysterious "Cornelia" is. It remains a mystery for now, but it will all be revealed in time. The second scene was one I've been meaning to include for some time. I wanted to do a scene focused on Kaguya and Tianzi in prison; it seemed to work here. Kaguya is fun to use. After that, even more character I haven't been able to use much with an appearance of the researchers, laying out a few plans for new knightmare work. Then we have a cute fluffy romance scene between Margaret and Amelia (okay, well it started off a ninja fight, but it became a fluffy romance). Ulric musing on Eilith's capture with Gino for whatever reason; been meaning to have something like that last couple chapters. Ended with a refreshingly light Chiharu/Megami scene.

Got lazy today, so just one extra. Check it out.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Perseus


	43. Turn 42: Together

A/N: Alright, here's another chapter. Sorry for the delay. Enjoy. Contains sexual material.

Disclaimer: Elenie: "The author of this story owns only the original elements, including Deifilia..."

Ava wore an even expression as she examined the map in front of her. She had been examining this map for almost a week now. Was it stupidity that made her infinitely curious about the place which was marked on the map and what would happen should she go there? This was the heart of enemy territory. The one who took the form of her mother had told her it was where she would die. Was it bravery or stubbornness that had her thinking on going there? She didn't know but everything about it left her feeling sickly anxious.

"Signs are the enemy is mobilizing," said Astrid. They were in the throne room. Astrid stood beside Ava at the throne. "It's best we enter the final preparations for the coming fight and put these matters aside for now."

"I wonder, Astrid..." Ava started in a distracted voice.

"What's that, Ava?" the blonde girl asked, tilting her head.

"Nothing," Ava said. "I was just thinking about what I should do..."

"Protecting Britannia should be the obvious conclusion," said Astrid nodding.

"I suppose," said Ava. "But how much power does our enemy truly have? I can't even know..."

"No one can, Ava," said Astrid. "I'm aware that it bothers you that she's the one who sent that sword, that she's the one who set this whole thing off, but you can't lose sight of where you are now."

"I know, Astrid," said Ava. "Even still..."

"The Knight of One, to see you, your Highness," a voice suddenly started. Ava turned from her beloved to see the girl's father bowing before her. She waved for him to stand and nodded.

"Do you have news for me, Lord Weinberg?" Ava asked, her immense curiosity evident.

"The inquiries you presented to me have returned," said Weinberg. He was holding a small stack of papers. "Every sort of records that are kept by the Britannian government have been scoured through for the names you gave me."

"And that's all you found?" asked Ava, slightly disappointed.

"The name Naida Fiametta could be found nowhere in any of our records," said Gino, nodding his head.

"And the others? What of Selwyn and Delaney and Amarantha herself?" Ava asked, excitedly.

"Deifilia Amarantha's name is mentioned just briefly in our records. She was a citizen of EU. Involved in a revolutionary movement there," Gino explained quietly. "Reportedly assassinated in 1996."

"Revolutionary? Which group was it?" asked Ava, surprised.

"Verum Tutela," Gino started, nodding.

"Guardians of truth, eh? Never head of them," Ava started, trying to place the name.

"We found what we could on them. They're a minor note even in just the EU's history at the time," the man spoke. "It was group that came out of nowhere, achieved a strange sort of popularity across the European continent for a month or two before the leaders were all captured and assassinated."

"My, how harsh..." Ava said. "I take it they were violent then. Terrorists."

"They were called that," said Gino with a nod. "But their supporters for those few months saw them differently. They were viewed as public heroes, much like the Black Knights in Japan, complete with their own Zero, Deifilia the miracle worker."

"Y-you're joking..." Ava spoke, mildly shocked.

"She would reputably heal the war wounded in impossible ways," said Gino in a cool voice. "All the while speaking publicly against the EU's continual movement toward political unity under a central rule."

"Anti-unity?" Ava started. "But the group doesn't sound nationalistic..."

"It wasn't," said Gino. "They accused the EU leaders of empire building, changing the continent into a mirror of their tyrannical enemy, Britannia and using the war as an excuse to do so. She purported that the EU's leaders had developed a lust for war that went beyond merely protecting the continent from Britannia and that peace could be reached if they wanted it."

"A miracle worker who orchestrated a movement against war and tyranny now wages her own personal war to conquer the world you tell me?" Ava spoke, surprised.

"It doesn't add up to me either, Empress," the man said, nodding.

"This Selwyn, what do you have on him?" asked Ava with a sigh, wanting to move along.

"A lot actually," said Gino, nodding. "He was a Britannian scientist under Bartley Aspirius, involved in Code-R. Born 1995, a year before Amarantha supposedly died. Forty three years old. He was critically wounded in an attack on Code-R by Zero in 2019, but miraculously survived, despite being heavily deformed physically. After the war he made some headway in genetic research and a few other areas of science and eventually came to live as a Britannian expatriate in the EU. Recent records indicate he was killed by Japanese forces while being employed by the EU."

"I see," said Ava nodding. "If Amarantha can somehow heal the wounded with her Geass, perhaps..."

"Is that possible, Ava?" Astrid asked suddenly. "I mean, regenerating human flesh... that's a little much to accept."

"It does seem unreal," said Ava in low voice. "All the Geass I've known of deal with perception and mentality, nothing so physical."

"But if Amarantha healed Selwyn, it would explain it sort of..." Astrid started, perplexed.

"Yes..." Ava spoke. "Regardless, the matter of Selwyn is closed considering he's dead." She nodded. "What have you found on the last name, Eldridge Delaney?"

"A man with that name exists in censored records, but not much can be found on him," Gino spoke quietly. "He was born 1970 in a small town in Eastern Britannia. Son of the owner of an international trading company. Spent most of his youth living in the EU as a result Has lived in both Britannia and the EU since then."

"Was he involved with this Verum Tutela?" asked Ava, tilting her head.

"If he was, it's not on record," said the man quietly.

"Any more on the man?" Ava asked. "A current address maybe?"

"Census records indicate he hasn't lived in Britannia for six years now," said Gino in a low voice. "He has little recorded history."

"Great..." said Ava in a quiet voice. "So, nothing else then?"

"Well, he had a license on record six years ago. I have a copy of that, but all it really gives us is a picture of this old man," the knight started, shuffling through the papers.

"Alright, let me have a look," Ava started holding a hand out. Weinberg handed her the document, a photocopy of a a license complete with image.

Ava stared at it for a few moments. She could feel her heart stop. It was like something in her heart shattered then. She felt empty. She felt like a fool. Her body began to shake and some loose tears ran from her eyes.

"Ava, what's wrong?" Astrid started, concerned. "Have you seen him before?"

Ava's jaw went slack, but she couldn't get any words past it. She just stuttered and dropped the document to the floor.

"Ava..." Astrid spoke, embracing her lover suddenly. "Whatever it is, it's okay... I'm still here."

Ava shook herself from her stupor and smiled at the girl who was everything to her. She closed her eyes. "I really have been made a puppet on a string, Astrid."

"What do you mean, Ava?" Astrid asked quietly.

"I encountered Eldridge Delaney as a child. He presented himself as poor elderly man, disgruntled with the present, unable to care for the child with him, a granddaughter he called Lucy. I recall that day so strongly though it was seven years ago. It did so much to shape the person I became..." Ava started, feeling broken.

"Ava... that's..." Astrid started, clearly shocked.

"Are you sure it's the same man, Empress? Census records indicate Delaney was never married nor did he have any children," said Gino. "He wouldn't have a granddaughter."

"A child can be made to lie, Lord Weinberg," said Ava in a low voice. "Just as a child can fully believe lies told by others."

"They were your mother's enemy, right? If they were targeting her, it'd make some sense for them to approach you, but why the elaborate lie? Why do all that when it would be so much more direct of them to just grab you to get to your mother?" Astrid asked, clearly confused.

"Delaney is a Geass user, you forget," said Ava frightened. "That encounter was likely an excuse to subject me to his power. I wonder if the decisions I've made since that day have even been my own..."

"So Amarantha and Delaney have been purposely building you up to where you are now for seven years now?" Astrid started. "Doesn't that seem both farfetched and overly elaborate?"

"It fits, Astrid," Ava said in an agitated voice. "This is the same man I saw that day. The one who uses my mother's form said they sent the sword, they also sent the note that brought us to the EU six years ago. My entire history has been manipulated by this woman and her minions. It's clear to me now."

"So knowing this much, what do we do now?" asked Astrid in a quiet voice. "Knowing you've been playing into the expectations of the enemy, where do you go form here?"

Ava glanced down at the map again. "I don't know, Astrid. I don't know."

"Wow, news so grave... it's hard to fathom," said Gino in a warm voice. "This is not an enemy anyone would want."

"Correct, sir," Ava said. "I only wish some good news would land in my hand for once."

As if on cue, it was then that a figure came racing toward the throne. Ava looked up. It was a female soldier, a member of the Grail unit.

"Vesta, what is is?" Gino asked, surprised.

The girl nodded. "Your highness, a VIP has requested an emergency audience with you."

"Who is it?" Ava asked.

"General Kallen Kozuki of Japan, among others of their force," the girl replied readily. Ava's eyes went wide.

"Under what pretense?" she started, completely taken aback.

"To negotiate a prisoner exchange," said the soldier in a strong voice.

"I don't believe we still have any Japanese prisoners," Ava spoke quietly.

"Apparently, they have one of ours," the girl started in a low voice.

"Eilith-!" Ava started, standing up rigidly. "Japan has her? How fortunate."

"What word should I give to the Japanese group?"

"I'll speak with them," said Ava in a low voice. "But tell them it will not be a private audience, but instead before myself and a small collection of my most trusted subjects."

"Right away, your highness," Vest started militaristically before departing.

"Just what are you planning to do with this matter, Ava?" asked Astrid. "Call the Rounds to meet?"

"All of them are not necessary," said Ava in a quiet voice. "But send word to Margaret and Hildegarde. And definitely make sure that both Gottwald and his daughter and notified and made to attend. Lastly, I want the both of you there."

"Understood, empress," Gino started with a nod. "But Kallen Kozuki won't be an easy sell."

"We'll see," said Ava with a smile. "This could be what we need." She then sighed again. "I just wonder if it will be enough."

* * *

Lucrecia Harrison wore a deep smile on her face as she sat on a chair onboard the battleship _Olympus_, dressed in an elegant black dress and an expensive, girlish silk hat. She was smiling, but really she was confused. Mistress had saved her life, given her everything she had, made everything better; she probably wouldn't even be alive now if Mistress hadn't stepped up and rescued her.

Despite it all, Lucrecia Harrison was growing up. She would be thirteen years old soon. She was slowly becoming an adult. She was slowly beginning to understand things around her. Six years ago, Ashlynn Alvara had grown close to her. She had thought then that the woman was just unduly kind and friendly. She was fun to be around so Lucrecia clung to her. Together with Vivia, Ashlynn had helped build a confidence in Lucrecia.

When they were both gone, Mistress pulled Lucrecia in closer. It was strange at first. Uncomfortable. But that confidence she had gotten from her big sisters allowed her to survive it, but perhaps too long. She became accustomed to her Mistress' affection. She began to take pleasure in it and began to live her life entirely for her Mistress. The warmth the woman filled Lucrecia with was beyond her comprehension. So she listened blindly to what her Mistress told her, never questioning it.

Now the one she regarded as an older sister had returned under a different name. She saw in the eyes of Megami Subarashii at the age of twelve things she'd have never imagined in those of Ashlynn Alvara at six. She saw the pain, the sorrow, the regret, the disgust, the pity. She saw these things. She understood what they were. She was just lost as to what to do. Ignoring it felt like betraying herself, but could she really betray the woman who took her in, saved her life and held her closely at night?

All she could do was smile and not let the others see. This was something adults did, she supposed. Maybe she already was an adult? Had Mistress ripped away her childhood prematurely? She didn't know. She didn't know anyone anywhere near her own age. She was surrounded by adults. Perhaps she was just emulating them. She didn't know any better.

"You seem lost in thought," said a voice nearby. She looked around. The one who shared her room, Marcella Belita, was sitting nearby looking equally lost.

"I guess..." Lucrecia said vulnerably.

"Do you want to talk about it? I think we're alike in a way..." said Marcella in a soft voice.

"Why do you say that?" asked Lucrecia.

"We both regret how much we need her now," Marcella said. "We're both scared of coming to understand the truth about what the others say of her."

"She saved me from a horrible past... I wanted to die," Lucrecia said in a low emotional voice. "She took me in. I made friends. I was happy. All because of her... but now..."

"She saved me too... or so she says... I don't even know who I am. I'm afraid to know," said Marcella in a quiet voice. "I'm afraid that, if I find out, I'll end up hating who I am now."

"So do we hide?" Lucrecia asked in an earnest voice. "It's easier to just keep serving Mistress, right?"

"Y-yeah..." Marcella spoke without any certainty. "She's kind to us, right? Isn't that reason enough to-"

It was then that the door opened. Lucrecia looked up. A familiar man walked in followed by a smaller figure. Lucrecia looked at him. Upright and elegant but with a deep look of madness on his face, Edouard Valentin scowled.

"Lucrecia Harrison," the man started. "It's your turn now."

"My turn for what?" asked Lucrecia, tilting her head.

"To look after this child," said Valentin coldly. "I haven't the faintest idea what significance the dirty brat has to that man, but nevertheless he's been annoying me for the past day and a half. I demanded a reprieve from this duty and I was told to pass the little beast onto you."

A young boy stepped forward. He had black hair and haughty look on his face and appeared to be of Japanese descent. He looked about Lucrecia's age.

"How old is this girl?" the boy started with a huff. "You can't be saying a little girl like this is my new babysitter?"

"Excuse me, I happen to be a lady of just under thirteen years of age," Lucrecia said proudly, standing.

"And today's my thirteenth birthday..." the boy sighed. "She really is younger than me. Great..."

"Who is he?" asked Lucrecia, tilting her head.

"The kid of some Japanese VIPs apparently," Valentin started. "The President demanded he be taken onboard with us as we prepare for the assault on Britannia. I haven't a clue why."

"A-allright," Lucrecia started as Valentin departed without another word. It was then that Marcella sat up on the bed and looked at the boy, smiling.

"So, what's your name then, little one?" she asked.

But the boy didn't respond. His face went pale and his jaw hung slack.

"What's wrong?" Marcella asked. "Did I say something wrong?"

"S-sister...?" the boy started, stunned. "But you're supposed to be... Mom said you were dead..."

"I-I... I'm not..." Marcella started, her voice breaking, her hands shaking a little. "I'm not who you think I am..."

"B-but..." the boy spoke, disbelieving. "You look just like my sister, Yasuko."

At the sound of this name, Marcella put her head in between her hands and made a short screech.

"You're mistaken, boy," Lucrecia started. "Marcella isn't your sister if she says she isn't. It's that simple."

"A-allright..." the boy said, still partly distracted. "But who are you? What's a kid like you doing with these people?"

"I'm not a kid. I'm Lucrecia Harrison. Mistress holds me as one of her most trusted subordinates," Lucrecia announced haughtily.

"Not a kid?" the boy laughed. "You say that while wearing a childish hat like that?"

"Don't criticize my hat!" Lucrecia stammered. "I got this on a special mission from Mistress! It's a gift from the Empress of Britannia herself."

"Wow, really?, I like our chances a little better then," the boy said coolly, putting his hands behind his head. "If a little girl like you is such a major player in the enemy force, I guess I don't have as much to worry about."

Lucrecia lifted a metal spoon nearby, held it up between her thumb and forefinger, then closed it. It bent effortlessly. "See that, I'm a cybernetically enhanced soldier. I also happen to have a powerful Geass ability," Lucrecia announced with a huff, her face slightly red.

"Awesome!" the boy started. "But that doesn't change anything. You and I are still kids, we can't really do anything on the same level as the adults, even if we think we can."

"You're awfully mature for your age," Marcella spoke again. Lucrecia looked at her. She seemed to have composed herself again. The boy looked a little tentative as he stared at her, but Lucrecia could tell he wasn't going to press anything.

"Gotta be in this world. The war already took my dad... and my sis," the boy spoke, looking at Marcella, still obviously bothered by her appearance. "I'm just a kid, but even I can understand the stuff going on around me. Japan fell. Mom was defeated and captured, me along with her. Now that president guy has some creepy plan involving me. I could die because of it." The boy looked up. Emotion was clear in his voice as he added,"I could cry about it all like I used to, but that doesn't change anything."

Marcella embraced him. She held him tightly. "Poor child...It's unfair for both of you. You and Lucrecia, that you have to be involved in this war... It isn't fair" she started, tears leaving her eyes. "I'll be your sister. I don't care what my truth is. I don't care if it's painful for me to get closer to it. I don't want to see you like this."

"Sister..." the boy spoke, beginning to tear up as well. He looked at ease. Lucrecia suddenly felt lonely.

"That goes for you as well," said Marcella, motioning Lucrecia toward her. "Miss Deifilia is kind to us, Lucrecia, but it's not the sort of love a girl like you needs."

Lucrecia gave a slight sniffle and then stepped forward, joining the embrace. "I guess I have another big sister now..." she smiled.

"As painful as it might be... I'm not sure I want to hide from it any more," said Marcella in a very soft whisper as the embrace continued.

Lucrecia didn't reply. She didn't know what to say. She still wasn't sure about her course of action. She wanted to be the adult, the soldier, the lover that Mistress had put her faith in still. But allowing herself to be a child, melting into this kind girl's arms it felt somehow right.

* * *

Elenie Pallas had an expression of drunken delight as she sat atop the plush bed, wrapped in the arms of Deifilia Amarantha. It certainly was comfortable there. The other woman's beauty was intoxicating. Elenie could never be at ease next to her, no matter how much time they spent together.

Deifilia gave a low coo as her hand came to rest atop Elenie's breast, fondling it lightly through her shirt. The warmth was incredible. Elenie's face became flush as she looked the woman in the eyes. Deifilia kissed her softly then. She reveled in it, kissing the woman back hotly as possible.

"I really couldn't do anything without you, Elenie," said Deifilia, smiling softly as the kiss broke.

"I'd do anything for you, Deifilia..." Elenie said in a whisper.

"How long until the knightmares are ready for me?" Deifilia asked in a low voice.

Elenie felt slightly hurt. Deifilia always did this. Calling her up for sex only to talk business once Elenie was fully in the mood. It was disheartening. Elenie knew she was nothing to Deifilia. She was being used for her skill. It was painfully apparent. Still, she couldn't stop herself. It felt good. It was beautiful. Was it love? Maybe. A one sided love. Just like the devotion to her statues. A pure adoration of something beautiful that would never love her back.

"Three more days," said Elenie. "_Atalanta _was completed today. Repairs on other models will be fully concluded soon enough,"

"Excellent," said Deifilia with a smile. "Your dedication pleases me, Elenie."

"I'm glad, Deifilia..." Elenie moaned.

"I haven't spent enough time with you lately. You must have become lonely," Deifilia started.

"You spend a lot of time with her now," Elenie started, her face red. "And you give me so much work to do."

"Come now, there's no need to become jealous of a woman like her," said Deifilia in a soft voice. Elenie didn't buy it. If there was one of them Deifilia thought of as more than a useful pretty object, a pawn, in her plan, it was the one most integral to that plan, the witch D.D. In watching the two of them together, it seemed strangely like the witch had the upper hand somehow. There was no one else Elenie could say that about. The statuesque Goddess stood proudly over the rest of her pawns.

"I'm just a simple woman," said Elenie. "You can tell me such things, but it's not in my nature to listen."

"Your simplicity is what makes you an asset," said Deifilia smiling. "That and your mind... and your body." At the last word, her hand moved down to Elenie's thigh. She gave a gasp.

"All of it... every bit of me... it's yours to use..." Elenie near moaned, feeling horribly vulnerable.

"Devotion so pure..." Deifilia started cutely. "It's nostalgic really. I was once like you, you know..."

Elenie did a double take. She blinked. Deifilia never talked about herself to her. This was bizarre. Curiosity overtook her.

"You had someone you loved once, Deifilia?" asked Elenie asked softly.

"You misunderstand me, Elenie. I don't lack love," said Deifilia in a low voice. "I have an abundance of the emotion. It isn't just the want for bodily sensations that compels me to hold any of you closely as I do. I've only taught myself not to become attached to just one."

"But you were at one point?" Elenie tentatively asked.

"Years ago," said Deifilia. "I'm who I am because of her. Everything I've built up is because of her guidance."

"What happened to her?" asked Elenie in a quiet voice.

"She was killed," Deifilia said, closing her eyes. "But that was a long time ago..." She sighed. "I'm resigned to the world around me now. The world that will be here in the future. Dwelling on things I have lost is meaningless."

"I've never seen you so open, Deifilia..." Elenie spoke quietly. "Are you troubled?"

"I've worried you, haven't I, Elenie?" Deifilia said, tilting her head. "I shouldn't have. I apologize."

"I-It's okay..." Elenie said in a weak voice.

"Let's speak no more of such things," said Deifilia. "No need to let you see me in such a state."

"Yeah," said Elenie.

"Then let's put it all out of mind," Deifilia cooed, her hand going up to the woman's face, brushing hair from her eyes and then bending in for a kiss.

There were lots of things Elenie wanted to ask. She wanted to know, but she knew it wasn't necessary. She was happy with being a simple pawn, in the dark but able to admire this beauty freely. Why should she desire anything more?

* * *

Kallen Kozuki had a stern look on her face as armed soldiers led her and her companions through the halls of the Britannian Imperial castle for an audience with the Empress. It felt wrong doing this. It felt like she was turning herself in to the enemy without a fight. She didn't like it, but it was what they had decided. Besides, Xuemei was still on the outside, watching over the Crown Princess. That was their insurance policy. The only reason they had let themselves into the heart of the enemy's territory.

It had been a difficult trip from the occupied Federation to Britannia. There had been little time to rest. To their luck, they had found supporters in the Federation who had been willing to smuggle them out from under EU watch. After a week onboard a ship, they had reached a safe place in the Pacific where a plane was able to pick them up and transport them the rest of the way to the capital. They had arrived that morning.

Kallen looked at the others with her. Hiromi, looked disgusted, surrounded by the Britannian soldiers. She leered at them hatefully. Katsue looked horribly anxious and her sister looked just tired. Chaowei looked fairly at ease despite the situation. Kallen wondered what her own expression reflected. She was unsure about so much going into here.

"Here we are," a young man at the front of the group of Britannian soldiers started, presenting a large door. "The Empress of Britannia, Ava li Britannia, and a selection of her most trusted and able."

The door was opened and the five of them were escorted through. Kallen's eyes immediately went to the girl sitting at the chair opposite the door at the massive table at the center of the room. This was Ava li Britannia. Kallen studied the girl. Her image had been all over the world for so long now, but seeing her in person she appeared different somehow. Kallen could see the girl's mother, a woman she had only met on occasion, in her. What's more, with her pale complexion and dark hair, the Empress bore a resemblance to him as well.

But more than anything, the youth of the girl was apparent. This Empress was just two years older than her own girls, who she couldn't escape were more closely related to this other than they knew. Ava li Britannia was the same age she was back then, the same age he was when he found her and came to guide her to her along through her destiny twenty years ago.

The faces flanking her were fairly young as well for the most part, the Knight of One sitting directly beside her, a nostalgic figure for Kallen, excused. A fair skinned blonde girl around her same age, stood directly over the Empress' right shoulder. An equally young redhead sat beside the Empress opposite Weinberg. A small but strong woman a few years older, with a patched eye sat on the other side sat beside the head knight.

The other two sitting at the table came as something of a surprised to Kallen. The face of Jeremiah Gottwald was unmistakeable, as was that of his daughter, Amelia. Why the leader of Absolution and the famed would be assassin of the Empress would share a table with that very girl escaped the General.

"Welcome, General Kozuki," the Empress spoke standing. "It's an honor to meet you today. If you will, all of you, please have a seat."

"Very well," Kallen said coldly, taking the seat opposite the Empress.

"I'm not sure I wish to sit at a table to filled with traitors and scum," Hiromi said bitingly. Kallen sighed. The girl had insisted, but it was obvious that taking her in with them was a mistake. She was looking at Gottwald. "I want an explanation."

"Hiromi Tohdoh, I suppose," the woman with the patched eye started. "So we're finally meeting face to face."

"Hildegarde Waldstein, my enemy," Hiromi spat. She gave a flippant laugh, returning to the Absolution head. "But I'm more concerned with this transgression than you for a moment..."

"It's a simple thing really," Amelia Gottwald spoke. "The EU attacked us. They declared us our enemy. For the moment, we share a common enemy with Britannia. So, for the moment, we've opted to fight with them against a common and very serious threat."

"The truth of the matter is that the situation is bleak as it stands," the Empress spoke. "Britannia is still poised to lose this war as it is. Things just happened to fall in place between Absolution and ourselves. They were willing to help and so I was willing to allow them their freedom."

"You so blatantly tell your enemy your forces are at a disadvantage," Katsue spoke, tilting her head. "How very odd..."

"You are?" Ava started.

"These are my daughters, Katsue and Katsumi Kozuki," Kallen interjected. "As youthful as they are, they're both exceedingly able parts of our force."

"And while we're on introductions," Chaowei then decided to speak up. "I'm Wu Chaowei, the one and only ace of the Chinese Federation."

Kallen shook her head. This one wasn't much better than Hiromi in terms of presentability.

"I see," the Empress gave a laugh. "And I'd worry not, General. Our side too trends young higher up." She tilted her head up at the girl standing beside her. "This is my personal knight, Astrid Weinberg. I believe you are already acquainted with her father."

"Quite," Kallen started, looking at the man and then at his daughter. There was some resemblance, but not so much. She was quite fair and elegant in appearance. But she did hold the same strength in her eyes.

"And these are two of my most trusted Knights of the Round, Hildegarde Waldstein and Margaret Enneagram," Ava spoke. Either woman nodded in turn.

"The Knights of Four and Nine," Kallen said, nodding back.

"And to address your statement, Katsue Kozuki," Ava said readily. "I see little point in concealing such things from you at this point. Aside from possessing my heir, you have no cards in your possession. You're refugees of a defeated power. What I say to you and don't say to you is of little relevance."

"You speak bluntly, Empress," Katsue started. "I'm a little surprised. It goes against my previous perceptions of Britannian nobles."

"You think we're irrelevant then?" Hiromi scoffed. "Why even bother with this whole damn thing then, huh?"

"I do want Eilith returned to me safely," Ava said. "I'm willing to listen to your demands for her, but given the state of Britannia's affairs, I hope you understand there is only so much we can do."

"Is it really so bad?" Chaowei then spoke. "You guys are tough. The EU is too, but how do you know you're even at a disadvantage?"

"It's been exhaustively researched," Margaret spoke up. "Britannia has an advantage in terms of raw numbers, but that won't win the fight alone. With the massive leap between the power that can be manifested in a custom knightmare frame and an easily mass produced model, today's war is won by a select few rather than a larger force."

"So their custom units are superior then?" Katsumi asked, tilting her head.

"Not exactly," said Hildegarde. "It's less the units themselves, but more the people who pilot them."

"The pilots?" Chaowei started, surprised.

"You mean the Geass users?" Katsue started perceptively. "The two we've fought possessed the power. I assume that means there are more."

"Many more," said Amelia in a low voice. "As it is we can confirm that the EU is in possession of at least 16 users of the ability Geass."

"Sixteen?" Kallen started, her eyes going wide. Lelouch's geass had changed the course of the world alone. Now there were sixteen equable powers all on the same side. That was surely a volatile thing.

"That shouldn't be possible," said Katsue in a low voice. "Unless they have their own witch."

"As they do," Ava started in a low voice. "They stole ours. The one who gave me my ability was kidnapped by the enemy some time ago."

"And this Geass user is willing to give out Geass so rapidly?" Katsue started.

"What are you saying girl?" Ava started. "You speak knowingly."

"I myself am a Geass user," Katsue said forwardly, to the Empress' shock. "As is my sister."

"Are you sure we should just say that, sis?" Katsumi started, unsure.

Kallen looked down. Of course she didn't like it. She hardly understood it. They wouldn't tell her exactly what happened, just that they had departed to the Federation for that power, that they had used the same source as Chiharu. Kallen was fairly sure it was that woman who her children had met; no one ever had heard from her after all. It was a strange ironic fate if it were true, that his children would find her. But these were his children and they had that power now, the power that had allowed him to save the world. Perhaps there was some reassurance in that.

"You don't say," Ava started after a moment to collect herself. "This comes as a shock. Recent signs led us to believe Japan didn't have a source."

"Chiharu Ohgi is a known Geass user, Ava," Astrid Weinberg said, likely as a reminder. "Her source was never confirmed by us."

"It's the same source," Katsue started. "But that source is not directly affiliated with Japan."

"Then who?" Gino asked, intrigued. "If not Japan, which side is this Geass giver on?"

"The side of a peaceful world," said Katsue in a low voice. "They wish only to restore the world to what it was before."

Kallen closed her eyes. If it was her, that she would move to protect his vision, even if behind the scenes, was a nice sentiment. She had always been worried by her proximity to him, but with time it had faded some. It was refreshing now to think that she wasn't the only one who still held his memory dear.

"Return things to the false peace constructed by Lelouch vi Britannia twenty years ago. Heh. I can hardly expect this person's assistance then, I suppose," Ava said, almost amused.

"False peace?" Hiromi scoffed, raw anger in her voice. "Can you honestly still say this hell you've unleashed upon the world is really is better than it was back then? Do you actually have the nerve to say that destroying one lie was worth all this?"

"You'll not assault my Empress with such words, Tohdoh," Waldstein spoke harshly. "Remember you're place or we won't hesitate to punish your transgressions!"

"I don't want to hear such things from you! I don't want to hear anything from the mouth of the one I blame for my sister's death!" Hiromi shouted.

"Hiromi! That's enough! We must contain ourselves," Kallen accosted. "This isn't the time for such out bursts."

"Your sister isn't dead," Hildegarde spoke dryly, unfazed. "As I said last we met, she was on that battlefield with us."

"You still blather such nonsense! What proof could you have of such a disgusting lie?" Hiromi continued to shout.

Hildegarde reached up and suddenly removed her eyepatch, her eye still closed. "My Geass can allow me to see into the pasts of one close by."

"Xuemei did say you had such a power," Hiromi said in a low voice. "But that Marcella Belita, that fiend, if she is with that enemy she likely has the power too. She could have manipulated what you saw."

"Perhaps," said Hildegarde. "But it's unlikely. I was previously unable to use this ability more than once a on the same target. I had used my ability on your sister once before. When I met the one calling herself Marcella Belita on the battlefield, I initially was unable to read her. It took the nature of my Geass changing entirely for the ability to break out. And when I did, I saw things only your sister had seen."

"I have no faith in your abilities," said Hiromi. "I refuse to believe that monster could be in anyway related to my sister."

It was then that Hildegarde opened her closed eye. She looked straight at the girl for a moment. After some time passed, she forced her eye shut.

"You should listen to Princess Eilith. As much as we want it to be, as much as the power we hold makes it seem like it is, war is not about the individuals at its heart," said Hildegarde. "Power sees that our decisions effect many we don't even know. Allowing our emotions to dictate our actions is hardly fair to them."

"Eilith said all that?" Ava started, surprised.

"I've just skimmed through Tohdoh's recent memories. Eilith has provided all of them with remarkable, earnest advice. She helped them reach us as well," Hildegarde said, pulling the patch back over her eye.

"That's all true enough," said Kallen. "I don't doubt her power, Hiromi."

"But-," Hiromi started, shaking.

"We should return to point," said Ava suddenly. "You, Hiromi Tohdoh, have offered me a question. If I truly think what I've done is worth it?"

"That's right," Hiromi smirked. "I'm surprised you don't run from it."

"Fate is a peculiar thing, but if anything, it is not something that you can run from it," Ava said. "It was a former colleague of yours, Megami Subarashii, who taught me that."

"All my enemies unite against me..." Hiromi said in a dark voice.

"There are certain things I wish I had known earlier. There are certain things I wish I had thought on longer. There are instances where I've lost sight of the larger picture and have allowed myself to become a pawn," Ava started. "Do I have regrets? Of course. Would I take it all back if I could? No. I believe in the things I say. I disagree with the methods of Lelouch vi Britannia. He saw things in terms that were far too simple for my tastes. I respect the ideals he touted, but they're impractical given the nature of man. That's not to say the world is better at war, but for an empire to lie back and allow itself to fall into decline for the sake of a pretty lie is not something that will ever mesh with my ideals."

"Your damned ideals tore my family to shreds," Hiromi started in a low, raw, emotional voice.

"My father died in the war twenty years ago, my mother in the same war, years earlier. For those twenty years, I unknowingly served faithfully under the command of his murderer, I've also lost a surrogate father and perhaps, though I've yet to lose all hope on her, a very dear friend..." Hildegarde started in a quiet voice. "I know your anger, your frustration. I understand it, Hiromi Tohdoh. Let the passion fuel your blade on the battlefield, but never let it cloud your judgement."

Hiromi looked surprised, like she didn't want to hear that her enemy had seen as much loss as she had to war. She didn't respond, but seemed to calm a bit.

"Enough on such things, wasn't there a more pressing cause to this meeting?" Jeremiah Gottwald started in a cold voice, drawing attention. Ava looked up.

"Eilith," Ava started. "What did you want for the Princess?"

Katsue sat up. She nodded. "Resources. Your princess will be returned to you for a sufficient number of knightmare frames and supplies to begin the process of taking back our homeland."

Ava laughed hard. "Did you hear that, Astrid?"

"Yes, Ava. It's rather amusing," the girl spoke, with a smile. "Right, father?"

"Of course, Astrid. Funny little request, that," Gino started with a smirk.

"Agreed," Margaret Enneagram gave her own laugh.

"What the heck are you guys laughing about? We're serious here," Chaowei stammered, angered by the display.

"The situation's been explained to you," Enneagram spoke. "Do you honestly think Britannia had such resources to spare? Do you honestly think that even if we did, it'd be enough for you to make a dent against such a foe?"

"So you abandon the crown Princess then?" Hiromi added cuttingly.

"Eilith is a great friend," Ava responded. "But what use is an heir when Britannia is made an EU conquest?"

"So we came all this way for nothing..." Katsue started, disappointment evident.

"What if we all work together?" Katsumi interjected. Kallen closed her eyes. She had realized from the get go that this was the evident conclusion. The Britannians were clearly trying to stress the necessity as well. They were truly desperate.

"That's inconceivable!" Hiromi shouted. "To even suggest such nonsense."

"I'm game," Chaowei spoke. "I mean, you guys joined up, right?" he added while looking at the Absolution representatives.

"The EU's puppet master, a woman calling herself Deifilia Amarantha, who has committed countless crimes against humanity betrays the ideals of Zero and the Black Knights, the ideals our organization was built to restore to the world, more than Ava li Britannia ever did," Amelia started. "We still do not approve of the ideals of the Empress but this is a greater evil."

"Deifilia Amarantha?" Katsue started in a somber voice. "That man said that name. Alfred Selwyn. He spoke that name before I killed him."

"Selwyn again," Ava spoke quietly. "So many unescapable links in this chain."

"Marcella Belita also spoke the name Deifilia in reverence," Hiromi started, just as somberly.

"We're already both fighting against them," said Margaret in a quiet voice. "Why do it separately any longer?"

"Twenty years ago, you flew at my side against what we perceived as the greatest evil of the world, though history may have proven otherwise," Gino started. "Why not team up again, Kallen?"

Kallen smirked as she shook her head. "It's not so simple joining hands with an enemy like this. So much of the blame rests squarely with the Empress. Even if this Amarantha is as evil as she seems. Even if I have personal reasons to hate them, even if I feel violated by them, it's not a rift that can simply vanish."

"The one who gave us our Geass said to preserve the world," Katsumi spoke. "It was never about just Japan or our homes. We were to save what we could of this world. That was the promise we made in exchange for our Geass. I don't want to let pride become a barrier, sis. It remains that everyone in this room is human. Alfred Selwyn was a monster."

"If that is your decision, Katsumi, I stand by you. I will fight alongside Britannia for the sake of this goal," Katsue started in a somber voice.

Kallen sighed and shook her head. "You girls..." she started. "I'll fight as well. _Guren _will join this fight."

"Well you can count me cleanly out," Hiromi started coldly. "I'll have no part of such nonsense."

"When I took power, Hiromi Tohdoh, I allowed any in the existing system who disagreed with me to walk out without a word. The ones who did would go on to become my enemies and I knew they would, but still I hardly lifted a finger to discourage them," Ava spoke in a steady voice. "Whether you do or don't wish to fight is entirely up to you. No one here can force you to make a decision."

"Don't you want to find out the truth about Yasuko?" asked Hildegarde in a low voice.

"I reject your supposed truth," Hiromi started stubbornly. She added begrudgingly. "I'll fight, but I do so only to find Marcella Belita and Chiharu Ohgi and see that they are made to pay for their crimes. I fight against them, not with you. I ask that the difference is respected."

"Heh. As you wish." Hildegarde said, smirking. "And what of the other one of you, that silver haired dragon?"

"Xuemei is cold but intelligent. She'll understand the need for such things," Kallen spoke in a low voice.

"Excellent," said Jeremiah. "As it is, we have very little time to prepare."

"As it happens, I ordered the rush development of a number of knightmares this morning," said Ava in a low voice. "As we currently have four master technicians serving our cause, there is still time for each of them to oversee one additional project a piece."

"How convenient," Kallen said. She felt like sighing. She was his niece, there was no escaping it. She had known they'd come out of this meeting siding with her. She had likely placed this order immediately upon receiving the request for this audience.

"Additionally, may I propose we have a look at the _Guren _in your possession? Our technicians may be able to touch the unit up and increase its specs in time for the fight," Ava asked in a low voice.

"Do as you wish," Kallen started. She wondered what a certain Indian woman might say about handing the _Guren _over to Britannians again. Of course, regardless of that woman's complaints, last time it had happened, the unit had been made into something entirely on another level.

"Good," Ava started. "I like our chances against this threat much better already."

* * *

Eilith wore an easy smile as she sat in the back of a car. Beside her was Hu Xuemei. The meeting had concluded and they had been called to the castle by Xuemei's companions, though no explanation had been given quiet yet. Eilith had a feeling of what this meant, but she didn't want to presume.

It had been a strange previous week as the "prisoner" of this group of Japanese soldiers. She had come to like these people as she helped them along as best she could. They were faulted and human, just like the Britannians. but of course they were. She had entered the fight knowing full well it was people she'd be killing. That's what war was. There was no hiding from it. She was content with it. She was doing her part. She'd ruin lives. It'd always be on her conscious. It was better than staying still.

Hiromi Tohdoh was an emotional whirlwind in human form. At times this may have leant her power; she had bested Eilith's mother after all. But mostly it was just dangerous. She was caught up in herself and in danger of doing something rash. Wu Chaowei's faults were immediately apparent as well. His ego and flamboyant obsession with style overshadowed his competence and alarming ability to think on his feet.

Katsue Kozuki was a gifted young intellectual who knew what to say and how and when to say it, but she had a timid side that left her vulnerable in a physical sense. She was also far too logical at times. Her sister was contrarily never shy and in fact horribly brash; though this was usually to her benefit given the girl's uncanny knowledge of when to place her words it still left her in a dangerous spot at times. An overall sense could be taken from the girl that she'd be lost without her sister. Their mother was a very strong woman and age had likely done a lot to bury what faults she may have had. It was hard to say if her daughters were her greatest weakness or greatest strength. Perhaps they were both.

Hu Xuemei was kind of hard to read. She was Eilith's opposite in a way. She was stern, cold, and uptight. Passion resided in her eyes, but it was not so unchecked as Hiromi's. It was purer and easier to funnel to the woman's advantage. She was alarmingly disciplined yet still had an unsettling humanity. But the girl seemed a little too reserved, like she was afraid to let others in.

"I wonder what the decision was..." Eilith said aloud, trying to spark something.

"We never spoke of it, but I assume the only viable conclusion is to temporarily join with the Britannians," Xuemei responded forwardly.

"Heh. I was thinking the same this whole time," Eilith started. "Funny how that works."

"It's simple strategy," said Xuemei. "When faced with an enemy stronger than yourself, you can't be too selective with your allies."

"True enough," Eilith said with a laugh. "I wonder how Hiromi reacted."

"I believe we both can imagine that clearly enough," Xuemei started with a subtle sigh. "I do wish I could have convinced her that I should go in her place."

"I'm kind of glad you didn't. She acts all mopey around me," Eilith said, shaking her head.

"She's quick to speak of the enemies who have wronged her yet you are one enemy she feels she mat have instead wronged," Xuemei perceived. "That's hard for someone like her."

"You understand her well," Eilith said, nodding.

"I hat to say it, but we are similar," said Xuemei. "If Miss Xianglin hadn't taken me under her wing, if I hadn't been rigorously disciplined, I'd be a lot like her. Perhaps worse."

"Miss Xianglin?" Eilith started.

"A mentor of mine," Xuemei replied. "She guided me from an early age."

"Mentor, eh? I didn't have anything like that until a few weeks ago," Eilith laughed.

"Oh, what sort of person is it who instructs you, princess?" Xuemei questioned actually smirking slightly.

"He's a pretty cool guy once you get to know him. A little direct, but it suits him well. He's a rough package, but one that contains some real time tested wisdom," Eilith replied, smiling as she thought about seeing the smug look on that fool's face again. She was actually eager to hopefully get another training session in. She did have her aggressive moments after all.

"Intriguing," the woman started. "Perhaps I should meet this man later."

"If you want," Xuemei started. "Shouldn't be long now until we arrive."

"Eilith vol Britannia, I have a question for you," the girl started suddenly.

"Sure, shoot," Eilith said titling her head.

"Have you ever thought about it? Have you ever thought about how you'd go about it? About what you'd do if Ava li Britannia were killed or deposed. If you suddenly found yourself the Empress of your nation, what then would you do?" Xuemei asked.

"A curious question coming from you," Eilith started. "I honestly haven't thought about it much. It's still so new to me, being a princess. Being Empress is a little... " Eilith sighed. "But if it did happen, I'd face it. I'd stay strong. I'd build the strongest Britannia I could with as little sacrifice as possible. I'd do a lot of things. There's a lot wrong with this world. Always has been, always will be. I can't fix it all, even as Empress, but I can at least try and make the world a better place, right? If I do that, I'm a success in history's pages, aren't I?"

"The sort of answer I'd expect from you," Xuemei started, closing her eyes. "I'm not sure I'd know what to do at all."

"Heh, but you're not becoming an Empress anytime soon, so no worries there, right?" Eilith spoke.

Xuemei was silent. Eilith didn't know what to make of it.

"Do you recall what I said when first we met?" Xuemei asked.

"That you felt we were close somehow?" Eilith started, tilting her head.

"Understanding you better now, I can see I was right," Xuemei spoke. "Except you're far more mature."

"Just what are you getting at?" Eilith asked, confused.

"I am the daughter of Jiang Lihua, the beloved Tianzi of the Chinese Federation," Xuemei admitted in a cool voice. Eilith's eyes went wide.

"But the Tianzi is only..." Eilith started. She stopped herself. Childbirth was possible at such an early age, she supposed. It contradicted the image of divine purity associated with the Tianzi about as bad as anything could though. As Eilith understood it, the Federation's royal family was very branched. Direct succession was unheard of. The Tianzi herself was to remain a virgin.

"You tell your enemy that knowing the shadow it casts over the established order of your homeland?" Eilith started, still surprised.

"I trust you not to exploit it," Xuemei spoke. "I was raised to believe I was an orphaned child entrusted to the palace. Miss Xianglin raised me to serve the Tianzi faithfully all the while never knowing she was my own mother."

"So we were both separated from our royal mother's by matters of circumstance and lied to, only recently uncovering the fact that were the rightful heirs to our respective nations as part of this war?" Eilith laughed. "How ironic. That really is some connection."

"You'd be a far better Empress than I," Xuemei quietly asserted.

"I'm not sure how true that is," Eilith says. "Regardless, it's something to be discussed at a later time. It looks like were pulling up to the castle now."

"Right," Xuemei started. "We'll speak of this later."

The driver stopped the car and helped either woman out of the car. It was very soon that they were greeted by a very familiar face.

"They sent you to fetch me? Of all the..." Eilith scoffed and rolled her eyes as she stood face to face with the one and only Ulric Cross.

"What, that's all the reaction you're going to give to seeing me again?" the man started, looking a little disappointed.

"Expect more?" Eilith replied playfully. "Don't tell me a guy like you was worried about me."

"Of course I was fucking worried," Ulric began in a low voice. "You'd have died it would have made me look bad."

"That all it is?" Eilith said, laughing. "Either way, it is good to see you again, Cross."

"You too, Princess," the man said with a nod. "But what the fuck is this all about. You were supposed to be better than this. After all I put into it, you weren't supposed to get shot down first thing by some fucker."

"I'd watch it, Cross," Eilith started, shaking her head. "That 'fucker', is standing right next to me."

Ulric's eyes went wide. "Well shit!" he started. "Shoulda said something." He studied Xuemei closely. Eilith glanced at her, she looked hardly amused by the man's antics. "So it was this sexy little thing that got the better of you? Heh. She looked tough."

"We fought to a draw, actually," Eilith started, scratching the back of her head. "But I'd watch it around her... she can be kind of scary..."

It was then that Xuemei put a hand upon Eilith's shoulder, calling her attention. Looking cutely flustered and out of character, she huffed out, "Princess, who is this man and would it be out of place if I were to emasculate him?"

"This is that mentor I told you about," Eilith answered with a smile. "And I say go for it. He sure as hell deserves it."

"Just who's side are you on, Princess?" Cross started.

"I question your judge of character," Xuemei started, looking at the man. "But I can recognize very well that this man would not allow me to get close to him."

"It's Ulric Cross, by the way," the man spoke. "The Empire's Knight of Twelve."

"Britannia must be desperate if it enlists such a thug as a commanding knight," Xuemei said cuttingly.

"They just respect skill, kid. And there ain't no one with more of that than me," Cross boasted. "Ulric Cross just so happens to be the best there is."

"You remind me of a certain of my countrymen," Xuemei spoke, shaking her head. "Save perhaps even more irritating."

"Hate to say it, but Cross' boasting is unfortunately easier to backup than that kid's," Eilith started with a giggle. "He probably really is the best knightmare pilot we have."

"I wonder if we are not doomed to fail then," Xuemei said, closing her eyes.

"This girl sure can be harsh," Cross started. "But I suppose that means you guys already heard, huh? Looks like everyone'll be teaming up to beat back those Euro bastards."

"We hadn't heard," Eilith spoke. "But really it's the only obvious solution. I think we can all agree that letting the EU conquer the world wouldn't be a good idea, even if we have our differences beyond that."

"Well, then that makes it easy," Ulric started. "I'll just lead you in then."

"Awesome. Can't wait to see Ava again. I missed that girl," Eilith started. "Astrid too."

"Then let's waste no more time," Xuemei started.

"Right," Eilith replied. She smiled as she was lead inside the castle. She really felt like she had come back home. It was a warm feeling.

* * *

Amelia wore a content smile as she sat upon a bed, looking down at her arm cast. There was still some pain. It was still tender. It was an inconvenience. One she cursed with all her being. Still, she wouldn't back down just because of it.

"You sure you can fight like that?" Margaret asked, standing nearby. They were in Margaret's house. They had returned earlier from the castle. Amelia had then insisted on even more training. Margaret went laughably easy on her, but even so, Amelia felt she was getting a lot more competent at fighting with just one arm.

"I'm not going to sit this one out," Amelia spoke. "It might be stupid, but I have to fight Margaret. I have to keep fighting."

"You're right it's stupid!" Margaret spoke, bitingly, giving a strong huff. "It's the most ridiculous, selfish, stubborn thing I've ever heard."

"I know, Margaret..." Amelia spoke. "I know that me going out there like this will cause you pain. But I'm strong. I can survive this fight. No. I will survive, that's a promise."

"Amelia..." Margaret spoke in a soft voice.

"I only ask that you promise me the same," Amelia said. "Promise me we'll both survive this war together."

"Heh. It's a promise," Margaret said without a second thought.

Amelia had to wonder what would happen then. If they both survived, if Britannia won, would they be enemies again? Fighting Margaret seemed somehow almost worse than losing her. Either way would be horribly painful.

"What's wrong?" Margaret asked, picking up on the change in her expression. "You look sad suddenly."

"Does this really work?" she asked. "Or are we just fools, pretending?"

"Amelia?" Margaret started, tilting her head slightly, unsure what to say.

"Even the Japanese are with us now but all of this unity is temporary," said Amelia. "When the EU has been defeated, what then? We'll all be on opposite sides again."

"I like to think we were brought together for a reason," said Margaret, blushing a pure red. "Love will make it all work, I think..."

Amelia giggled. "It feels odd hearing you say something so romantic." She gave a short sigh and then added. "But as naïve as they might be, words like that are reassuring."

"At the very least, we should make this time now, that we have together, really count," Margaret started in a soft voice.

"How do we do that?" Amelia asked tentatively, feeling a little flustered.

"Amelia, can I ask you something?" Margaret started, not answering the question as she sat down on the bed beside the other. Their eyes met briefly, causing both to become slightly flustered.

"Y-yeah..." Amelia nodded. "Anything you want."

"You're parents are free now. You could be with them at that place the Empress is letting them use," Margaret said in a quiet voice. "Why then have you spent almost the entire past week here with me?"

"With your mom still in the hospital, you'd be all alone here," Amelia responded. "Besides I still need training to keep sharp."

"Your parents were always your training partners traditionally," Margaret said. "That second point isn't entirely valid..."

Amelia looked down. "You know why I'm really here, Margaret," she said quietly, looking downward. "It's like you just said. We have to make the most of our time together. We don't know what the future may hold for us. I'm just shy to say that so forwardly."

"Yeah... I know what you mean," Margaret started, her face red. "But it's stupid. You don't need to be like that with me, Amelia. There's no need to conceal anything from me any more. I love you. Be open with me, okay?"

Amelia's blush soon matched the other's. She averted her eyes and spoke timidly. "O-okay... but you have to be open with me too."

"Alright," Margaret started, shaking a little. "In that case... I want you to stay here tonight."

Amelia gasped, perverse thoughts entering her mind. She wasn't one to typically think in such terms, but was there any other explanation for this request.

"You mean, right here?" Amelia gulped. "Here in your room?"

"Yeah..." Margaret spoke, looking at the floor.

"There's only one bed," Amelia said, feeling slightly lightheaded.

"Don't be a child, Amelia," Margaret spoke, her blush betrayed her strong words. "Y-you know what I'm asking."

"I am still a child really," Amelia spoke. "We both are. I've never done anything like that before..."

"I'll guide you, Amelia," said Margaret, her hand gliding to join Amelia's. "It'll be good. I promise."

"I trust you, Margaret," Amelia started. "I'm scared. My heart is pounding. But that doesn't mean I don't want to feel your love."

"Please tell me if I hurt you," Margaret said, as a hand went to lift Amelia's face. Their eyes met for a long time. Margaret looked so beautiful then that it was spellbinding. Amelia stared endlessly into her soft brown eyes. When Margaret bent forward and pressed a soft kiss into her waiting lips, it was as if her entire body was filled suddenly with warmth. Her heart almost stopped as the kiss intensified, Margaret's tongue slipping past her lips and into her mouth.

Amelia was to stunned to move at first. Only when Margaret's hands went to her back and waist in a comforting way did Amelia realize how wonderful these sensations were. Her tongue began to move, pressing back against that of her lover. Soon both were lost in the kiss, exploring each other's mouths both at a lovely slow pace and a powerful rapidity in turns. It was numbing how beautiful it felt.

And then Margaret's hands went to Amelia's chest. She gasped into Margaret's open mouth as the other girl began to slowly knead her bust through the shirt. Margaret broke the kiss, allowing Amelia to give a low pant. It was then that Margaret pulled the shirt up over Amelia's head, being careful with the girl's damaged arm, exposing the simple bra she wore over her smallish chest.

"How did you ever pass as a guy?" Margaret started with a teasing laugh, shaking her head.

"I know I'm small," Amelia replied giving her own slight huff, averting her eyes.

"You're adorable, Amelia. I wouldn't change a thing," Margaret assured, pushing Amelia's face upwards again so as another long kiss could be placed upon her lips.

As they kissed, Margaret toyed with Amelia bra, pulling it up to reveal her breasts. As the kiss broke and Margaret unclasped and removed it. Amelia was less embarrassed then she thought. No one had seen with so little clothing save her parents. But she wanted Margaret to see.

"You really are beautiful," Amelia sighed. "I feel privileged seeing this..."

Amelia blushed. She wanted Margaret to see, but her stares were so intense it was intimidating. She knew Margaret had experience she lacked. It was a little frightening. She hoped she'd be adequate.

"You look tense," Margaret started, giving a soft laugh. "Maybe it'll be easier if you can see me too."

Amelia felt her heart race. Margaret was radiant in her eyes. That she could see that radiance unhampered by clothing was an exhilarating thought. She nodded sheepishly. She needed to see this. Margaret giggled.

"You honestly can act just like a little girl some times," Margaret said with a laugh. "It's almost too irresistible..."

Margaret slowly removed her jacket and then the blouse under it. Amelia's eyes went wide at the sight of her bare chest, bound only by seductive black lingerie. Amelia had never had a definitive answer when it came to her sexuality. The concept had seemed foreign until not long ago. She still didn't understand much of herself, but she knew that Margaret's body evoked a deep unavoidable lust in her. When the bra was unclasped and Margaret's breasts were exposed to the night air, that lust only grew.

"They're so big..." Amelia started in a high voice.

"N-not really," Margaret said, looking down. "They're quite average really."

"Then I suppose I'm horribly below average," Amelia said, feelings of inadequacy emerging again as she looked own at her tiny chest.

"I already said I love your body," Margaret started.

"You just say that because it's mine," Amelia spoke meekly.

"It's nice to look at I suppose, but I've never really been so hung up on breasts," Margaret said in a low voice. "Besides, yours are still nice."

"You think so, honestly?" Amelia shyly started.

"Actually, I can't resist them any longer," Margaret said with a giggle. Her hand went to Amelia's bare chest. She gave a high moan.

Then Margaret bent forward and did something incredibly exciting. Her lips pressed against Amelia's bare breast. One of Amelia's nipples, which were harder than she had previously known possible, passed between those lips and into Margaret's wonderfully warm mouth. The feel of the girl's tongue lining the nub completed it all, sending Amelia into ecstasy.

She began to moan even more wildly as the girl switched her attention to the other breast, kissing it, sucking it, prodding it with her hot tongue. It was magic. Amelia's whole body felt hot. No hotter was it then between her legs. it was such a foreign feeling. Sexual desire was still strange to her, so naturally, intense sexual excitement was stranger. Her hand went down her leg. She needed to be touched there.

"Did I excite you?" Margaret giggled. "Cute. I always have heard that breasts like yours were the most sensitive. Guess it's true."

"I feel so..." Amelia started shyly, blushing but still staring at her radiant lover, her vibrant red hair flowing down her back looking particularly glamorous for an instant.

"Here," Margaret spoke, her hand going to the hem of Amelia's skirt. "Let me help."

Amelia's heart continued to pound .This was serious. Margaret would be seeing her most intimate details. Margaret would soon touch her there. In just a few beautiful moments, she would no longer have her purity. Closing her eyes, she helped the other remove the skirt entirely. Her simple cotton panties followed quickly afterward. She was ready for this. She opened her legs, feeling suddenly eager to have her beloved see her.

"You're certainly different down here than that trashy witch," Margaret commented. "So much prettier."

Amelia blushed at the comment. A hard gasp then escaped her lips as she felt Margaret's finger upon her. The feeling was so raw and intense. She shivered in pure delight.

"It's so wet..." Margaret started. "You're really a dirty girl, Amelia."

"I'm not..." Amelia insisted, sill lightheaded. "It's never been like this before."

"Not even when you touch yourself?" Margaret giggled, running her fingers slowly up the moist opening.

"I don't... I've never..." Amelia started meekly, feeling like the kid she knew she was.

"You're joking, right?" Margaret asked, raising an eyebrow. "I know you're a virgin, but you can't expect me to believe you've never even touched yourself."

"I'm awkward... I know..." Amelia said shyly. "Before I met you I never had anyone to get excited for..."

"But you met me a few months ago," Margaret started sharply. "You've never even done it while thinking about me?"

Amelia felt incredibly unnerved. "No..." she said. "But I have had a couple... dreams since then..."

"You naughty girl..." Margaret said with a laugh. "I hope I can live up to your dreams."

"You've already more than exceeded them," Amelia cooed. Margaret giggled.

"Do you know how cute you are?" Margaret giggled.

"Please, Margaret, make me yours..." Amelia said in a pure voice.

"As you wish, love," Margaret said. Her fingers moved slowly up and down Amelia's slit. She shivered with anticipation. "Please stop me if this hurts you."

Margaret's forefinger slipped inside of her. A sharp pain shot through her as the finger encountered some noticeable resistance, only to continued onward. Margaret gasped. it hurt. It hurt, but she was determined to bear it.

"Should I stop?" Margaret asked, looking up.

"No. Please... give me more," Amelia requested. Margaret obliged. Her finger began to move inside of her. Back and forth it moved. The pain slowly dulled a bit, and some pleasure soon emerged. A moan left her lips when Margaret's finger hit just the right spot. After that, the pleasure was all she felt. Even when Margaret inserted another finger inside her, even as her opening was stretched open to accommodate, her arousal, her love of Margaret, it all made her want to feel it more.

Margaret then bent forward and placed some wonderfully swift licks at the tip of Amelia's exposed clitoris, throbbingly engorged. Amelia cried in pleasure as the sensations became overwhelming. Her breaths became heaving. It was almost too much. Then Margaret pulled back and let her fingers do the rest of the work. They pounded at her, filling her up with a pleasure so intense. It was so intense Amelia could hardly comprehend her surroundings. Then it all exploded suddenly outward. A wave of pleasure like nothing Amelia had ever imagined overtook her. She reached a conscious orgasm then for the first time in her life. Her body shook with delight as some desperate pants left her mouth. Margaret's fingers slowly left her.

"How could anything be so amazing..." Amelia started, mesmerized.

"It wasn't too much?" Margaret asked, crawling over the girl on the bed.

"It was," Amelia said. "But I wouldn't have changed any of it." she smiled and then put her one good arm behind the other's back. She pulled her down slightly so they could kiss.

"You know I'm excited too now," Margaret started as the kiss broke. "It''s your turn."

"Okay," Amelia started excitedly. Margaret sat back. She removed her pants right away, leaving only her sexy panties. Amelia smiled.

Amelia's hand went to the girl's chest. It was beautifully soft. She kissed Margaret as she enjoyed the feel of it in her hand. Her own weren't big enough to really grasp like this and definitely didn't have this pillowy softness. It was amazing really. She kneaded it lovingly while she kissed her lover. Then she broke away to get a taste.

She bent down. Using her one good arm to balance herself, she kissed Margaret's right breast. The softness at her lips was nice. Nicer was the feel of Margaret's hardened nipples on those lips. She pulled it into her mouth and sucked at it for a while. Then she played with it under her tongue. Margaret stroked her hair with her hand as she did, only adding to Amelia's lust.

She switched then to the other breast. She treated it must the same, but with no less excitement. Eventually she lifted her hand and let her mouth reunite with Margaret's. This kiss lasted a while. It felt perfect. Margaret stroked her back as their tongues swirled against each other hotly.

Eventually it came to an end and Amelia pulled back. She looked down at Margaret's shapely legs. Margaret smiled. She got to her knees and pulled her panties downward. She then sat and pulled them all the way off her legs and tossed them aside. She blushed as she slowly spread her legs.

"Okay then..." Margaret started in a soft voice. "I'm ready for you."

Amelia smiled and crawled forward. She wasn't sure what to do. She had never done this before, obviously and wasn't really sure how it happened. All she could really do was mimic what Margaret had done to her. Her hand moved forward. Her fingers slowly glided across the beautiful pink slit. She found it to be remarkably wet to touch. Margaret was excited, just as she had been. This was somehow very gratifying to her.

She began to move her fingers quicker, up and down again and agin. The skin there was so soft. Her fingers just slid along effortlessly. Margaret was giving soft, pleasured moans all the while. This was enticing. Amelia wanted to hear more. Slowly, she slid a single finger inside. When it went in effortlessly, she let a second inside.

Amelia began to move them around at a swift pace. Margaret's moans climbed. Amelia recalled how nice Margaret's tongue had felt on her clit. She bent in to mimic that particular act, her tongue stretching eagerly from her mouth as she lowered her head. Margaret gave a high moan as Amelia's tongue hit her just right.

There was something very enticing about the way Margaret's sexual fluids tasted as they splashed up onto her tongue. Her hand slowed as she tried to lick up as much as possible. She wanted even more than that. She slowly removed her hand fingers from inside the girl and opted to lick deep inside the girl, allowing even more of the sweet taste to coat her tongue.

Her head bobbed up and down as she made lick after lick at the hot, sensitive slit. Margaret was in obvious bliss, moaning, cooing and even occasionally kicking her feet out in pleasure. It was all so exciting for Amelia. She increased in her speed, attacking every inch of the other's sexy.

Soon Margaret was screaming in pleasure. Amelia's breath quickened, her desperate to give her lover everything she could muster. Margaret's body then shook violently a high cry resonated from her lips. Amelia pulled back and sat up, licking excess fluid from her lips as she watched her lover's body slowly relax.

"How did I do?" she asked, tilting her head.

"You were excellent," Margaret panted our, holding out a hand. Amelia took it. The other girl pulled her in toward her until she was on top of her. There they kissed for a long while. It felt incredible. Even more so when Margaret's arms wrapped her into a soft embrace.

The moment lasted a long time. Amelia hoped it would last forever. At that moment the war, everything around them, it all seemed like it was happening in some far off place. reality instead was something so beautiful and pure.

A/N: End chapter. Sorry for the delay again. I received a copy of Final Fantasy XIII for my birthday last week. As much as I wanted to write this chapter, I could not put that game down. It's very compelling; if you're skeptical about it because of some stupid review you've read, I suggest you give it a chance. Unless you're some psycho RPG purist you may find yourself really enjoying yourself. It also has thick lesbian subtext between two characters, which for me, is definitely a selling point.

But enough about that. This turned out to be a long chapter. I apologize if the lemon seems tacked on. Looking at my plans, it was really either include it here or not at all given how busy the last few chapters are going to be. And as much as I love the Margaret/Amelia pairing, the latter was not an option. It is kind of disheartening that Margaret/Amelia lacks so much of the tsundere edge that Margaret/Glen had. Amelia as Amelia is just too sweet to be really harsh with, even for Margaret. I really need to do a more pure tsundere relationship in future works. Anyway, I think there will be just one more sex scene in this story.

Other than the sex, we had a lot of other stuff here. With Ava, it was revealed that Deifilia's machinations run even deeper than previously though, with it being explained that the old man and little girl in the flashback from Turn 13 were our resident Geass precog Sage and a very young Lucrecia Harrison. The latter of which got more development in a scene with Marcella, and, in a move that confounds even me, Katsuo Tohdoh. Seriously don't know why I randomly decided to give him a new role, but the idea grabbed me. Deifilia's character was expanded on a bit with some hints about her past being dropped in the Ava scene and then again in her scene with Elenie. Expect more of a rundown on her backstory in the not too distant future. Then we had another meeting scene, this one ending with Kallen and friends banding together with Ava against the greater evil. Then EIlith shares a moment with Xuemei and reunites with Ulric. Next time, battle chapter... Yay...!... ?

Items to be added to the info page with the next update:

Verum Tutela


	44. Turn 43: Decisive Battle

A/N: sorry for the horrible delay. I started late thanks to Final Fantasy XIII (close to done with it now though), and then this chapter seemed to take bloody forever for some goddamn reason. Probably because it's stupid long. Seriously, wouldn't blame you at all if you lead it in parts. I know I couldn't tolerate reading this much text in one sitting (electively; had to read it all to proofread... ugh) Not a fun chapter for me, but it's full or dramatic action. Hope it is enjoyed. Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: Elischa: "The author of this story in no way owns the elements taken from the anime Code Geass, only the ones he himself created."

Astrid was resolute as she flew _Mórrígan _steady. The last few things Ava had told her were still on her mind. Her lover could really be crazy some times. She had to wonder if learning the truth about her encounter seven years ago with Eldridge Delaney hadn't pushed her over the edge. If things went well here, she wouldn't have to find out. She wouldn't have to take that dangerous plunge into the darkness with the woman she loved. For that reason, she had to win.

Chiharu's emotions were solid and cold as _Alexander_ moved under her hands. She was caught in a whirlwind of thoughts. She still couldn't see a clear way out from her trap. She had to play along still for now. For the sake of everyone, for the sake of Megami, for the sake of the world, she had to continue forward. She had to fight. She had to win.

The two clashed headlong in the sky over Britannia. Black beam saber met white and the two units repelled.

_"Mórrígan," _said Chiharu. "Astrid... it's been a while."

"You're on the wrong side, Chiharu," said Astrid. "Your friends fight now with us and you still insist on following the madness of Deifilia Amarantha?"

"You know that name Astrid?" said Chiharu. "I'm impressed."

"We've uncovered a lot of the truth, Ava and I, but so much of it eludes us," said Astrid. "Betray this foul demon, Chiharu. You could fill in the gaps."

"If you truly knew anything about Deifilia Amarantha, you'd understand," said Chiharu. "I'm trapped. I'm being monitored. I'm to be killed at the first signs of betrayal, all of us are. There are still things I must live for. For that reason, I'll still fight."

"And what will you do if you win, Chiharu?" Astrid asked. "What will you do if Deifilia Amarantha is made Queen of the world? What will you do once you've already pushed the world too far out of balance to recover?"

"I don't know, Astrid," said Chiharu. "But I have no choice all the same. Death is no answer. I cannot fulfill my promise if I am dead! I cannot set anything right if I am dead! So for now, I choose to live! I choose to live and continue to get stronger, until I can beat this burden back with just my two hands."

"Then I'll kill you here, Chiharu," said Astrid. "If you're beyond reason, there's little other choice. I'll eliminate you here and now before you cause any damage that cannot be reversed. For the sake of Ava, I cannot lose here!"

The two swords clashed again brightly in the sky with a thunderous roar.

* * *

Ulric Cross wore a smile under the armored suit, _Dagonet Foresight. _He was looking for some serious action. He wasn't going to take a loss a draw or anything less than a win this time. He had to prove he was the best after all.

"You're certainly a cocky young fool," said the man in the nearby monster. Jeremiah Gottwald, the toughest opponent Ulric had ever faced was his partner for the day. "Let's hope the blade I faced that day hasn't dulled."

"I'd be more worried about yourself, old man," said Ulric. "Ain't no one who can fucking stop me."

"I suppose we'll just have to see," said Gottwald cooly. "It certainly is an impressive thing hear, this _Sieg Absolution._ I believe it will serve me well in this fight."

It was pretty damn impressive a machine, even if massive knight giga fortresses were the furthest thing from Ulric's style. Gigantic, towering, dotted with massive spikes, it clearly wasn't something to mess with. It was even more imposing than the _Sieg Genesis_ Ulric had faced. He was pretty damn glad it was on his side this time.

"Now we just have to find someone to beat the shit out of," said Ulric. "We've already cleared this area of weaklings. Isn't it about time some bastard has the piss-poor luck of running into us out here."

"It seems you may have gotten your wish," said Gottwald. "Two units on the horizon. One fairly large, the other around your size."

"Sounds like a fun game," said Cross, preparing for a good fight as the two units neared.

"What have we here?" said the pilot of the small armored suit. "It's one of those freaking fortresses."

"Indeed," said the pilot of the large unit. It was a knightmare frame, but almost twice the size of a normal one. "And it seems they have a unit similar to yours. _Dagonet Foresight, _I suppose?"

"Heh," said the man in the small unit. "I'm more eager to take this giant thing on."

"So be it," said the man in the larger unit. "I'll smash the _Foresight _from the sky."

"You really think you got what it takes?" taunted Ulric, approaching the giant, which was armed with an oversized club sword and an MVS bow. "This is your fucking grave."

"I suppose we'll just have to see," said the man in reply. "_Heracles' _legendary strength is not to be underestimated."

"Spare me the crap," said Ulric. "Your life is mine."

For a moment he turned his attention to his companion. The _Sieg Absolution _was holding the other unit's spear-like weapon back with a slash harken.

"I'm gonna enjoy cutting that oversized hunk of metal down to size," said the pilot of the small unit. "Don't think I don't recognize it for what it is, Gottwald. It'll be my _Achilles_ which puts an end to your legacy."

"_Achilles, _eh?" said Gottwald. "I suppose I'll just have to find your heel then."

With that, Gottwald sent the other flying back. Ulric turned his focus back to his own fight. He flew straight for _Heracles _with his blades held out, ready to slice the enemy to pieces. The enemy hardly lifted a finger to defend himself. Ulric cut into it's armor. The armor was thick. Even after the cut had been made the enemy seemed unaffected. Worse yet, Ulric's blade was stuck. Then the hulking beast smashed its club against his side. The shock wave was incredible, as was the pain. Ulric really couldn't take many hits like that or else he'd be a dead man soon.

"That machine can't damage this one," said the pilot. "_Heracles_' armor is 12 times reinforced. Your blades are like tiny insect bites upon it."

Ulric cursed, thinking it through. If this was true this was hardly the ideal match up. He needed to move fast and cut deep if he was going to win. Even then it was pushing it. He backed off and then went into a sharp spiral which soon became a volley of relentless slashes. The enemy started to move his massive sword again but Ulric pulled off and deployed his slash harkens, wrapping them around the blade.

Then the enemy threw him off balance with a barrage for fire from his bow. Ulric had to get the fuck out of there as soon as possible to keep his head. He fell back to collect himself. It was then that he heard an explosion. he cocked his head to see a furious blast run through _Sieg Genesis. _Unlike his unit, it seemed _Achilles _had some serious fire power, which put it at a real advantage against a slow unit, no matter how well reinforced it was. Ulric knew then what had to be done.

"Hey old man," he called. "Trade ya!"

And with that he rushed the _Achilles _and threw it from its assault.

"I was about to suggest the same," said Gottwald, as he beckoned _Heracles, _by firing several massive spikes at it.

"Let's do this!" called Ulric as he wrestled with his similarly sized opponent.

"Fuck you, man! What the hell is this about?" said the enemy. "You can't just rob me of my opponent! It's not fair."

"Stop whining, you little pussy!" Ulric shot back. "Ain't nothing 'unfair' in a fight. Besides, it's the first rule of the a tag team match to go after the one you know you can win against."

"Fuck you! I don't want to hear your crap," the enemy shouted back.

"You got quite the fucking little mouth on you for a bitch," said Ulric. "But I can tell you're all talk."

"Fuck you! I'll show you!" the man shouted back, enraged. He hefted his trident like weapon and tried to get a blow in. Ulric had a clear speed advantage. He sliced the trident away from the enemy, and with it the entirety of the enemy's arm.

"Fuck!" the man screamed in horrible pain. "Y-you bastard! Y-you-!"

"Just shut up," said Ulric. "Realize what a bitch you are."

"How can you act so fucking cocky?" the sniveling little dog whimpered. "I'll show you!"

It was then that the head of the _Achilles' _head piece folded in, revealing the young man's face. Ulric didn't want to look the dude in the eye, but his gaze was caught before he could help it. Suddenly he was filled with a murderous rage. He lost himself and made a reckless move.

"So this is it?" the young man said, coughing up some blood. Ulric collected himself and realized his blades were piercing deeply into the young man and out the other side. His opponent would be dead. "This is all life is? How fucking miserable."

But as it was, the massive cannon of the enemy unit was square on Ulric. He had left himself entirely vulnerable. As the life left the cocky enemy pilot, one final blast shot forth. Ulric threw himself back to lessen it, but the intensity was still unbelievable.

As he was thrown back at incredible speeds, he could feel his armor begin to peel off. His survival depended entirely on luck and the durability of the body that had been given to him. He hoped it was enough. He wanted to survive. If not for himself, for her...

Meanwhile, above, Bernard Farris could only watch as his companion Lyall Gavin fell from the sky. It was a reminder of his own mortality. He wasn't sure if it was a painful or pleasant one. Pain and pleasure had begun to blend for him. He was fighting a losing fight now. His strength would not last much longer.

_Heracles _was faster, but this wasn't a fight of speed. Besides, even if the whole of his unit was faster, the legendary Jeremiah Gottwald's weapons were faster still. He had dented the knight giga fortress' armor but a few dents wasn't going to win. The enemy's spikes had already made it as far down to the third layer of armor.

"You're a worth adversary,," said Gottwald. "May I know your name, sir?"

"Bernard Farris," said Bernard resolutely.

"You don't say," Gottwald started. "The name is familiar with me... Did you count yourself among my ranks at one point?'

"Perhaps," said Bernard. "But if I have, it's hardly worth knowing. My life is not my own. The man called Bernard Farris is already dead, you see."

"I see," said Gottwald. "You've realized the only outcome of this fight then?"

"This life is empty," said Bernard. "Everything I might have once fought for has been ripped from me. All I can do is grasp at shadows. There is talk of rebellion, but it is only talk. Next to raw power, talk is worth nothing."

"A sad realization," said Gottwald. "My good misfortunate man, I wish that your soul may find Absolution in the end."

With that, three giant spikes converged upon _Heracles. _Bernard resigned himself.

"I apologize for the pain this will cause you," he said as the spikes crashed through his armor. His Geass was automatic and eye contact wasn't strictly necessary if the opponent was close enough. Even in being released he'd be serving that vile woman. That was his deepest regret as the heat of explosions hit him.

He could hear the intense screams coming from Gottwald. He wondered what sort of pain would come from amplifying that of a killing blow? Was it fatal? He would never know. His life was flickering out.

* * *

Margaret had a content expression about her as she kept her _Ywain _on a steady course. She looked to her left to see _Brunnhilde Valkyrie _flying elegantly astride her. It was comforting fighting beside the one she loved. It was great to keep Amelia close. She'd be worried if they had to separate on the battlefield.

"You're still worried about me, aren't you?" Amelia said with a low sigh.

"How can you tell?" Margaret asked.

"You're unusually quiet," said Amelia. "I know that means your troubled by something."

"Of course I am!" Margaret said. "I wouldn't be a very good lover if I didn't worry about you."

"Thank you, Margaret," said Amelia. "But I'll be fine. I'm strong."

"Let's hope so," said Margaret. Her eyes narrowed on some figures in the distance. "We'll be seeing combat very shortly."

"Bring it!" Amelia chimed, speeding ahead. Margaret followed reluctantly.

"What have we here, two opponents to sharpen our blades against? How arousing," said a male enemy pilot in one of two units. Margaret stared at them. She recognized them as _Roland _and _Bellona. _This was one half of the Four Champions. A serious match.

"It's that pretty unit again..." the pilot of the _Bellona, _named Valeria Giullare if Margaret's memory was correct. "Such a shame."

"You're that Valeria!" Amelia started. "I was hoping for a chance to fight you again! A chance to make up for my loss!"

"No," said Valeria. "I don't want to fight _Brunnhilde _again... It's too sad."

"Then how about I rip that hunk of cheap metal to shreds in your stead, Valeria?" the other pilot spoke again. Edouard Valentin was this one's name, if Margaret recalled correctly.

"No," said Valeria. "I can't allow something like that. I'll fight her..."

"Fine, then this other one is mine," said Valentin. "I care not so long as my beloved _Roland_ gets to cut something up."

"We'll see who gets cut up," said Margaret. "I don't intend to lose to you."

"Try me, child," the man replied. "I'll show you a truly exquisite death."

"Not if I kill you first!" Margaret shouted as she grabbed both the _Ywain's _guns. _Roland _had no visible range weapons. Margaret let both rifles blaze at a staggering pace, hoping to make this a quick win.

Valentin hefted his shield and let it absorb the barrage. "So this is how you want to play, girl?" he said, his sword suddenly extending into a massive beam sword. "Very well."

The beam fired forth at her. She dodged it. She dodged it completely, and yet it still hit her. Baffled, she fell to the side. She fired off another valley of shots before her opponent could make another stab. Again she darted to the side, and again her unit shook with damage. Now she was even more suspect. Something was up with this opponent. It was surely Geass.

Margaret's own Geass activated and soon she understood. She found herself suddenly able to deceive her opponent with the angle of her attacks. It was a fun trick. She used it to get some blasts behind the enemy's shield. But now she was sure she could beat it.

"What in the world is this?" Valentin called. "You mimic my Geass?"

"That's right," said Margaret. "You're not the only one here with power."

"Damn you, girl, but even so, this is a losing fight for you!" Valentin started. "_Durandal_ will slice you to pieces."

"Heh. We'll see," said Margaret. She began a new barrage of attacks as she spiraled in close. Valentin made another stab at her with is sword, but knowing of his Geass, Margaret tried her hand at predicting its true arc. She was close. It hardly grazed her and she was in close range.

She pulled her swords quickly and made a deceptive slash. It cut deep for high damage. Margaret was sure she had the upper hand. It was then that she heard a nearby explosion.

Amelia was struggling. _Brunnhilde Valkyrie, _was a significant upgrade on its predecessor. It was smaller and lighter, but with heavier weapons. Its lance could be charged for powerful blast attacks now, and its sword was twice the size as before. It was now powered by a top rate energy mist system and of course the Ragnarok Drive had been re-optomized.

But it was doing her little good against this opponent. Giullare seemed unfazed by the improvements. In fact, she seemed prepared for everything Amelia threw at her, like she knew about it before hand. And to make matters worse, she kept relying heavily on her homing missiles. Amelia was ready with evasive measures, but they were taking their toll on her still injured body, which had to control the unit with just one hand. Inevitably, missiles found her and connected, and explosion shaking through the _Valkyrie._

_"_Amelia!" Margaret's voice reached her. She could see the _Ywain _charging to her rescue, throwing itself upon the _Bellona._

_"_Turning your back on me was a mistake!" Edouard Valentin's voice started, as the _Roland _gave chase. Margaret couldn't turn to face it in time, the blade was going to run her though. Amelia pushed all she had into forcing _Brunnhilde Valkyrie _forward. She'd die for Amelia if that's what it took.

But Valentin's blade didn't behave as she expected. It curved around her, it seemed, and cut the lower half of _Ywain _cleanly off.

"What an inelegant cut," said Valentin as he surveyed the damage he had caused. "You'll pay for getting in my way."

"Shit!" Margaret called. "Amelia, it's up to you! Beat em like you beat me, though this time with pride!"

"You got it, love," said Amelia as she watched Margaret's escape pod soar to safety. She quickly started up the Ragnarok Drive's activation sequence.

"Just what are you planning," said Valentin. "Whatever it is, it doesn't matter! You will die here now! Valeria! Come, we attack!"

"Yes..." said Valeria.

The two of them flew at Amelia. She flew straight up and back. She closed her eyes and nodded. She could do this. She held her lance before her. She was ready. She had Margaret's strength now.

"Let _Brunnhilde_ show you her burning judgement!" Amelia called out boldly as she brought her lance into position. _Brunnhilde's_ chest plate opened up to show the shimmering core. Her energy mist stopped emitting, and instead blue energy began to swirl rapidly around her lance, building as _Brunnhilde_ began to fall. Valentin scoffed, completely unconcerned.

And then he was dead. A pillar of beautiful shimmering light shot from that lance, engulfing the cruel man entirely, pure white hot energy reducing the _Roland _to nothing as it fired endlessly into the sky. Valentin was smiling as he met his end. He was having fun.

Amelia could see that her blast had incinerated _Roland. _She hadn't been able to see if it caught_ Bellona_. _Valkyrie, _drained of power, began to fall straight downward. She prayed she wouldn't be dying shortly. She could picture Margaret grieving her and it made her sad.

Her descent suddenly slowed though she didn't' know why. Her sight had been blown with everything else when her power had been drained. Eventually, everything stopped. She was set down on sold ground. Quickly, she forced the manual hatch open. She peered out. She could see _Bellona _speeding upward. She shook her head, unsure what to think.

Above, Valeria smiled, completely enamored by the pretty light she had just seen. Her Geass had told her in advance the attack was possible, and so she had been able to get to safety well ahead of it being activated. She had been able to watch, to look ahead as that beautiful light cascaded out from _Brunnhilde's _lance to fill the sky. It was awe inspiring. When Valeria noticed it had left the knightmare dead, she had decided to bring it to safety, hopeful she could see that beautiful light one more time some day.

* * *

Wu Chaowei had a grin on his face as he flew the new unit forward at high speed. It was kind of strange piloting a Britannian made unit. But _Bruenor _was a very solid unit, surprisingly so considering it's rushed development and production. Overseen by the legendary Knightmare technician Earl Asplund, it was a bit heavier than _Baofeng, _but was still mobile. Either arm held two high powered blasters, and a heavy sniper rifle rest across its back. It was dark green in color, accented with black and yellow. It had an overall angular design and a strong appearance.

Stranger still than piloting a Britannian unit, was acting as wingman to not just a Britannian, but the Britannian head knight. _Tristan Aegis _was flying in front of him, flanked by four _Grail_ units. They had entered a cluster of enemy units and had begun to fight. Their opponents were fairly powerful for non-customs. Red units, durable and strong. They were outnumbered slightly too; there were around eight of them.

"Let's stay together guys," said Weinberg. "We're done for if we get separated."

"Yes sir!" said the Grail pilots.

"Roger," Chaowei chimed in on his own. He backed in close with the others and began to let his guns blaze away. He was doing serious damage to one of the enemies, when suddenly, a small but bulky yellow custom unit swept in from the right, catching Chaowei off guard. Weinberg flew in to engage this custom before Chaowei could get a hand on it.

"I'll take care of this one!" said Weinberg. "Keep the others off of me!"

"Yes, sir!" the other called. Chaowei returned immediately to blasting away at one of the red units. They were very skilled. It was hard to get clean hits on them. But soon he had destroyed one. As the smoke from it cleared, his eagle eyes spotted something on the horizon. It was an all too familiar unit. He couldn't stop himself. He charged forward, ready to engage.

"We meet again, instructor Moreva," Chaowei said as he faced down his former mentor, in her black, demonic knightmare.

"You've come for me, cadet?" said Cesia. "Amusing. I wonder just how much you've learned since I tore you from the sky that day."

"Enough to win this time!" said Chaowei. He began firing his blasters at rapid pace.

"Hehe, so that's how you want it?" Cesia spoke. "Fair enough."

_Chernobog _darted to the side and forcefully shot off its five claw blades, whipping them hard at the _Breunor. _Chaowei shot at them to deflect their arcs. Cesia moved in close while he was distracted and made a forcefully heavy slash with her long sword. Chaowei attempted to dodge, but was a touch too slow. The sharp sword ripped just into his side armor.

Cesia was very skilled. Chaowei had to give this everything he had. He made some more quick shots with his left blasters as he pulled his rifle down before him. He aimed quickly and fired a massive bolt from his powerful precision rifle. Cesia swooped downward to avoid, but the blast curved. Realizing this, Cesia stopped and guarded with her claw, absorbing the damage. Then suddenly, she sent off her four slash harkens, which wrapped around _Breunor's _arms and legs. She readied her claw.

"Not good enough, cadet!" she called.

Chaowei threw _Breunor _theninto it's fortress mode. It quickly shifted into a strange bulky shape, a central cannon surrounded by smaller guns. It looked much like a flying tank. Chaowei let all the guns blaze for a bit before firing up them main cannon.

"This is why I'm an ace!" said Chaowei.

When the smoke cleared, Chernobog's claw was upon him. It cut into his armor.

"A nice trick," said Cesia, her unit thoroughly damaged. "But is it enough?"

"This ends now!" Chaowei started, flying back, despite the breaks in his armor. he fired out another torrent of fire.

"Tell me, cadet, what is it you fight for?" said Cesia, as she expertly avoided Chaowei's barrage. "Fame? Wealth? Attention? What drives you to be that ace you so wish to be?"

"Sure I want to be famous, sure I want stuff like that, but that's not all I'm about," said Chaowei. "I joined the Black Knights because I believed in the ideals they promoted. I fight for those ideals even now! I just want to do it with as much style as possible."

"Always the fool, cadet," said Cesia harshly.

"And you, instructor?" Chaowei questioned. "You once counted yourself among us? Why do you fight this fight now?"

Cesia gave a subtle laugh. "I wonder, cadet. I wonder where it started. I wonder why I wasn't able to break away."

"Just what are you saying, instructor?"

"Cadet! This future, will you protect it?" said Cesia.

Chaowei didn't even think about the answer. "Of course I will!"

"Then come at me and show me you will!" Cesia demanded, flying rapidly toward him. She swept at him with her claw. He rolled to the side and fired more shots. She stabbed with her sword, cutting his armor deeply. _Breunor_ had suffered heavy damage now. It wouldn't last much longer. He needed to end this now. He shifted _Bruenor _back to knightmare frame mode. Due to damage, a leg fell off in the process and the unit was generally thrown off balance.

Chaowei readied his rifle and set it to its highest setting. He kept his smaller blasters ablaze and then fired his one final shot. He could see no indication that she even tried to dodge it. A small explosion sounded.

"I entrust it to you then, Ace," said Cesia in a strong voice. Several explosions then ripped through _Chernobog, _destroying it completely, incinerating the woman inside.

"You can count on me, instructor," said Chaowei somberly, respectfully. His knightmare wouldn't last much longer, but he'd get as much out of it as possible.

Meanwhile, nearby, Elischa Mayer was locked in combat with the Knight of One. Weinberg was a skilled opponent and he was at something of a disadvantage. When Cesia met her end, he knew he didn't have much longer. The _Argonaut _units lost the advantage her Geass had given them and soon the enemy _Grail _units were beginning to get the better hand. With Weinberg there, even with his Geass, he could do little to protect them too.

"You're a worthy opponent," said Weinberg. "Effortlessly combatting me while commanding your subordinates against mine. That only two of my _Grails _have survived is a testament to your skill."

"It's hardly been effortless, sir," said Elischa shaking his head.

"What's more you seem a decent man," the knight said. "Not the type of man I'd expect to stay at this EU's call."

"Do you have a family, sir?" asked Elischa quietly.

"I do," said Weinberg. "A wonderful wife and an exceptional daughter."

"Then you should understand," said Elischa.

"I do," said Weinberg. "I understand such things all so well. When you fight for your family, it becomes harder to fight for yourself. It's an unfortunate thing, but unavoidable."

"I won't forsake my family," said Elischa. "Whatever my own feelings may be, if I run, it is betraying them. It is betraying their safety. For that reason, I cannot run."

"You're a respectable man, Elischa Mayer," said Weinberg. "It's a real shame fate would have you as my enemy."

"Questioning fate grants us nothing," said Elischa. "It remains only what there is here today. Only one of us will live to see his family."

"If that's how you want it," said Weinberg. "I am not a young man who will talk you down. It wouldn't be fair to those who have fallen here under my watch were I to go easy on you."

"As you wish, sir," said Elischa, hefting _Golem's _hammer. _Tristan Aegis _readied its Excalibur. Both units flew forward, clashing in the sky.

Elischa knew right way he hadn't been quick enough. A fatal cut had been made. he tried for the escape control, but there was no pressure to the mechanism.

"Adalia... I'm afraid I couldn't keep all the promises I made," he said as he closed his eyes and anticipated the quickly coming end.

* * *

Cynthia Moore wore a nervous, excitable smile as she sat inside her newly constructed knightmare, _Atalanta_. It was an exceptional unit, small and lightweight, armed with a heavy precision rifle and a large claw hand, with an oversized sword at its back. It had long, soft brown hair extensions and an overall sleek, feminine appearance.

Today would be the day. Today would be the day that her hunger for blood would be sated. She could feel the excitement boiling inside of her. She began to laugh just under her breath, smiling as she did. This, what she'd been waiting six years for, this is what she had to do. This, what she had failed to do before. This was her vengeance. This was her purpose.

Her laughter soared as she finally spotted him. _Agravain_, standing resolutely against the sky like a behemoth. She readied her gun and began to fire madly, completely unrestrained.

"I've come to kill you! Your head is mine! " she said, still cackling over with laughter.

"Cynthia?" said the hell-beast. "Could that possibly be your voice?"

"Think me who you will, fiend! Just know what today I am here as your slayer!" said Cynthia as she flew in closer. Brutally, she grabbed at the _Agravain's_ armor with her claw. It cut deep into the unit's shield and instantly provided Cynthia an opportunity to deploy the cable hidden in the center of the pierced the unit's armor. Shortly she was looking face to face with the monstrous fiend.

"Cynthia, what is this?" said the demon.

"Monsters should meet their ends within the darkness from which they are born," said Cynthia. Her Geass activated. Light was stolen from the beast's eyes, leaving it blind, oblivious to the world around it.

"Cynthia, what did you do?" asked the monster, fear in its throaty voice.

"You needn't concern yourself with details, cretin!" said Cynthia. "Your life is at it's end!"

She made a shard downward slash at the _Agravain, _which showed no visible resistance.

"My daughter, I'm sorry," the beast called. "I know the pain I have caused you. I know the wrongs I have done. I know the monster I let myself become that day. For it all I tell you now that I am truly, deeply sorry. And though that may be no consolation to you, know that it is my honest word."

"Silence, fiend!" Cynthia called. "Demons such as you do not know remorse! You deserve no sympathy! Only a bloody death at my hands!"

"Cynthia, my daughter," said the monster. "I do still treasure you. Even should you kill me now, I still love you, my child."

Cynthia gave a harsh laugh. "Monsters know no love! Only killing, only filling their jaws with blood! You are a soulless fiend! You are a demon! I am here to bring your pitiful existence to an end!"

"Sophia... my dear... how you would weep at this scene..." said the beast.

"Do not speak that name, fiend!" she cried as she drew the massive sword from the back of her knightmare. "Die here and now!"

With that, a sharp cut was made upward through the Agravain, rending its armor. Cynthia then returned to her rifle and backed up. She fired a single shot with deadly aim. It flew into the cut and exploded outwards. An intense fire soon filled the entirety of a smoldering _Agravain _as it fell from the sky forever.

Cynthia began to cackle madly. Her breathing became heavy as she grinned ecstatically. "He... Heh... I've done it... I've done it!"

"That's right, Cynthia," a familiar voice beckoned. "You've done it."

"M-Miya...?" Cynthia started meekly, turning to face the knightmare frame _Kay, _updated since its days as the knightmare of Rowena Winfield with the inclusion of two shoulder mounted missile launchers.

"You've done it, Cynthia," said Miya hovering toward her. "You're not the same person I met that day. Cynthia Moore was a good person, the very best, I believe I said. The person before me now doesn't feel the same at all."

"Miya?" Cynthia repeated, growing concerned.

"No, what's before me is the very thing the girl I loved spoke of many times to me," said Miya. "What stand before me is a monster that lives in the deepest darkness, a pitiable creature that knows nothing but to feed itself on blood."

"Miya, I..." Cynthia started, but didn't know what to say.

"And so, for the sake of the one I loved, for the sake of the one I was prepared to spend the entirety of my life with, for her sake, I will take on her mission," said Miya tearfully.

"Miya, you...?" Cynthia said, tears beginning to leave her eyes.

"Just as she did, I have set my eyes upon a monster which allowed itself to become wrapped in darkness. I will grant that monster a release from its cycle of bloody violence. I will allow that monster solace through death," said Miya. "I will grant it the only escape it has. That is my compassion."

Cynthia began to shake. Lazarus Cain and the Geass that had been given her had robbed her of much of her stability, her sanity, but hearing such familiar things from the one thing she was sure was still warm, the one she had held that night, it was too much. Sanity flashed inside of her and with it a realization of the beast she had become. But sanity didn't stay with beasts long. She began to laugh again.

"So be it! You will be the next," said Cynthia. "My sword will bathe now in your blood, Miya!"

Miya didn't reply. She had said her piece, it seemed. Instead she fired off a volley of missiles followed by a swift barrage of blasts from her gun arm. Cynthia made some evasive moves and then swept in with her claw. Miya voided the swipe and made a hard stab with her sword arm. It hit and penetrated _Atalanta's_ armor. Cynthia pulled off and made a blast with her gun. _Kay _dodged it.

Miya fired more missiles, this time a far greater amount. Cynthia shot some down and tried her best to doge the rest. She succeeded in doing so, and flew in for a heavy claw swipe. Miya met the claw with her sword, boldly cutting through it with her blade, damaging the system. but this provided Cynthia an opportunity to deploy her hidden jack cable. It penetrated _Kay. _Soon Cynthia had taken over Miya's visuals.

"Look at the madness in your eyes," said Miya, unfazed by the sudden change upon sight of her. "You hardly resemble her anymore, beast."

"Silence!" Cynthia called, her heart racing as she stared at her again, the beautiful warmth that was still so real to her. She was to silence that warmth forever. "Don't look at me! Resign yourself to see nothing, only darkness!"

Cynthia let her Geass activate, trapping her warmth in her darkness, prepared to smother it. She readied her sword for a massive cut. This would be it. This would be the end. She felt apprehension. Fear. Why couldn't she do this?

Before she could cut Miya down, she was cut herself. Miya's blade cut in a wide arc directly at her. Then her blaster fired a large heavy blast. Damage was severe. Cynthia had to pull back to a safe distance.

"You fight without your eyes?" Cynthia started, surprised.

"I can feel people," said Miya. "I told you that didn't I? I may not see you, Cynthia, but I can see that misshapen ball of darkness struggling against itself. I can feel it it before me, and I know it's there shaking as it plots my demise, knowing that that is the only thing that can make that darkness whole."

"Shut up!" said Cynthia. "I don't need to hear this! You may have gotten a lucky hit in, but I can still destroy you! I will destroy you!"

"Then do it, Cynthia," said Miya. "Kill me. Do it. Fill your jaws with my blood. Taste it. Imagine what you'll have then. Think about it. Think about what we'll be left for you. Think about what will remain. Think about the person you'll be then."

Sanity flashed in Cynthia's mind again. With it, she gave a sharp sustained cry. What was she doing? What had she let herself become? Why was she doing this? What was wrong with her? She sobbed.

"Miya... I don't want this," she cried tearfully, frantically. "I don't want any of this."

"Cynthia," said Miya in a soft voice.

"I'm done," cried Cynthia. "I won't serve them any longer! I've accomplished what I set to do here! I'll return to your side! I'll return to you! We can be together, we can hold each other every night, just as we did then!"

"It sounds pleasant, Cynthia, "said Miya. "But is it possible now? Is it not just a pleasant dream?"

"No, Miya!" said Cynthia. "I mean this! I'll do it! I hereby reject this darkness! From here on, I stand with you against the monsters I once served!"

And that was the last thing Cynthia Moore said. She looked down and saw that a sharp, thin MVS sword was piercing straight through _Atalanta's _cockpit and indeed, Cynthia herself. She gasped on what would be her final breaths, unsure of what had happened.

"In that case, you die," said a familiar voice. "You have betrayed God, sinner. I offer you His Holy judgement."

"Cynthia!" Miya screamed. "No..."

"Join your father in Hell, cretin," said Lazarus Cain as his _Minos' _sword was quickly removed.

"I love you Miya," was all Cynthia could say as both her lifeblood left her and _Atalanta _was cast from the sky.

Miya Ashford's light was restored only so she could have a vision of Hell. Cynthia Moore was dead. Her knightmare exploded shortly after the monster in front of her pulled out his sword. There was nothing left. Miya could feel the hate build inside of her. It scared her. The intensity was almost too much.

She had been prepared to kill Cynthia herself. She had wanted it that way after seeing Cynthia as she was now, a perfect example of what she herself had called a monster upon their first meeting. But under Cynthia's Geass, blind to the physical, able to get a better feel of Cynthia as she was, she could see it was not so simple. The girl still struggled against herself. She still wanted to be the Cynthia Miya loved, at least somewhere inside. Cynthia had tapped into that part in the end. It was only this devil in front of Miya now that had robbed her of her happiness.

"You..." Miya started, tears clouding her vision. "You monster!"

"I am no monster, but a man of God!" said the offender. "I am Father Lazarus Cain; it is my task to rid this world of sinners as ordered by the one who holds God's Holy Light."

"Everything is your fault!" Miya cried hysterically, realizing this was the same priest who had once attacked Cynthia. "You did this to her! You did it all!"

"I do only as God has me do," said Cain. "Moore was a sinner of the worst sort, as was her father. They were foul creatures who had lost their humanity and become enraptured by death!"

"And that's all because of you! You made her what she was!" Miya shouted, blinded by rage, firing off her missiles.

"Fate unfolds as God dictates! I am merely an instrument for Him to use as he pleases!" said Cain, darting about to dodge.

"Your God is a sham and you're sick!" shouted Miya. "You deserve nothing but to rot in Hell!"

"If that's how you want it!" shouted Cain. "I will cast you into Hell myself!"

Miya flew forward into a vengeful flurry of sword slashes. Cain deflected each one easily with his own blade. He then threw the girl back with his sword.

"You're hate makes you easy to predict," said Cain. "You cannot beat me like this."

And with that a small cable flew to connect to _Kay _and for the second time Miya was face to face with a Geass user.

"You're right, monster," said Miya, closing her eyes and giving a gulp. "I cannot kill you in this state." She collected herself. She would avenge Cynthia. She was committed to it. She just couldn't do it now. "I will kill you next time we meet!"

With that, Miya pulled her eject switch, choosing to get out before her mind was hit with the monster's Geass. She would only die if she stayed. She wasn't about to die without finding Cynthia's justice.

* * *

Rowena Winfield was lost as she dreamily pushed her _Odysseus, _in its mini-fortress mode, through a cloud of enemy units, obliterating all she could with her hadron cannon as she did. Could she really say this was worth it? This murder, this horror. Was any desire, no matter how strong, worth knowingly casting off your own humanity? She couldn't know.

"So, what do you think?" asked the voice of her partner for the operation, Naida Fiametta as the area was momentarily cleared of opponents.

"About what?" asked Rowena, not sure what to think.

"About what Ash... no Meg... has been saying all this time?" said Naida. "It's crazy right? We die if we follow her, we die quicker if we betray her."

"If you understand, why bother asking me about it?" Rowena said harshly.

"I was hoping you'd have a differing opinion," said Naida. "Hope would be a handy thing about now."

"You take me for an optimist?" Rowena laughed. "I'm afraid you're talking to the wrong woman."

"I was afraid of that," said Naida. "I guess optimism is in short apply on this side."

"Chiharu Ohgi still has hope," said Rowena. "I wonder if that makes her the strongest of us, or the most insane?"

"Either way, I envy her," said Naida in a low voice. "I wish I could hold my head up high, confident things would get better instead of cowering in fear for my own life."

"You fear dying?" Rowena asked.

"More than anything else," said Naida. "I'm insecure about so many things, you know? Without a healthy regimen of pills, I'm a total bat case. But more than anything, I fear the end. It unnerves me like nothing else."

Rowena noticed that _Naida's _knightmare, _Medea, _was beginning to shift rapidly in appearance.

"We're the same then," said Rowena. "My mother died of illness when I was young. I had no siblings and my father was already dead, as was most of her family. It was only about a year after her death that I realized she was completely forgotten by everyone but me. No one cared anymore. No one. I clung to some of the last words she told me as a result. To become stronger; to reach the top. I promised myself one day that I'd do just that. I'd climb to the top of the world. I'd make it so that when I finally did die, the whole world would remember me still."

"That's a story..." Naida said apprehensively. "Next to your reasons, mine seems like a petty, paranoid fear." Her voice became lower. "I'm already never going to be remembered by anyone. I've never been anyone, just a test subject and a dog. I doubt any records of my existence even exist. What's more my Geass cements the fact that I'll remain alone and unknown. I'm never going to be anyone, and yet I'm afraid to even think of embracing death as an alternative. I'm too attached to this damn miserable life, and I don't know why. All I do is cause people pain."

"I can see why you'd want that hope then" said Rowena.

"Yeah," said Naida.

"We shouldn't stay here at the back any longer. It will be questioned," said Rowena, looking around the empty battlefield.

'Yeah," Naida said again. The two flew forward for a while in silence. After a minute or so, They approached a couple of powerful looking enemy units. One was a knight giga fortress, Rowena recognized it as formerly being the unit belonging to Regina Granville, _Bedivere Godhand. _The other was an even more famous unit, or a variation on one, _Mordred._

"This sure looks like a fight," said Rowena. "I'll take the big one."

"Works for met," said Naida, allowing _Medea _to take on the form of a rather pedestrian _Panzer-Kugelblitz_ prior to entering the enemy's line of sight. Rowena flew straight for the massive knight giga fortress in her own miniature fortress as Naida went for the _Mordred_.

She unloaded immediately, Firing her two massive spiked at wild angles while her hadron cannon blazed. The _Godhand'_sswords deflected her spikes easily, and the beam was dispersed on the units shields. _Godhand _then released its four spike like slash harkens. Rowena immediately shifted to knightmare mode as she darted out of the way. She batted the rest out of the way with her sword in this form.

"A unique enemy," said the pilot, a woman with some age to her voice. "This is going to be a challenge."

"An insurmountable one, for you," Rowena taunted.

"Bold, aren't we?" said the woman. "Last I checked this unit has never been defeated in a real fight."

"Regina Granville is a crazed beast who doesn't understand the meaning of humanity any longer," said Rowena. "The machine has nothing to do with her skill."

"You discredit me?" said the woman. "Fair enough considering this is my first time as a pilot."

"Interesting," said Rowena. "But it makes me even more confident I won't lose here."

"You're the traitor, aren't you? The Britannian knight who defected to the other side?" said the woman in a cool voice.

"You could describe me in those terms," said Rowena, in a low voice, scowling. "But in truth I care not what you call me. It changes nothing. I will win our match today."

"Then show me," said the woman.

Rowena charged in with her sword held ready. She made a massive downward slash at the hulking monster in front of her. It shot its spike like slash harkens out to deter her and then tried aiming its hadrons. Rowena quickly rolled out of their path and shot her own hadron blast off. It strained at the shields Rowena then rushed in with her sword and landed a clean cut.

The enemy fired her harkens again. This time one got her and penetrated deep into the right side of her armor for a damaging hit. It then flung her around and threw her before the hadron cannons. She quickly returned to fortress mode to raise her defensive capabilities and braced for impact.

Much of her outer armor was lost, but _Odysseus _was still in full operation. She had to act quickly though, if she still wanted to win. She shifted back to knightmare frame mode and raced forward, using her speed advantage. She weaved through slash harkens and made a quick full slash. It was a good hit and left the enemy slightly stunned. With quick reflexes, she shifted back to fortress mode and fired a single full powered hadron blast. It rocked through the _Godhand, _doing insurmountable damage. The enemy escaped then and there.

She turned right then to check on Naida. What graced her, was an unfortunate thing. A barely functioning _Medea_ was smoking in the sky before _Mordred _which was preparing it's heaviest hadron fire. Naida's greatest fear was to be realized in just moments. There was nothing Rowena could do about it either. Well, there was one thing.

"Look at me, Naida," she commanded, opening a private video connection between _Odysseus _and _Medea. _Her eyes had soon met Naida's. Rowena activated her Geass then.

A smile gradually formed on Naida's face as she saw something. Was it hope? Was it joy? There was no telling what it was, just something to smile for. As the hadron cannon fired forward, as it consumed what was left of _Medea, _Naida Fiametta was not afraid. She was happy. She faced her deepest fear with a smile on her face. For some reason, granting this woman this final pleasure was more vindicating than any of her victories had been.

"I didn't know the woman you just killed," said Rowena in a low voice to the _Mordred _pilot. "In her own words, no one did. Even still, I'll always remember her, and I won't forgive you for her death."

"Understood," said the voice of the woman piloting. "Let's see if your unit is also inferior next to _Mordred Camlann Duel."_

"It matters not," said Rowena. "I've already decided, that for Naida Fiametta, and for the hope of someday realizing my own dreams, I will win this fight."

"You just decide something like that?" said the woman.

"I do," said Rowena. "You'll have to prove me wrong."

"I suppose I will" said the woman. And then they flew at each other.

Rowena noticed instantly that Naida hadn't went down without a fight. She had noticeably gotten off her powerful Dragon Blast, which had warped a great deal of the enemy's armor. Parts also had been clearly singed by her hadron converger. If Rowena tackled this right, even as damaged as she was, she'd claim a decisive win.

Missiles began to fire at her. She used her hadron to neutralize them and then shifted to knightmare frame mode. She made for a great slash at the _Mordred. _The enemy shifted back and deployed more missiles. Rowena backed up and used her hadron again. _Mordred _fell further back and formed its massive stark hadron cannon. Rowena dodged the blast that came by a hair and rushed forward. her sword was stabbed straight through the mid section of the knightmare. The pilot made a narrow escape as her unit was destroyed.

Rowena gave a sigh as she surveyed her damage. She was still unsure what to think, still unsure what she should do. Her thoughts were on Naida. She closed her eyes and wondered if dreams were truly worth it. She came to the instant realization that they were.

* * *

It was different doing everything by herself. That's what Katsumi couldn't help but think as she sat in her new custom unit, _Aífe. _Katsue was nearby in her matching unit, _Scáthach. _Rayner Wilde, the designer of the units, had upon hearing their ability, decided to design two matching units instead of one. They were essentially identical. _Aífe _was red in color, while _Scáthach_ was black. The former had a sword in its left hand and a powerful claw in its right hand, the latter a similar claw in its left, and a powerful blaster in its right.

"I miss you, sis," Katsumi said. A video connection was open so they could still see each other, even in separate units "I know this is more efficient, but it just doesn't feel the same."

"I know what you're saying, Katsumi," said Katsue. "But now that we have our Geass, we can be together, even when we're apart."

"Yeah," said Katsumi. "In a strange sort of way."

"We don't have time to worry about such things though," said Katsue. "I see a dog and a pony that need our attention."

"Dog and pony? What are you talking about, sis?" said Katsumi, looking from left to right. Suddenly she spotted what her sister did. Two units were rushing toward them. One was the horse shaped _Pegasus. _The other was the bulky, four-legged _Cerberus. _She laughed. "You can really be cute sometimes, sis."

"But you're the cute one," said Katsue with a slight giggle.

"Anyway, this should be a serious fight," said Katsumi. "Astrid says that _Cerberus _is tough."

"Then as the older sister, I guess I'll take that one," said Katsue in a full voice.

"Nah, I have the better reflexes," said Katsumi. "You get the pretty pony."

"Do you have to be so blunt about it?" Katsue sighed.

Katsumi giggled and charged straight ahead.

"And sis, blink three times if he gets you," Katsumi said.

"Understood!" Katsue replied.

Katsumi greeted _Cerberus _with a powerful sword swipe. _Cerberus'_ front claw limbs, fired forth to stop it and then the triple hadron cannons at its head all fired at once. Katsumi swung herself upward, using her sword as leverage and freed it from the enemy's grasp. She then spiraled down and grabbed at _Cerberus_ with her claw, a miniature version of the radiant waver surger. At close proximity, she fired a fierce blast from it. _Cerberus _took a serious hit.

It was about at this point that Katsumi noticed her sister give the signal. She hadn't expected Katsue to last that long without getting caught by the _Pegasus' _Geass cable, as it had been recorded to be the unit's only real strategy. She looked clearly in her sister's eyes and nodded. She activated her Geass. As Katsumi in turn activated hers, Katsue was thrown free from the time trap.

And then they were one. Again there was no Katsumi or Katsue, she was just one being now. One being in two different bodies, this time, however those two different bodies were in separate knightmares. But each knightmare was engaging a different enemy.

This wasn't an efficient means for one entity to fight two. It's much easier to focus all of one's power on removing one target then the other, than it is to split one's attention between two targets at the same time. She recognized this. And so she adapted. _Aífe _flew instantly from _Cerberus _to _Pegasus _to join _Scáthach _in a brutal assault.

The _Pegasus' _pilot was clearly not prepared for this. _Aífe'_s sword stabbed deep into its front. _Scátach _then fired a powerful blast into the hole left by the sword. if the cockpit of _Pegasus _wasn't conveniently at the rear, the pilot would have been incinerated. As it was, he was able to escape.

"The unicorn will rise again! The world will see the might of his sparkling horn!" the man called out as he flew to safety.

With this, she turned to the other opponent. _Cerberus _was already rushing toward her. She flew her two bodies in widely different directions and made quick coordinated attacks. The effectiveness was amazing. _Cerberus_ was clearly taking heavy damage.

_Cerberus _then shifted itself slightly. All it's weaponry fused together and a powerful energy built within it. She decided instantly, she'd need to match this with her best attack. _Aífe _and _Scáthach _flew at each other. Their claws joined together, linking them together. They faced each other their other arm, holding a MVS and a powerful blaster respectively, held outward as one. Red energy built in the space between the two units, prepared to fire straight ahead.

They fired at the same time, her and her enemy. Massive walls of powerful energy collided, resulting in a fierce explosion. It ripped through all three units as it forced them all back. Damage was great, but both units still functioned. Luckily neither of her bodies had been hurt, but parts of either unit's armor had been shredded off and it was unclear they would be able to fight much longer. However, _Cerberus _had it worse, as its pilot could be seen ejecting. She was relieved she didn't have to do the same.

Then her geass was stopped and she was two again. Katsumi gave an exhausted sigh, content with herself, despite the narrowness of her victory. She was glad she had the power to keep Katsue safe.

"Katsumi?" said Katsue.

"Yeah, sis?" Katsumi replied.

"I don't think we'll be able to fight anymore with this damage," said Katsue, "But there still might be something we can do."

"Then let's do it, sis," said Katsumi, smiling and nodding enthusiastically.

They both flew off into the distance.

* * *

Megami was trying to blank her mind as she flew her trusted _Onryou. _She wasn't Chiharu though, so this was hard. She couldn't help but think about it. This was the final battle. If they won, she'd have helped that woman conquer the world. If they lost, she'd probably die. Death didn't scare her. She welcomed it. If it wasn't for Chiharu, she'd chose it voluntarily. There wasn't much to live for at this point, knowing now that escape was impossible. It was just that silly, hopeful girl that Megami was so fond of. It was just Chiharu Ohgi that made weathering the storm around her potentially worth it.

She took a sideways glance over at the _Hippolyta. _Lucrecia Harrison was a pitiable child if ever there was one. She always had been. The child's only real crime was having been born in need of help. Deifilia Amarantha had been the only one able to give that help. And thus that girl was slowly twisted under the woman's influence, robbed of the innocence of childhood. Recalling her past, recalling how her own innocence had been stolen, Megami knew they were the same. That's why she was fond of the girl.

"Are we going to fight someone soon, big sister?" asked Lucrecia in a soft voice.

"Yeah," said Megami quietly. "Shouldn't be long at all now."

"Big sister?" said Lucrecia. "Is Mistress really a bad person?"

"Do you really need to ask that, Lucrecia?" Megami said, her voice still low.

"No," said Lucrecia. "Even though this is the first time I ask the question, I'm mature enough to know the answer."

"What are you going to do about it then?" said Megami.

"I don't know what I can do," said Lucrecia. "I'm stuck."

"That's how most of us feel, I'm sure," said Megami. "Nothing we can do about it right now, but hold our heads up, hoping it will get better."

"Will it get better?" said Lucrecia.

"Chiharu says it will, and if there's anything in this miserable world I still have faith in, it's that girl," said Megami.

"if it does," said Lucrecia. "Can I stay with you, Big Sister?"

"Yeah," said Megami. "Sure, kid."

Megami nodded her head. She really hoped she could trust Chiharu's judgement. For now, she just flew ahead.

A distance ahead, another girl was lost in her own thoughts as she flew a knightmare forward. The girl was Hu Xuemei and the knightmare was called _Fafner. _It's development overseen by famed physicist Nina Einstein, it was a heavier unit than _Tianlong, _but still fairly mobile. Pale blue and white in color, it was armed with two heavy shoulder hadron cannons, a large bladed halberd and a short sword.

Nearby was the knightmare of her partner for the operation, _Cúchulainn_, knightmare of Eilith vol Britannia, flying proudly. This unit that once was her enemy now was her friend. Knowing Eilith now as both a warrior and a person, this was reassuring.

"You ready?" asked Eilith. "Things are bound to get serious pretty soon."

"I have to stay staunch," said Xuemei. "I'm going to rescue my mother, after all."

"Both your mother and the symbol of your homeland's leadership. Yeah, she's pretty important to rescue," said Eilith with a laugh.

"It''s why I don't plan to lose," said Xuemei. "I hope to make our conversation of the other day an exercise in futility."

"Oh? Meaning what?" said Eilith with a laugh.

"I am her daughter, but I have also been handed the sword of her protector," said Xuemei. "My mother is still young. If I succeed at the latter job the throne is something I'll hardly have to worry over."

"Very true," said Eilith with a laugh. "Glad you realized that. Hope it makes you stronger."

"It does," said Xuemei. "The only question is whether I am strong enough."

"Well, here's a little test for you," said Eilith. "Custom unit approaching quickly on the horizon."

Xuemei swerved around until it was in her sights. She focused on it as it came into view. It didn't look like anything in the official record, but it did resemble the unit the twins had faced during their exploits in the Federation, _Hippolyta. _Xuemei was ready to face it. She flew toward it, her halberd held out.

"Prepare yourself, my enemy!" she shouted. The unit hefted its large axe to block the blow, then fired a proximity shot from its bow.

"I'm not going to lose!" a child's voice said. "If I'm going to live with Big Sister some day, I can't die here!"

Xuemei was taken off guard by the voice. "How old are you, girl?" she asked.

"It's Lucrecia Harrison. And I'm almost 13 years old," said the girl proudly.

"A child soldier?" said Xuemei. "Unexpected."

"I'm not a child," said Lucrecia. "I'll show you!"

It was then that a heavy blast could be heard from directly behind Xuemei. She tried to turn quickly, but she wasn't fast enough. Luckily, Eilith was. She flew between Xuemei and the blast.

"I knew it was too good to be true that the enemy commander would have just one custom unit flying about when our sides so committed to the idea of tag teams in this fight," said Eilith to the unseen attacker. "The famous Megami Subarashii, I take it?"

"You're very sharp," said Subarashii, the mercenary that had once fought alongside Xuemei. She couldn't say she was fond of this person in the slightest, but she hardly had Hiromi's fury. "You are?"

"Eilith," said the princess.

"The Lost Princess?" said Subarashii. "How interesting."

"I'm equally intrigued," said Eilith in a cool voice. "The Empress sure was impressed by you going by how she talks. I wonder how you stack up to that?"

"That Empress thinks far too much of me I'm afraid," said Subarashii. "I'm but a miserable liar and thief who screws everything up for the people she loves."

"I'll be the judge of that," said Eilith. "I've always wondered what it'd be like fighting blind."

"Looks like what we discussed won't be working with these guys, Lucrecia," said Subarashii. "Try your best, kid."

"You got it, Big Sister," said Lucrecia boldly. And with that, Xuemei was left to face the child while Eilith went off to tackle her invisible adversary.

She started off with dual high-powered hadron blasts. Lucrecia darted upward and swung her chain axe downward in a heavy arc. Xuemei deflected it with her halberd and flew rapidly upward to try to stab the unit with her sword. _Hippolyta _pulled the axe immediately back and used it to protect itself. The unit then fired a bolt from it's bow. It was explosive, so even though it scored only a glancing blow, the _Fafner _still suffered heavy damage. While it was stunned, Lucrecia unleashed a heavy axe attack that only compounded the damage.

Xuemei realized this was not a child to underestimate. She had to act quickly. She collected herself and immediately made a quick halberd strike at a low angle. It caught the machine and threw it back slightly. Xuemei then jet back and fired her cannons again. The attack hit and landed significant damage, but not quite enough.

Next thing she knew the heavy axe was flinging at her. She moved to avoid it, but there was a last second change to the arc at which it was thrown. The opponent had her right where she wanted her. The chain axe went around her twice, wrapping her in its chain. The enemy then moved in swiftly and a cable shot from it.

Xuemei cursed as a deceptively sweet looking little girl appeared on her monitor. She wasn't strong enough. Not yet. If she was going to save her mother and her country, she needed to further her resolve. She thought. Soon all she could do was think; her body wouldn't respond to her.

Lucrecia Harrison smiled at her victory. She looked at the pretty young woman she had just put into a mental prison. This girl was entirely at her mercy now. Normally, killing the girl would be the next step. That was how Mistress had taught her. But Big Sister told her killing was not something she should do, it was something horribly bad, except when the person really deserves it. She had no way of telling if this girl deserved it, so she was willing to assume she didn't

So Lucrecia simply did what Megami liked to do. She went around and destroyed the flight unit. Then, as the enemy was in descent, she released her Geass. After a few seconds, the enemy ejected. She turned to aid Megami.

"Big sister! I did it! " she called proudly as she did.

She was greeted with the sight of Eilith vol Britannia scoring a sure blow on an enemy she couldn't even see, it's javelin launched squarely into _Onryou'_s back. Megami got away safely, but it was still unsettling to see her Big Sister lose a fight.

"You must be pretty strong to beat Xuemei," said the princess. "I couldn't beat her when I gave it a go."

"How did you do that?" said Lucrecia. "How did you land such a clean blow on something invisible?"

"I have pretty good senses I suppose," said Eilith. "And even better intuition."

"I don't like seeing my Big Sister lose," said Lucrecia.

"I would imagine not," said the princess. "No one likes to see they're friends or family fail. But someone has to. And everyone in this world is someone special to someone."

"Yeah," said Lucrecia, thinking about it. "I guess your right."

"That's both the disgusting thing about war and what makes it such a decisive act," said Eilith. "There's power in the pain it can cause. Power simple words can never achieve."

"Yeah..." said Lucrecia.

"But such words are not for this place. Come, Lucrecia Harrison, show me how strong you really are," the princess commanded. Lucrecia flew forward.

She launched her axe out immediately, flinging it at her opponent. The _Cúchulainn _darted to the side of it and launched its own chain weapon, a javelin covered by a powerful energy field. at Lucrecia. It was very swift, but she manage to dodge it by a hair. Lucrecia fired an arrow at the enemy, but again, she swiftly dodged in her speedy unit. She then rushed _Hippolyta _for a sword strike. Lucrecia was unprepared.

She took some damage and pushed back. She fired her axe off in a wide horizontal arc. Eilith sped upward and fired her javelin. Lucrecia rolled to the side and fired another arrow. This hit and exploded upon the enemy's armor, causing fair damage. The princess pulled back and up, speeding toward her for a sword attack. Lucrecia beat it back with her axe and connected yet another arrow.

The princess staggered back and quickly fired off her javelin. Lucrecia couldn't move quick enough now. All she could do was fire off her axe as well. They connected at the same time. The axe cleaved through _Cúchulainn'_s waist while the javelin hit exactly the same spot it had on _Onryou, Hippolyta's _flight unit, as she turned to try and evade.

"God," the princess sighed. "Another tie? I wonder what he'll say about that..."

Lucrecia simply smiled as they both ejected. She was pleased with the outcome for the most part.

* * *

Hiromi Tohdoh was scowling as she flew her new unit, _Gaheris. _Even if the project had been overseen by the researcher who had supported Absolution, Cecile Croomy, it was still a Britannian commissioned unit. It just didn't feel right flying such a thing, even if it was an admittedly impressive machine. Large and sturdy, silver and black in color, it looked rather intimidating. Even more so as it was armed with a gigantic sword in its right hand and a shield rivaling the size of her old _Hokurei's _in its left. Additionally, there was heavy cannon looking over it's left shoulder.

But the knightmare was the least of her issues. She had been instructed to fly alongside none other than Hildegarde Waldstein for this operation. She was less than happy about this. It really grated on her nerves they'd even thing about this. But even General Kozuki didn't want to hear about it when she raised the issue.

"You really can be immature," said Waldstein. "We're supposed to trust each other with one another's backs. Right now I'm not even sure I can turn my back to you, let alone trust you with it."

"I'll comply with orders whether I like them or not," said Hiromi. "You needn't worry about that. I'm professional enough."

"Do you understand what we were?" Waldstein suddenly asked, taking Hiromi slightly off guard. I was an unexpected conversation for the battlefield. "Do you know what she was to me in that time we knew each other."

"It sickens me even thinking about it," said Hiromi curtly.

"But you know?" said Waldstein, closing her eyes.

Hiromi knew her sister wasn't straight. She had always attached herself to females in a clearly romantic way. Strong females who she thought were beautiful and cool, who she thought could protect and support her were what she gravitated toward. In their youth, it had been Hiromi she had clung to. Hiromi had become accustomed to the feeling. When Chiharu began to increasingly steal the girl's attention, she became more than a little jealous, but her friendship with the girl softened the blow considerably. As it progressed, she resigned herself to being the protective sister for now, but she'd condone it if anything happened there. But Chiharu either wasn't interested in women or didn't see Yasuko as one.

There was really only one way to read what had occurred between Hildegarde Waldstein and Yasuko Tohdoh in those months they spent together. Yasuko's actions, Waldstein's words and expressions, it was all so obvious to read. Waldstein fit Yasuko's type to the letter too. Hiromi knew from the onset that this woman and her sister had been romantically involved. The jealous side of her just didn't want to admit it.

"I know..." Hiromi said with a bit of a growl.

"Then you should know you can believe me regarding her," said Waldstein. "I wouldn't lie regarding someone I feel so strongly."

"I can trust your words, I suppose," said Hiromi. "But I can't trust your magic eye, if it tells you what you says it does."

it was too horrible to accept that Marcella Belita was her sister. The very notion made Hiromi sick. Was she deluding herself in denying it? Perhaps. But to accept that the one who had killed her father was none other then her own sister, who had been brainwashed, was beyond her. A truth like that was far too sad for her.

"Running from the truth is never healthy," said Waldstein.

"I don't want to be admonished by you," said Hiromi.

"Is it just because I'm Britannian that you detest me?" Waldstein asked. "Racial prejudice is unattractive you know?"

"It's not that!" Hiromi started firmly.

"Is it because I'm a woman then?" Waldstein asked.

"It was always going to be a woman," said Hiromi looking down. "It's because you are our enemy. Britannia pissed on the peace of the world. We went to war. That someone on your side would touch my sister, it's unforgivable."

"You recall my reasoning for supporting this Empress, for supporting Britannia?" Waldstein questioned.

"I do," said Hiromi. "And in an odd way, I admire it. Given your life, I'd be where you are."

"And yet you still deem me so unworthy?" said Waldstein. "Not that I expect to be accepted with open arms."

"If we were still at peace, I could have accepted it... maybe," said Hiromi. "Given some time."

"I suppose that's the best I can hope for from you," said Waldstein. "But this is hardly the time to bicker. Let's keep our eyes open. Serious enemies could be anywhere."

"Agreed," said Hiromi. "We really must be ready."

They soon entered a cloud of production knightmares. It was cleared cleanly in a few moments thanks to some decent team work. Hiromi had worked up a sweat, but she was ready for some more serious action. She wasn't however ready for the opponent she got. Fate was strange. She'd have to fight the one opponent she wasn't sure what to make of. _Medusa _hovered toward them. Marcella Belita was the enemy.

"I kind of knew this would happen," said Waldstein with a sigh. "Amarantha likely knows our relationships with her. She's sending her specifically for us."

"I'm going to beat her," said Hiromi in a low voice. "I'm going to defeat this girl and prove once and for all that she is not my sister!"

And with that, _Gaheris _was off. Sword held before her, she made a powerful charge. _Medusa _had a rather obvious speed advantage. A last second jerk upward brought it cleanly from the blade's reach. It immediately fired off both of its nail blades. Hiromi hefted her shield quickly and both were easily reflected.

She fired her cannon then. Marcella dodged it and spun forward. She made several successive strikes with her twin nail blades, but Hiromi's shield stayed strong. Soon they reached a stalemate. Hiromi couldn't land a hit. Marcella couldn't penetrate Hiromi's defenses.

Hiromi looked around for help. For someone who spoke so much about having each others back, Waldstein sure wasn't lending a hand. She'd have maybe called it interference if she wasn't desperate, but now she kind of was. She noticed then that Waldstein was embroiled in her own fight.

She was being pushed toward Hiromi. They were almost back to back. Waldstein's opponent seemed somehow even quicker than _Medusa. _It was the same sort of armored suit as _Dagonet Foresight. _With bright gold armor, horned helmet and sword and shield, this was obviously the unit that until now only the Britannian Empress herself had seen. _Perseus._

The unit was furiously assaulting Waldstein with its sword, from which a shining blade of light was radiating forth. Hiromi could recognize its power instantly. She feared not just for Waldstein at that moment, but for herself as well.

"Tohdoh," said Waldstein.

"Yeah?" said Hiromi as she weathered a flurry of incessant strikes from Marcella.

"You're not going to like it, but I just used my Geass on my opponent," said Waldstein.

"What crazy lie do you have for me now?" said Hiromi. "Let me guess? Your crazy opponent over there is my mother?"

"Close," said Waldstein. "Your brother."

Hiromi shook her head, unsure whether to shout or laugh. Instead, she just spoke in a low voice.

"My brother's a 12 year old boy," said Hiromi. "He's no knightmare pilot."

"What amusing luck," said the pilot of the _Perseus _then. It was a child's voice. How cleanly it matched Katsuo's was eerie. "So you are Tohdoh's other child then?"

Throwing _Medusa _back, Hiromi came to face _Perseus._

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"I'm your brother obviously," said the pilot, suddenly, releasing the armor covering his head, so his face was visible. Hiromi's jaw dropped.

"Katsuo? Why?" said Hiromi, stunned.

"Because this body has no purpose," Katsuo said. "We picked it up along with some more useful token, but it itself is entirely without value. What better than a body without use than to fill a suit of armor that might get sliced to pieces should I lose my guard?"

"So you're not my brother," said Hiromi in a low, building voice. "You're a total monster! A disgusting freak who's using my brother as a disposable dummy body because he's too much of a coward to fight as himself."

"Having the brain to use a gift effectively is cowardice?" said the creep in Katsuo's body. "Call me a coward then."

"Just who the fuck are you?" Hiromi shouted.

"Katsue Tohdoh, of course," the creep laughed. "I mean, look at me?"

"So is Yasuko over there the same as you?" Waldstein demanded. "A monster possessing her body?"

"It's not the same at all. Yasuko Tohdoh is dead," the monster said in Katsuo's voice. "That over there is Marcella Belita, a loyal servant of my master. No one else."

"I don't believe you!" said Waldstein. "Yasuko's still in there."

"If she is you'll never see her again. So why trouble yourself over it?" said the impostor. "You're both going to die here."

"Try me!" said Hiromi.

Both Hiromi and Waldstein charged _Perseus. _The unit moved so fast it almost seemed to disappear. It moved past Hiromi, and with a single swipe, cleaved her massive, powerful shield in two. _Galahad _then rushed it, but was infinitely too slow. With some quick sword work, much of the units exterior armor was removed. Neither of them could do anything.

"Now, Marcella!" the fake Katsuo called.

Out of nowhere, a massive, full powered white beam of destruction fired. While they were focused on _Perseus_, _Medusa _must have charged this blast. It was clearly fatal, but thankfully slow. Hiromi fought to get out of the way. She did, but her sword and most of _Gaheris' _right side was incinerated. She looked to see that _Galahad _had been cut essentially in half, it's lower half just gone.

As Hildegarde ejected, a clearly very drained _Medusa _latched onto _Gaheris _and began to siphon energy from it with her needle blades.

"Listen to me!" Hiromi called, her doubts shattered by the horrors she had just seen and heard. "If that really is you, Yasuko, listen to your Big Sister! Stop this! Get a grip on yourself!"

"Huh?" Marcella said. "Who's Yasuko?"

"She might have heard you a few days ago," said the fake Katsuo. "But we noticed she was becoming more aware of her former identity. Just today, we treated her."

"Sister!" Hiromi cried. "Please, listen to me! I love you, Yasuko... and she does too. She's waiting for you, you know! Please, remember!"

"Now, Marcella," said the cheap impostor. "Kill her."

"Yasuko!" Hiromi cried once more.

Marcella, Yasuko, gave a mild cry and shook around a bit. Hiromi used the last of her unit's power to shake partly free. _Persues _flew in with a powerful slash. _Gaheris _was damaged then beyond repair. Hiromi ejected herself before the unit exploded.

"You failed," said the strange boy. "Don't tell me it's still there. The repressed memories are still seeping in."

Marcella made a soft cry. She didn't know what to think. Her mind was pulsing. She was in serious pain. Everything was painful, horrible confusion. She was crying. She didn't know anything anymore. She wanted out .She wanted something. She wanted anything.

"So horribly broken" said the boy. "How sad. Come, we have an empire to conquer. Don't disappoint our master further."

"Y-yes..." said Marcella as they flew off.

* * *

Kallen Kozuki's face was blank as she tore through clouds of enemies. This was the decisive battle. If they lost there wasn't much that could be done, at least that she saw. That's why she had to win. She had to fight, and she had to win. That's all there was.

_Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. Eight Elements Ultimate Version _was the official name of her knightmare on record. She doubted Rakshata would be very crazy about that name and it was far too long for her to actually use. Still, she did notice a bit more power to what was already a powerhouse, and she knew a couple new tricks had been added. As she spotted a truly ominous, daunting behemoth on the horizon, she prayed it would be enough.

This was his monster. This was the unit Gino had warned them all about, the knight giga fortress he hadn't been able to even scratch, _Typhon. _Kallen wondered why it had to fall into her lap. She hoped she wouldn't die for it. Those girls still needed her. No, she couldn't start thinking like that. This opponent was like any other. She just had to win. She greeted Regina Granville with a long range blast from her radiant wave surger, which had been re-optomized for greater damage.

"The angel of death comes for me now?" the crazed voice of the enemy stated blankly. "I won't allow it!"

"Completely mad, aren't you?" Kallen started. "A real shame."

"It's you, Death, which cast me into this waking nightmare," said Granville with a low building laugh. "It's you that destroyed what was precious!"

"I suppose you would be delusional," said Kallen, slightly unsettled. "I'll destroy you quickly."

"No, Death, it is you who will be destroyed! You will die here for ripping away my light and casting me into this miserable darkness!" Granville shouted madly, her voice harsh and shrill.

"Are you simply or mad or have I honestly wronged you?" Kallen asked, not sure how to take the girl's words.

"You cut him down! You robbed him of his life!" Granville shouted. "The fires of destruction are the only pleasure in this life that remain now, but none will be more pleasurable than that remains when I have slain the very harbinger of death that appeared to us that day!"

"I killed one of your loved ones then?" Kallen said in a heavy voice. "I started the downward spiral of monstrous insanity through which you have descended?"

"I don't expect Death to know or care for such details," said Granville. "All the same, I intend to rip you from the sky today."

"I'd expect nothing less. War is only personal when you wish it to be," said Kallen. "But you've become a far better embodiment of death than I'll ever be. You're the most feared entity on this battlefield. Your style of unrestrained death and destruction, it's caused a lot of pain. And if all that can be traced back to me, I have reason to put a definitive end to it today."

"Then try, Death! Try and claim my soul, just as you did his!" Granville shouted madly. She fired her two immense cannons off. Kallen scrambled to move out of the way.

She charged in, landed on the gigantic fortress and fired a powerful radiant wave blast downward. Soon, several spikes were coming for her. She grabbed one and destroyed it. The rest she avoided fairly simply with her speed. Pushing back, she fired another powerful blast off. It was mostly absorbed as it hit, but there did seem to be some damage. Even more spikes came to counter this time.

Kallen did an area blast to get rid of them, but it only slowed them. She cursed as four of them wrapped around _Guren's _limbs. A final fifth spike crashed into _Guren'_s chest. Thanks to her powerful energy shields, it only just penetrated her armor, but that was enough. She was looking Regina Granville face to face.

"The irony that Death is but a simple human woman," said Granville. "What do you fear, Death? I wonder."

"You bitch," Kallen spat. "What are you going to do?"

But it was too late, she was already under the spell of Geass. A vivid vision occurred to Kallen then. This bloody woman was there with a blade. She took the blade to them both. Kallen could only watch as Katsue and Katsumi were brutally slashed and bloodied before her, murdered horribly screaming for their lives.

It made her physically ill. She couldn't take it. She tried closing her eyes, but she still saw it. She began to cry a little. She couldn't take it. She was shaking. She didn't know what to do. But then it occurred to her. She still needed to win. This was a trick, an illusion. She needed to make sure the real Katsumi and Katsue didn't meet such a cruel end. She needed to protect her beloved daughters from all the horrors that existed in this world. Horrors like Regina Granville.

Using her shear strength, Kallen, ripped herself from the enemy's grasp. She then grabbed the spike that penetrated her armor and destroyed it. The vision was still playing before her, but it was just testament to what she had to do. She had to put an end to this. Drawing her fork knife, which had been augmented in power, now generating a full energy beam around it, she slashed downward at _Typhon'_s armor.

More spikes came at her. She slashed one to bits and grabbed another with her radiant wave surger. She avoided the rest with a sharp jerk upward and then threw them off with her missiles. She then readied her newest attack. It would take a lot of power, but she could now fire off a massive blast from her radiant wave surger, using a miniature core reactor. The power was several times that of her typical blasts.

Aiming for the cut she had made, she fired the massive blast with deadly aim. It connected and the damage was immediate. A gigantic crater was left in _Typhon _as the whole mass shook. Immediately, Kallen swept in. She entered the crater using her claw to make it deeper and deeper, until she was a serious distance inside the enemy knight giga fortress. She kept going and going, drilling through more and more armor and machinery, until she saw it, the _Typhon's _Yggdrasil Drive, massive and glowing as it touched it with her claw and gave a subtle pulse. Immediately then, she turned around and darted back through the hole.

Turning around, she saw as explosions rung throughout the massive fortress, now without power. Smoldering with flames, the mammoth beast slowly fell, crashing down into the ocean below.

Kallen nodded. Satisfied with the result.

* * *

The fight had continued for a long time. Chiharu was becoming exhausted quickly. Astrid was not an easy opponent by any stretch. They were at something of a stalemate. There was no telling who would give out first. Chiharu was committed though. She still couldn't lose this fight. She'd win.

"You won." Astrid suddenly said, pushing herself back. Chiharu was alarmed.

"Huh?" Chiharu. "What are you saying? Nothing's over yet?"

"This battle is," said Astrid. "I've just received word from our command. Britannia is going to fall. Victory is impossible."

"Wait, what?" said Chiharu.

"It was a narrow loss, but still a loss," said Astrid. "And for it, our fight is over."

"Don't you want to beat me and maybe turn things around?" Chiharu questioned.

"I have a more important mission, Chiharu," Astrid said in a quiet voice. "My beloved, my empress, she calls to me."

"Wait? What are you saying?" Chiharu called. But it was no use. Astrid Weinberg was already a distance gone, leaving the other deeply unsettled.

A/N: AND NOW IT"S FINALLY DONE! Fuck yeah. Goddamn never ending chapter... bleh. Hope it didn't suck. Lots of dramatic stuff going in. Lots of character deaths. Thankfully this is the last strictly knightmare combat chapter. I don't know how damn long this bastard took me. Hopefully the remaining chapters from here on out are smooth sailing. Shouldn't be quite so bad. ANyway, I don't really know what to say about this chapter. My mind is kind of blank from it all now. Gah...

no extras, obviously.

Items to be added to the info page with the next update (and yes, some of these names speak to a true lack in creativity on my part, but whatever. screw it...) :

Sieg Absolution

Brunnhilde Valkyrie

Breunor

Mordred Camlann Duel

Atalanta

Aífe

Scáthach

Fafner

Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. Eight Elements Ultimate Version

I'll also finally add whatever stray terms I haven't yet. I'm too exhausted of this


	45. Turn 44: The Frayed Strands of Fate

A/N: I know, almost an entire week late now... gah. The last chapter was very hard for me and took a lot out of me. It was hard to work up the energy to start writing this one after that. I guess it's only natural that after writing the same story for over a year an author's enthusiasm for the project would fade. That's not to say I'm not enthusiastic for the story itself, I'm just no longer enthusiastic for the writing it part. Unfortunately this leads to delays. I apologize for that and hope you're able to bear with me.

NOTE: Let me formally apologize to my readers for a rather glaring error I made with this chapter, pointed out to me by Keith Fraser. It's inexcusable and really quite embarrassing. I know its quite unprofessional to do so, but I have gone in and rewritten part of the previous chapter so as this one matches up. I'm sorry.

Disclaimer: Vesta: "The story's author doesn't own the characters from Code Geass, just the original ones. Understood?"

Jackie was afraid. She wasn't used to chaotic situations. They put her at unease. There was no scene more chaotic than the Britannian castle at that moment. Bullets were flying everywhere. The sound was deafening. The body suit she wore was bulletproofed, but she didn't trust such things. She only trusted the man beside her.

"This woman is your very own Princess, Jacquelyn mi Britannia!" shouted the masked man known as Alain Renard, field commander to the EU force and in truth none other than Jackie's husband. "Let us through or we will be forced to use her as a shield."

Jackie wasn't sure what to make of these words. The EU had won. If it hadn't been for certain excellent units like the _Perseus _and Richter's very own _Jason, _which smartly avoided any full strength custom units, it might not have been a victory, but it was. Now it was time for the invasions. They were to take the capital and then Britannia would be hers to rule.

_Jason _had in the end led the invasion team deep into Vortigern. They had breached the castle gates and exited the castle walls. Now it was a massive firefight, EU soldiers versus Britannian soldiers. Guns were blazing. Richter stayed at the back of the force at first. Only now, as they entered the main hall did he step forward, grabbing Jackie brusquely as he did.

"Ha!" an old member of the Britannian Royal guard laughed. "We serve the crown, it's true! But we will not forfeit our Empress for the sake of a mere princess."

Despite his words, a number of the guardsmen lowered their weapons.

"Kill them all!" Richter commanded in their moment of hesitation. Most of the guards were mowed down. Some got shots off and the Eu force was reduced considerably. But it had gone well overall. There was little else between them and the throne now.

"Come! Let's take the throne!" Richter shouted as the squad raced deeper into the castle.

After a few more patches of exchanged fire between them and smaller royal guard troops, they finally reached the open throne room Jackie hadn't seen in so long. But there was something off with it. Something was missing. It was infuriating. Jackie grit her teeth in rage.

"Where is she?" she demanded in a powerful voice. "Search the entire fucking castle! I want that bitch dead now!"

The troops looked at her but didn't take the order. They looked at Richter.

"Do it! Spread out and search the rest of the castle!" he commanded as he strolled toward the throne with Jackie. The soldiers dispersed.

"Where the fuck is she?" Jackie shouted, irate.

"We'll find your cousin in time," Richter replied. "For now, this may play to our advantage."

"What do you mean?" Jackie asked.

After only a few moments the room filled with Britannian soldiers. Jackie gasped, certain it was over.

"Commander Renard!" a voice shouted as some of their soldiers returned suddenly. "The knightmare frame _Mórrígan _was spotted flying from the castle just now!"

"As I thought," said Richter, closing his eyes and turning to face the Britannians.

"Hand over the princess now!" one of the soldiers commanded.

"Oh, and why should I?" Richter started, smiling. "We're no longer enemies."

"What the fuck are you saying?" a soldier demanded, hefting his gun and pointing it at Richter's head.

"Your Empress was just spotted fleeing the castle, the capital and likely Britannia itself," said Richter. "Don't you see, your empress has just abandoned her post? She abandoned Britannia and you all as well! It's over. The reign of Ava li Britannia is at its end!"

"Who the fuck are you to decide this, scum!" the soldiers shouted, seemingly ready to fire. Jackie knew what had to be said. She stepped forward.

"I Jacquelyn mi Britannia hereby claim the Britannian throne as my own!" she said. "From hence forth, I am the one hundred and second imperial ruler of the Holy Britannian Empire!"

"You're with them then..." one of the officers said.

"This war was never one of conquest, you see," said Richter, stepping forward. "As your cowardly former rule flees in terror as your men fall to their deaths, we wish simply to enact a change of regime."

"Lies!" another officer shouted.

"Come now, my friends, this fight is over now. This war is over now. Let it end without any more men having to lose their lives," Richter said in a cool voice. The crowd began lowering their weapons but seemed somewhat unconvinced.

"Enough! Let's make this simple! Bow before your Empress!" Jackie commanded.

"Yes! Your Majesty!" a small roar sounded as some soldiers bow. Over the course of several minutes more continually bowed until there were none left standing.

"Excellent!" Jackie started. "Now then, relay a command to all military leaders that this war is at its end. All fighting shall cease at once."

"As you wish, your majesty!" an officer said before departing quickly.

"You may all be dismissed!" she said. The soldiers filed out.

Richter gave a low excited laugh. "You may all return as well," he addressed the EU troops. They all nodded and left. When they were alone, Richter discarded his disguise and with it his false identity. He was no longer EU field commander Alain Renard, the mysterious man no one knew, but rather simply the now Prince Consort of Britannia, Richter Novak. Jackie smiled at this thought. They had it now. It still felt like an incomplete victory.

"We'll find her right?" Jackie started. "I want my rule unquestioned. I want my cousin and that other one found and killed immediately."

"It will be," Richter said simply. "You needn't worry."

"But we did it," said Jackie. "You promised me this throne and you delivered!"

"Did you expect otherwise?" Richter spoke.

"I married you for a reason," Jackie said with a smile. "What's our next step."

"Once things die down a bit you'll address your new subjects. I've already prepared your speech. There are but a few lines I must change to reflect how things unfolded," said Richter.

"Richter, about that woman..." Jackie said, her voice becoming a bit lower.

"I have no intention of becoming her puppet long term," he said. "She may have the upper hand now, but it won't last long. Believe me, I have no love for her deranged, monstrous vision of this world."

"Good," said Jackie. "That woman disgusts me almost as much as my wretched cousin. I detest owing her favors."

"The world will get a reprise from war, but it won't last," said Richter coldly. "I'm far from satisfied with the outcome of her war. Another will needed soon enough."

"How's a decade sound?" asked Jackie in a soft voice.

"That's far too long," said Richter. "She'll have reshaped the entire world by then."

"But..." Jackie spoke very quietly, looking down as she finally took her seat upon the throne.

"But what?" started Richter, surprised.

"I had wished our child could see its formative years free of war," Jackie said, closing her eyes. For once in his life, Richter Novak look genuinely shocked.

"W-what are you saying, woman?" he questioned in a nervous voice.

"You know exactly what I'm saying," Jackie spoke harshly. "Don't skirt responsibility for it! I didn't marry a coward!"

Richter gave a uneasy laugh and walked toward her. "I see," he said. "It is happy news, my dear. Quite happy. An Empress does need heirs after all."

"Everything is resources with you!" Jackie shouted. "I can never read your feelings at all! Sometimes I wonder if you even have any!"

Richter looked down. He put on his usual smirk. "I apologize, my dear."

"Whatever!" Jackie pouted, leaning into her throne.

* * *

Deifilia Amarantha sat upon her large plush bed, a certain witch lounging with her head upon her lap. She smiled as she stroked D.D.'s hair and admired her glamorous naked body.

"I never do tire of looking at you," said Deifilia in a soft voice. "So like her, yet so much dirtier."

"Oh? Our lovely warmongering revolutionary still babbling vaguely into my ear of something past?" D.D. laughed playfully.

"Humans, even the kind that fashion themselves as Goddesses, sometimes reminisce, D.D." said Deifilia. "It's only natural."

"It's a shame you have no one here to spill your tales to," D.D. said. "As I for one would rather skip the whole thing. The past is so meaningless."

"Love is a strange thing, D.D. A bizarre power that truly confounds me," said Deifilia in a low voice.

"It's useless," said D.D. in a low voice. "It's as fragile as any other emotion and makes humankind stupider for it. Love is the weakness of man."

"I wonder if you're right," said Deifilia. "Love captivates like nothing else. It makes men weak. It makes us vulnerable. It destroys us like nothing else when it is defeated."

"I was awakened to the world as an immortal having learned that simple fact. Perhaps it wasn't love that ended my human life, but it was love that made its end so painful."

"You've survived a millennium now without love. No other has kept the immortal gift so long. I suppose that proves your hypothesis," Deifilia said in a low voice.

"But you can't shut off the emotion," said D.D. "You can't exist without it."

"I wonder if I'm weak," said Deifilia, in a quiet voice.

"Horribly so," said D.D. "But you're smarter than most humans so you may survive yet."

"She was the one who gave me Geass, you know," said Deifilia.

"Who was what?" D.D. asked, confused.

"The one I spoke of earlier. The one you recall in me," Deifilia said in a very soft voice.

"I suppose immortality makes all of us quietly similar. A human creature that has lost its humanity only manifests in so many ways,"

"What does it mean that such creatures are the only I've ever loved in the truest sense of the word?" Deifilia asked.

"Heh" D.D. laughed harshly. "Are you actually confessing to me? And I had higher hopes for you and your dream."

"Those weren't my intentions, witch," said Deifilia quietly.

"Whatever you say," said D.D. "But perhaps you should know, Deifilia Amarantha. Without exception, every human who has ever loved me has met a horrible death in the end."

"I'll keep it in mind," Deifilia said said, closing her eyes and smiling. There was nothing to fear. She had already won.

She moved the witch's head to the bed and stood, giving her another long glance. She adjusted the casual robe she wore and nodded.

"I'll visit you again soon," she said in a quite voice.

"Please," said D.D, "If in fact you are not long for this world I want to get as much of you as possible while I still can."

"You have an odd way of teasing me," Deifilia spoke, shaking her head and departing.

She was greeted near instantaneously by a familiar old man.

"Eldridge," she spoke. "Did you have word for me."

"Aye, Deifilia," he said in a low voice. "Your war has concluded. Your forces were victorious."

"So all has occurred as those eyes of yours have seen?" Deifilia asked with a smirk.

"Not all," said Eldridge. "My visions are far from stone-set."

"Nothing vital has broken?" Deifilia started, concerned.

"Nothing. Merely some of your servants had their paths cut short prematurely," said Eldridge.

"Who exactly did we lose in the fight?" asked Deifilia, frowning.

"All of Nemesio's champions save the younger female, Fiametta, Farris, Gavin, Moore and Granville," Eldridge listed the names out.

"My God," Deifilia muttered. "Naida was one of the witch's favorites. I never even got a chance to touch that young Cynthia either... even that Regina was killed?"

"I'm sorry to report it is so," said Eldridge. "But the war was won. Jacquelyn mi britannia has been crowned Empress. She'll address her Empire shortly. Then the world the three of us dreamed up back then, we'll be able to set it into motion."

"i pray it is successful, my friend," said Deifilia.

"The procedure Selwyn developed was tested many times. That child is proof now that it's ready and has been for some time," said Eldridge. "He may be lost, but what he left for us is still here."

"You're right, my old friend," said Deifilia with a laugh. "Soon the world will be free."

"And what of Richter Novak?" said the old man. "That boy cares not for your vision. He thought to use you to obtain power, but he'll not stay faithful."

"Richter Novak is but a bug," said Deifilia. "When the time comes, will stomp him out and have nothing to worry about. He may fancy himself a king now, but in my world Richter and his idiot bride will be but dogs surrounded by real kings."

"Of corse," Eldridge said solemnly. Deifilia smiled.

* * *

Vesta Arnette wore a sour expression from where she stood inside a Britannian battleship. She had been called back here mid-fight. it was confusing and unsettling but generally left her feeling empty. Even if she still drew breath, even if her commander, Lord Weinberg, had heroically defeated all who challenged him, she knew Britannia had lost that day. now things were in an odd place. She had intended to die in defeat, but Weinberg had called her to a halt.

"What's the meaning of this sir?" she demanded. "I don't take surrender lightly!"

"The Britannian force did not surrender, Vesta," Weinberg spoke. "Instead, the war has reached its end. The Empress has issued a cease fire. A full peace agreement will come in moments."

"What? What are you talking about? Why in the name of God would the Empress wish for peace now of all times?" Vesta shouted.

"I don't know," said Weinberg. "I know only of what was told to me. Believe me, I'm concerned as well."

Vesta tried not to scoff, but she knew this man's thoughts were elsewhere now. The results of the overall battle were unknown. His thoughts were with his daughter. Luckily for him, it was at this time that the other remaining _Grail _unit member returned to them.

"Astrid's whereabouts are unknown," said Llewellyn Mara, nodding to the man. "According to some reports she was actually seen fleeing the battlefield..."

"That doesn't sound like her," said Weinberg. "But It does my heart some good that there are no reports of her destruction."

"As it is, contact was lost with most all the custom pilots," said Mara.

"I'm still here," a voice said. Vesta turned as Weinberg did. Kallen Kozuki of Japan was standing there.

"Good to see you safe, Kallen," Weinberg said, smiling to her. "Who else has returned?"

"Gottwald was recovered; he's in some state between unconscious and dead but he was recovered," the woman replied. "We picked up his wife too, and Alstreim."

"Hmm," Vesta started. "Only news of the Absolution dogs then? What of our good Britannian warriors?"

Kozuki narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice a bit in disdain for the tone, but she replied nevertheless. "Contact was lost with all Britannian custom pilots. As it was all the pilots serving under me."

"Even your children?" Weinberg started, concerned.

"Unfortunately so," said Kozuki grimly.

"But I just heard that they were never even shot down," said Mara. "How could contact have been lost?"

"Unfortunately my daughters can be rather troublesome," said Kozuki. "With the two of them at least, I fear loss of contact may have been intentional. They fancy themselves some sort of heroines."

"Things do not look good," Weinberg sighed. "Does anyone have news of what exactly has happened with the Empress to illicit such a dramatic change?"

"I don't know," said Kozuki. "All I do know is that it was a loss out there. I defeated _Typhon _but _Guren _wasn't going to last much longer in the fight against _Perseus _and _Medusa."_

"For Astrid's sake, I pray nothing foul has befallen that Empress," said Weinberg.

It was at that moment that their questions were about to be answered. A soldier came rushing toward them.

"Lord Weinberg!" he shouted. "The Empress is preparing to make an address! Come quickly!"

They all raced after the man into a room with a large monitor in it. It was recognizable at once the scenery shown on the monitor. It was a large balcony at the front of the castle in Vortigern. The text at the bottom of the screen read "Britannia Empress to address the Empire shortly."

They didn't have to wait long. The large door to the balcony door opened suddenly and two lines of royal guardsmen filed out on either side. A beautiful woman in an elegant dress strolled down the center of the two lines, at her side a stern, handsome young man. The woman stepped up to the podium. She was not Ava li Britannia.

"Good evening, Britannia," the woman spoke. "Now you may be alarmed at what you are seeing. I may not be who you were expecting to see. But things are constantly changing in this world and often for the better. Let me introduce myself. My name is Jacquelyn mi Britannia. As of today, I am the one hundred and second Empress of Britannia!"

"My god..." Weinberg started as he stared at the screen. "How did...?"

"I know you all question how this may be, but it unquestionably is. Having to endure the strain of fighting a losing war, Ava li Britannia fled Britannia in disgrace, her cowardice and concern only for herself seeing her abandon you all to the enemy force. The throne vacant, I have exacted my birthright and claimed it as my own. I am your Empress now, Britannia, and I swear to you all that I will sooner die than abandon you as my predecessor has."

Cheer's erupted from a crowd that was watching the speech live. Vesta's eyes narrowed. She had been an avid supporter of Ava li Britannia from the onset. Her words resonated with Vesta's ideals. She had served the now former empress unquestionably. Ava li Britannia never struck her as anything resembling a coward.

"Now my first act as Empress may be self-evident. Smoke still rises around us, but it will part in time and there will be none to replace it. This brutal, pointless war is at its end. We are currently working out an agreement with the EU that will ensure the future peace of the world, that will restore things to the stability that existed prior to the onset of this chaotic war. War may have its benefits, but constant war is a leech on our Empire. Money, resources, human lives. Every day that passes is filled with loss in this world at war. That's why it must end. That's why I end it."

The crowd was still cheering.

"How can this new Empress just end the war. The EU won. Shouldn't they be able to take Britannia as a prize now?" asked Mara, confused.

"Don't you see, Llewellyn," Weinberg spoke. "This girl was handpicked by them. She's nothing but a puppet imposed on us by our enemy."

"Perhaps you ask if this war should end for other reasons? Perhaps you misunderstand the intentions of the Euro Universe. They may have started on the side of Ava li Britannia, believing as many of you did, that her war would have its benefits. It was only when the death count began to climb, when the true horrors of the war became apparent that the EU president came to the difficult conclusion that he was fighting on the wrong side. The EU's battle became not one for land and resource but one for peace. I have pledged myself to that peace. The EU has agreed to restore sovereignty to any of its current holdings should they make the same pledge. A brutal force was needed to restore our peace, but it is restored now. We must not take it for granted again."

Vesta found herself fuming mad. She wasn't the only one.

"What is this? It's silly. Renouncing its acquisitions in such a fashion? What sort of war its that?" Kozuki started angrily. "Something about this whole thing disgusts me."

"The status quo won't be restored, obviously," Weinberg said. "It looks prettier than world domination, but in the end it will still be that woman Amarantha holding the strings to all the world's leaders."

"I understand if still some of you resist a change so sudden. All I can say unto you is thus. I pledge to rule over Britannia fairly. I swear to keep Britannia strong. I act for Britannia. I just ask that you, my subjects, serve me faithfully in return."

With that the speech came to a close. Vesta shook her head. "What can we do about this?"

"Nothing," said Weinberg. "That woman is our Empress now. We are her subjects. No one on this ship will be allowed to do anything."

"But-!" Vesta started, upset.

"Even I'm likely tied here. Certainly won't be allowed to touch _Guren _at least," said Kallen.

"Then what?" asked Mara.

"I don't know," said Weinberg. "But the number of us m.i.a. may have just become an advantage."

"We can only leave it to them, then?" Vesta started.

"For now," said Kozuki. "That seems to be the case."

* * *

Hiromi Tohdoh was in pain. That's all she was aware of as her eyes opened. She didn't know what had happened, where she was, just that her head hurt. She realized soon she was on a small bed. She sat up, not recognizing anything around her save the figure on the bed next to hers. It was Hu Xuemei, her comrade. She was sleeping soundly. She looked well, but absolutely exhausted. Hiromi tilted her head, confused. It was then that another comrade appeared in the doorway. It was one of them, the Kozuki twins. She had always got them kinda confused, and the pain in her head didn't make it easier, but the spiked out hair and more easy going manner clued her into the fact that this was Katsumi.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Come outside," Katsumi said. She looked at Xuemei. "She just fell asleep. We'd hate to wake her after such a long day."

Hiromi stood, finding it a little difficult. She walked toward the door, almost losing balance once then emerged into an open room. The other twin was sitting in a chair at the table, as was Wu Chaowei.

"Where is this place?" Hiromi asked, feeling a sudden chill.

"An abandoned home we found in the middle of a forest in Eastern Britannia. It's fairly remote, but they'll find it in a couple hours," Katsue said in a low voice.

"Who will find it? The EU?" asked Hiromi.

"The Britannians," Katsue corrected.

"Aren't they our allies now?" Hiromi started, feeling at her throbbing head. "What happened out there?''

"The war is over," said Katsue. "We lost."

"No," said Hiromi, feeling another chill. "How is that...?"

A searing pain flashed in her brain as she recalled what happened on the battlefield.

"Yasuko... Katsuo..." she said, clenching her fist. It felt unreal. Hiromi hoped it was all a bad dream though she knew it wasn't.

"The EU pierced our force and took the capital. They've placed a new figurehead, an Empress Jacquelyn mi Britannia, on the Britannian throne and talk now of a peaceful world," said Katsue.

"Peaceful world?" Hiromi shouted more quietly than usual. "How is it a peaceful world while they still hold most of it captive?"

"They have said they're gonna restore sovereignty to their conquests should they pledge to the peace agreement they're drawing up," said Chaowei.

Hiromi didn't know what to say to this. It sounded good to her in a way, as suspicious as it was.

"So mother and the other leadership figures will be released?" Hiromi asked.

"No," said Katsue. "President Sumeragi is not a weak woman. Do you honestly think she'll agree to whatever evil Deifilia Amarantha has in mind with this peace agreement?"

"Of course not," said Hiromi. "She'd never agree to something she didn't like. The same can be said about the Tianzi, I'm sure. They'd never just give in."

"Exactly," said Katsue. "And that's why they won't be released. Instead they'll be executed along with anyone associated with their regimes. They'll be discarded and replaced by puppets willing to agree to the terms."

"W-what?" Hiromi started. "Some peace agreement that is!"

"In fact, there's no guarantee any of them are still alive now," said Katsue. "We have no way of knowing."

"My mother's alive! She has to be!" Hiromi demanded.

"How'd you like to make sure she is?" Chaowei asked, nodding his head.

"What do you mean?" asked Hiromi.

"It's what we've decided on," said Katsue. "My sister and I realized fairly swiftly that was a losing fight. We secured the three of you as swiftly as we could with intention of not giving up on victory. We'll do what we can now to set it all right."

"What are you saying?" Hiromi started, still confused.

"It was in the information we acquired from resistance movement while on our way to Britannia. We know where the prison they're keeping them is. _Aífe_ and _Scáthach _are still perfectly operational. Using them, we'll mount a rescue operation," Katsue said in a low voice.

"Rescue operation..." Hiromi started. As concerned as she was about her mother, Yasuko was at the front of her thoughts.

"You not up for it?" Chaowei asked, shrugging.

Hiromi closed her eyes, wondering if she should curse herself for what she had just thought. _She could leave Yasuko to that woman. She'd take care of her._ It surprised her that she'd ever think such a thing. She didn't even know for certain if that woman was still alive, though it wasn't like her to just die. Because of Katsuo she still questioned it, but maybe this was where she was needed more.

"No, I'm in," said Hiromi. "It sounds reckless and stupid, but I've got nothing to live for in a world where the EU gets its way anyway."

"And here I thought reckless and stupid was your style," said Katsue smugly.

"You have me confused with this guy," Hiromi said looking at Chaowei.

"Hey! I'm not that bad," he said.

"We'll see about that," said Katsue. "If this is going to work, we're going to need a real ace after all."

Chaowei laughed. Hiromi even found herself smiling a little, though it didn't last. She looked back toward the bedroom.

"If they'll find us, shouldn't we get moving?" she said.

"Xuemei was pretty shook up after her fight and yet she helped move your unconscious body around. She needs a couple hours of rest. Besides, the dead of night is the best time for us to move around," said Katsue.

"I see," said Hiromi in a low voice. After a pause to think, she thought of a new question. "Why didn't you bring your mother along? She'd have been useful to us."

"She's too visible a figure. We wouldn't have any spare hours were she and her _Guren _here with us, unaccounted for. The search parties would be exponentially larger," Katsue explained.

"I see," said Hiromi. "It's reasonable, I just hope we don't come up short for it."

"We just have to have faith," Katsumi said suddenly. "We've survived to this point. We just have to believe in ourselves a little and we'll be strong."

"Your optimism is refreshing sometimes, Katsumi," Katsue said fondly. The other girl just smiled.

* * *

Eilith had a weary expression on her face as she sat in a Britannian prisoner transport truck. They had found her. If the news was true, if Jacquelyn mi Britannia was now Empress, she'd be put to death on the spot whenever they arrived wherever they were going. Or maybe not. Maybe Jackie was saving her death for a public spectacle. Call her an accomplice to Ava's evil war, a traitor or a villain. She didn't know which label would be used, just that it would send her to her end.

The truck stopped. She couldn't hear anything through the armored walls of the vehicle. After about a minute, the back of the vehicle opened and two women were kicked in along with her. She recognized them instantly as Margaret Enneagram, the Knight of Nine and Amelia Gottwald, daughter of the Absolution leader.

"Got you guys too, I see," Eilith started. Margaret looked more beaten. Amelia's broken likely caused her captors to go a little easier.

"Princess?" Amelia started, looking up at her.

"God this sucks," Margaret said, wincing in pain on the floor as the other girl attended to her. "They'll execute you. That woman won't abide by any legitimate challenges to her throne."

"So you both heard the news then?" Eilith started. The truck began to move again.

"We made the mistake of approaching Britannian soldiers thinking they were still our allies," said Amelia. "We had the truth of it beaten into us pretty good then by like twenty guys."

"Yeah," said Margaret, finally finding the strength to sit up. "Not as much fun as it sounds."

"Hey, my story isn't too far from that." Eilith sighed. "God, this really sucks..."

"Tell me about it," Margaret said curtly. "That Jacquelyn is a most loathsome, unbearable creature. Seldom people have I met who are so foul. That she's Empress now is just..."

"Never met the girl myself, but Ava's description matches yours pretty cleanly," said Eilith in a low voice. "Nothing we can do about her though, I suppose."

"You're wrong!" Amelia insisted. "We can't give up! We have to keep looking, we have to find a way out of this."

"I'm afraid, that'd take a real miracle, Amelia," said Margaret, shaking her head.

"I don't want it all to fall apart like this," said Amelia. "I don't want to lose everything I have now."

"At least we have each other, even now," said Margaret in a low voice, holding the other. Eilith smiled.

"You two have that sort of relationship then?" she said, smirking.

"Wha-?" Margaret started looking up. "How'd you know?"

Eilith smiled. "I'm good at seeing that sort of thing. It's as obvious on you as it is Ava and Astrid."

"What about you, Eilith, do you have anyone you care for?" asked Amelia rather forwardly.

Eilith surprised herself in whose picture flickered before her mind. She closed her eyes and shook her head. There was something wrong with her. Seriously.

"Maybe," she said. "Though I can't understand why..."

"Please tell me it's not a girl," Amelia started, shaking her head.

"What would be wrong if it was?" Eilith said, confused.

"It'd just be weird," said the girl. "I mean if you too were..."

"Well you can rest peacefully," said Eilith. "The one I'm thinking about is about as far from female as you can realistically get..."

"Really?" Margaret started.

"Not that'd I'd have particularly minded going the other way," said Eilith. "I'm an open person. Things just happen, I guess."

Margaret gave a low, frustrated grunt. "Gah, why are we talking about this stuff in this situation. We're being carted off to die..."

"And that's exactly why we have to try and relax in these moments. They might be our last," said Eilith.

"You might be onto something," said Amelia, snuggling into her lover.

"You're lucky to be together even now," said Eilith in a low voice. "It's doubtful I'll even see that guy again before I die."

"You seem very at ease for a woman realizing that fact," said Margaret, looking at the woman.

"Do I?" Eilith said laughing. "In truth I'm pissed. This isn't the sort of end I wished to see."

Margaret didn't respond. Neither did Amelia, though she looked like she wanted to. Silence fell for a few minutes. The something alarming happened. A loud noise could be heard from directly above them.

"What was that?" said Amelia, shocked. She stood up, with some difficulty. Margaret got up as well, with some difficulty, as her hands were cuffed, just as Eilith's were.

"I don't know," said Eilith, confused. "But it was loud."

More sounds were heard from above and the truck began to swerve. Amelia and Margaret both almost lost balance. Then something shocking happened. A large blade cut hard into the roof of the truck. With some effort it sawed a large hole into the roof. Eilith's eyes almost bulged out of her head when he dropped down before her.

He was very damaged. His shirtless frame revealed innumerable cuts, many of which still bled, and some dangerous looking burns showed upon his chest and arms. It was beyond the damage, beyond the pain a normal human could ever hope to bear and yet he was standing there before her.

"Yo, Princess," said Ulric Cross, his smirk as smug as ever. "Finally found you."

"Found me?" Eilith started. "How did you? How is that possible?"

"When I woke up from my little fight in the sky, I overheard some soldier's talking. Said they captured a princess," said Ulric. "I figured it could only be you."

"But how could she know where I was?" Eilith started in a low voice.

"I beat it out of those soldiers that you were on one of these fucking trucks," said Ulric. "I've been tracking down and cutting into the damned things for an hour or so now, hoping I'd get lucky."

"That would explain your wounds..." said Eilith sighing.

"Tch, what the fuck are you talking about?" said Ulric. "These are from being shot out of the fucking sky in a knightmare fight. I'd never let these fuckers lay a finger on me. You know that."

Eilith studied him. He had been shot out of the sky in his tiny little knightmare and this was the only damage from it? Just how reinforced was his body in its current form? Could the guy even be called human anymore? Eilith shook her head.

"Hmm, well enough talk," said Eilith. She looked at Amelia and Margaret, who stared at Ulric amazed as she was. "Can you two move?"

"Hell yes," said Margaret. "Cut this chain and I can fight even."

Ulric effortlessly sliced through the handcuffs with his arm-blade. He did the same to Eilith's.

"And I'm still quite limber despite this injury," said Amelia. "You needn't worry."

Ulric grabbed Eilith brusquely and then jumped essentially straight up with her, onto the roof of the truck. He then put her down. She fell to her knees atop the vehicle and held onto the cut metal opening for support, so as she wouldn't fall off the speeding bent down and reached into the vehicle. Margaret grabbed Amelia around the waist and executed a powerful jump with her in tow, though it hardly matched Ulric's. It was high enough for him to grab her outstretched arm and pull them both up effortlessly onto the vehicle.

Ulric then ran forward along the swerving vehicle's roof and plunged straight into the windshield. The door soon opened and a soldier was jettisoned. Margaret grabbed Eilith's hand and led her down into the truck as well. Eilith could feel some glass cut her, but it was better than hanging up there. She wasn't an inhuman cyborg, a specially trained agent or a Geass user who could take on the physical abilities of one so it was definitely a relief to be on the inside of a vehicle again. When Eilith was safe inside, Ulric jumped suddenly out.

"Take the wheel, Princess!" he called as he did. Eilith took control of the vehicle just before it plowed into a wall. Margaret jumped back out too and Amelia jumped in in her place.

Eilith looked out her driver side window and saw what was going on. An open transport vehicle full of soldiers was at their side, with guns pointed at them, ready to fire. Ulric had jumped right onto that truck and was now systematically emptying it out. Margaret had jumped over to help, and with some impressive kicks had sent a number of soldiers spinning out onto the road.

When the transport was cleared, Margaret grabbed two of the soldiers' machine guns and jumped back to the other truck. She handed one to Amelia who instantly lowered the passenger side window and pointed it out there. EIlith didn't have to look to know that a second soldier transport vehicle was on that side now. Both girls opened fire instantly, sending out a blaze of bullets. Eilith tried to swerved the car so they had the advantage in the ensuing firefight.

Then the transport crashed. Eilith could hardly keep up. It had crashed into the earlier transport, being driven by Ulric. She swerved away from the massive explosion as he rolled out of the wreckage. He then stood and ran along side the truck, eventually actually catching up to the vehicle. He jumped up on top of it.

"That should be the last of them for a while," said Ulric. "Keep heading straight. We need to hide out a bit."

"We're heading into the heart of the slums," Margaret cautioned.

"My home turf," said Ulric. "No better place to lie low in the whole fucking city of Vortigern."

"Whatever you say, Cross," said Eilith as she sped along for a while, pumped on adrenaline still.

After a few more minutes, Ulric spoke again. "Pull into that alley. We need to ditch the shot up army car."

"Got it!" Eilith called, doing as told. She stopped the truck in the alley and they all exited.

"Won't they still find this truck?" asked Amelia, concerned.

"We lost them for now," said Ulric. "We'll work on placing it somewhere else when we can."

"You're the most insane man i've ever known, you know that?" Margaret started, almost at a loss for words.

"That was quite the performance," said Amelia, equally impressed.

"So, what exactly you think we should do from here, Cross?" Eilith asked, trying to hide how shaken she was, or how much the glass cuts hurt.

"Take care of that bitch who stole the throne," said Ulric. "I say we take back Britannia."

"That's insane!" Margaret scoffed.

"Fuck if it is," said Ulric. "I say we kick some fucking ass."

Eilith smiled. She then began to laugh uncontrollably. Everyone stared at her strangely.

"I think she's cracked..." Amelia commented in a soft, concerned voice.

"Ulric Cross, I have a proposal to make," said Eilith in a low voice.

"Yeah, princess?" he started.

"I wonder how attached you are to your spot in the Rounds?" She spoke quietly.

"Eh, it's a job," said Cross. "Has it's advantages."

"What'd you say to a change of position?" said Eilith shaking her head, not sure of what she was asking. "You must have heard that an imperial princess is entitled to at least one personal knight."

"I'll keep you safe, regardless, princess. You have my word" said Ulric, scratching the back of his head. "But who the fuck knows. May be a better gig."

Eilith smiled and laughed.

Amelia walked up to her. "He's the guy you were talking about before, isn't he?"

Eilith shook her head some more and laughed. "Somehow, I suppose he is..."

She closed her eyes. Was it possible for the four of them to reclaim the Britannian throne? She didn't know, but with him there, it sure felt like it.

* * *

Chiharu Ohgi was at a loss as she returned to Castle Amarantha. She didn't know what to think. Deifilia had prevailed. Britannia had fallen. Her puppet now sat upon their throne, replacing Astrid's beloved sovereign. It put Chiharu in a odd place. Optimism wouldn't take her much further. She needed to act soon. She needed to act or she'd go insane from keeping it all inside.

"That pretty little head of yours is scheming, isn't it?" Megami asked. They had both returned. Chiharu was grateful. A lot of her "comrades" had died out there. She couldn't do this if Megami had been among them. She knew that now.

"We're going to do something drastic pretty soon," said Chiharu in a low voice. "Do you know who will help us?"

"Most of our would be allies here are dead now," said Megami in a low voice. "But Lucrecia will come to our side... I'm positive."

"The child?" said Chiharu. "You sure? She seems very close to the enemy."

"I believe in her innocence," said Megami. "She's confused, but she's slowly coming around to morality and realizing the truth about her world."

"I see. That's to our advantage then," Chiharu said with an easy nod. "You wouldn't happen to have acquired any further any knowledge of Amarantha and her pawns?"

"I overheard most of it while invisible," said Megami. "Winfield's in charge of the detention facility and that last champion should be backing her up. And surprisingly Signa and Philip are on loan to the new Empress. That leaves just Marcella, the Priest, Lucrecia and the pilot of _Perseus _here with us. A small protecting force for Amarantha."

"Still more than the three of us can take," said Chiharu in a sigh. "There's something scary about _Perseus _and the Priest's Geass is a death trap. Marcella on top of that make it look anything but good."

"Agreed; looks pretty hopeless right now," said Megami sighing as well.

"We have to try," said Chiharu. "We can't stay still any longer.

"And what if we get killed for it, Chiharu?" Megami in a concerned voice. "I don't want to die like this. I don't want to die, my life having been nothing but an empty and sad existence, like so many of the others lost in the recent fight."

"We just have to make sure we can win then," said Chiharu. "We have to make sure they can't kill us."

"Can we ever win?" asked Megami in a low voice. "Against Deifilia Amarantha will we ever stand a legitimate chance?"

"Have some faith in me, Megami," said Chiharu in a quiet voice. "We can't be afraid of her. We're the only ones who can stop her. That's why we have to. We have to try."

Megami gave an aggravated groan. "I don't know why it's so easy for me to get taken in by your words..."

"Yeah you do," Chiharu said as her hand suddenly went to Megami's cheek stroking it quietly. Megami looked up at her, shocked. Then she settled into a smile.

"Chiharu, I need some motivation," said Megami. "Can you promise me something?"

"What's that?" Chiharu started, tilting her head.

"That if we ever get out of here that we'll... that you'll..." Megami trailed off, her face was red. Chiharu gave a giggle and then bent forward, granting the other a soft kiss on the cheek.

"We'll see, Megami. We'll see," she said. "It doesn't seem unappealing to me anymore."

Megami smiled shyly. "Chiharu..."

* * *

Ava gave an exasperated sigh as she reclined in her chair. It certainly wasn't an easy day for her. She had been ripped of both her title and her honor by her despicable cousin, Jackie. At least she wasn't dead or in enemy hands. She had made the preparations to prevent that from happening.

She had been fairly optimistic going into the fight. With Japan and Absolution bolstering their ranks, it had looked good, but there were still too many unknowns. There was still too much up in the air. She didn't know Deifilia Amarantha, but she knew Deifilia Amarantha would have a few aces up her sleeve in the end.

So Ava had made it clear with Astrid: bolt from the fight if ever she was confident the battle would be lost. Secure her before the enemy and fly her to a mid-sized, out of the way vessel she had setup prior to the fight, staffed fully by men who were loyal to her only. They were on that ship now. Her and Astrid were sitting facing each other at a small table.

"This is certainly an intense day for me, Astrid," Ava sighed. "It's hard to bear."

"I fear it's not over," Astrid said quietly. "What do we do when they find this ship?"

"Its appearance is a shipping vessel," said Ava. "But your right, it will not escape their eyes. We'll disguise ourselves and hope for the best. I've already given strict orders to the crew."

"What if one of them betrays you?" asked Astrid. "You can't know what these mean will do..."

"This vessel was my insurance policy, Astrid. I've made all the necessary precautions," said Ava. "I've interrogated every person onboard with my Geass. None of them will betray me; I've made perfectly sure of that."

"It's disheartening that you were so prepared for us to fail," Astrid said, looking down, yet smiling.

"And yet I hoped for success," said Ava. "It's a fool that doesn't have a working escape plan just in case."

"And yet you're branded a coward for it..." said Astrid with disgust in her voice.

"It's to be expected," said Ava in a low voice. "It wasn't out of cowardice, but I did in fact flee from my throne."

It was then that a member of the crew came rushing toward them. Ava looked at him.

"Empress, a knightmare frame has made contact with us, and requested to land" he said. "They are under the impression that we're an unaffiliated merchant-class ship and seem to desire repairs and supplies and perhaps protection."

"That doesn't sound like an enemy then." said Ava. "What sort of unit it is?"

"A beaten up EU model. A _Panzer-Kugelblitz. _The thing seems hardly able to fly," said the officer.

"EU soldiers then?" Ava started. "Hmm..."

"Unless it's stolen," said Astrid. "There were a lot of those on the ground if I recall. A capable enough individual could have secured one."

"Either way it's hardly to our disadvantage to allow them clearance," said Ava. "If it's an enemy, we have the advantage in number."

"Understood, Empress. I will allow them entry," the crewman said with a stern nod and departed.

"I'm kind of curious now," said Astrid. "An actual EU knightmare would have to be in pretty bad shape if it was unable to get from this point to the retreating EU battleship without making a stop."

"You wish to take a look?" asked Ava, smiling.

"I suppose I would," Astrid replied.

"Very well," Ava nodded and stood up. They left their planning room and found their way to the deck. They didn't emerge too far outward, staying in back of the crew gathered about, so as they wouldn't be immediately spotted, yet they could still see things.

The EU knightmare was landing. It took a few moments for the full landing sequence to take place but eventually the cockpit opened. A figure dropped down slowly.

Ava burst out into laughter. This wasn't someone she had expected to see. She smiled. Miya Ashford was standing there, dressed in a much too large EU soldier's uniform. Of all the people who could have emerged from the knightmare, Ava had never imagined this one, her old schoolmate Miya. For one, she hardly felt the girl had what it took to steal knightmare on her own.

Soon it became clear she didn't. A second, similarly dressed figure dropped down from the busted up machine. It was another surprising figure to just suddenly appear. Hildegarde Waldstein, the Knight of Four, was a very capable woman and a powerful ally to have. With her and Miya stealing a knightmare was plausible.

"Our machine is low on fuel and in poor repair," said Hildegarde. "When we took off, we thought we'd be able to make it back to the battleship, but it seems we were mistaken."

"Yep! Thanks for allowing us to land, guys," said Miya. "You're a lot of help."

"Hey, if the world is going to be at peace, it's all about helping each other, right?" said one of the officers on the ship.

"Yep!" Miya said, nodding.

"Besides, we're all allies here anyway," said Ava in a quiet voice as she strolled forward through the crowd, finally emerging. The look on the face of either woman was something she could treasure.

"E-Empress..." Miya started, her jaw slack. Then she ran forward and embraced Ava, much to her surprise.

"What is this?" Hildegarde started. "How...?"

"By chance the two of you have stumbled upon the secret last measure I prepared prior to the fight," said Ava in a low voice.

"It's not chance, Ava," Astrid's voice spoke as she emerged to join them. "It's fate."

"Astrid!" Miya started, leaving Ava to embrace this other girl. Astrid, who wasn't quite as fond of Miya as Ava was, seemed slightly less comfortable with it.

"So why have you abandoned Britannia, Empress?" Hildegarde spoke, less than amused.

"I haven't," Ava said. "It may appear as my cousin wishes it, but I remain committed to my empire even now. It's just that I can hardly serve Britannia as a corpse."

"Then you're not running? You're headed somewhere?" Hildegarde started.

"What about you two?" started Ava. "How did my headstrong Knight of Four and my cheerful classmate come to occupy the same knightmare."

"_Perseus," _said Hildegarde. "I encountered that unit in the sky and it made quicker work of me than any knightmare should have."

"That unit? The one piloted by the one so resembling my mother..." said Ava in a low voice.

"It wasn't," said Hildegarde. "Instead it was piloted by someone very small. i'd say it was a child."

"A child?" Ava started, surprised.

"In fact, my Geass pointed to it being the younger brother of Hiromi Tohdoh," said Hildegarde in a low voice.

"So this Geass user can make any body he wishes his puppet then?" said Ava. "I see. So that's what it is..."

"Your mother might be alive and well then," Astrid said in a hopeful voice.

"Perhaps so," said Ava in a quiet voice. Looking at Hildegarde, she said, "Continue your story please."

"I was shot down but recovered quickly and collected myself. By chance, Miya had crashed fairly close by..." Hildegarde explained.

"The fight I had was the saddest most horrifying thing I've ever seen," said Miya in an uncharacteristically sorrowful voice, pulling herself from Astrid. "I'll never fully recover from what happened back there. It shook me. It changed me. But it strengthened my resolve. When I met Hildegarde, who had just as much passion, just as little want to give up as I, we quickly decided we'd take action."

"After lying low for a couple hours, after learning about the new Empress, we ambushed a couple EU soldiers and stole their uniforms and knightmare," said Hildegarde. "We planned to try and infiltrate their battleship as it returned to the EU. We agreed that once we got there we'd hunt down Deifilia Amarantha and kill her. It's an embarrassing mistake that the knightmare we ended up stealing was in such poor condition that it could only get this far."

"It's your luck," said Ava. "You'd have died following through on such a poorly constructed plan."

"We still intend to do this, Empress," Miya said, her voice unquestionably intense. "Neither of us have anything to live for any longer aside from this. I still plan to go to where she is and kill her and that monster in the garb of a priest."

"Then join me and Astrid," said Ava suddenly. "Our destination is the same. We just already know where to go."

"What?" said Hildegarde. "You mean to challenge Amarantha yourself, Empress?"

"I see no other solution," said Ava solemnly.

"What do you mean you know where to go?" asked Miya, tilting her head. Astrid pulled out the old map left by the false Cornelia.

"This was left for me by the enemy in her overconfidence," said Ava. "I'm positive it is the location of her stronghold."

"You trust something left by your enemy?" said Hildegarde.

"We'll find out how foolish it is only when we get there," said Ava. "Regardless, that map is better a lead than either you have."

"True enough," said Miya. "I'm with you, Empress. In fact, I'm proud that I'd be standing with you in the end. It proves my gift is always right after all..."

"I'm in too," said Hildegarde. "I pray this leads me to the one I seek."

"For once were blessed it seems," said Astrid. "We have allies now, Ava. just maybe, they'll be enough. Just maybe, this isn't as foolish as it seems."

"I'll cure your cynicism, Astrid," Ava whispered. "Just you wait and see."

A/N: End chapter. This one was a breeze to write when I actually started it. Lots of endgame setup. The next few chapters should be fun. Hopefully they restore my falling enthusiasm. Anyway, not much else to say on the chapter itself. It was mostly setup, though kind of fun setup with Jackie stealing the throne and all. Oh, and as a note, vehicle-based action sequences are hard to write. I'm sorry if that scene wasn't all that great.

As I'm almost a week late, no extras (though I promise I'll squeeze a few more in before the end of this thing). Also, this might sound really lazy, but I wasn't quite able to get the updates to the info page done. I'll try and get it done with the next update. Maybe before it.


	46. Turn 45: Of Men, Kings and Gods

A/N: The delays are pretty damn bad now, I suppose. But bear with me, we're approaching the end. You won't have to put up with this spotty release schedule much longer. The delays this time are almost entirely a result of the release of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift. I couldn't put it down. I still can't for very long, but I knew it was about damn time for me to start this back up so I forced myself. Anyway, please enjoy. Hopefully I don't take too long to get the next one out.

Disclaimer: F.F.: "The author of this story doesn't own the work from which it was based. Please understand this as you read the story."

Margaret Enneagram gave a long sigh as she listened to the rough-edged princess speak. Could they afford to be so reckless? She didn't know. Perhaps not. Then again, perhaps this was their only shot. Even Amelia's presence at her side hardly gave her confidence about it though.

"You honestly think this'll work?" Amelia asked, obviously concerned herself. "We have almost no weapons on us and yet you're expecting us, just four people, to capture the Britannian castle?"

"Yep, that's it," Eilith started. "Why, something wrong with that?"

"It sounds like a suicide mission," Margaret started in a low voice.

"Listen to the princess," said the rogue Cross, "She knows her stuff. It'll fucking work."

"Not everyone here is some godly super-man like you, Cross," said Margaret, further revealing her concerns. "Need I remind you that Amelia is still injured."

"It'll work all the same. So long as you hold up your part, that is," said Eilith in a strong voice.

"I wanna hear this plan of yours," said Margaret. "Because right now this all sounds like lunacy."

"I'll explain it all thoroughly," said Eilith. "I'm not gonna let us go in there until were ready. But I'm confident we have enough."

"You must have a lot of faith in us, Princess," said Amelia in a soft voice.

"You're all useful enough tools," said Eilith. "Your assassin skills, Margaret's Geass, and well, just this big guy in general. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better hand."

"They're going to have a whole army of guards at the castle, you know," Margaret said in a low, quiet voice.

"I'm aware of that," said Eilith with a smirk. "But it's the same as it is on the battlefield. You know a high enough spec custom unit could shoot down generics all day and hardly be worse for it, right? As I see it you guys are the custom units and they've got nothing but generics."

"Nice analogy," said Margaret. "But you're forgetting the part that they'll have actual knightmare frames at their disposal! The most "custom" foot soldier isn't going to do much good against one of those things!"

"If we act with a deft enough hand they won't have the time to bring in such big guns," said Eilith. "We just need to be quick and quiet."

"That's some risk," said Amelia. "This plan has a lot of room for failure. And if we fail, we'll be killed."

"Then we don't fail," said Cross with a laugh. "It's that fucking simple."

"Why'd we have to get saved by psychos like this..." Margaret sighed to herself.

"You'd prefer I left you back there?" Cross asked smugly. Margaret felt like punching him.

"You sure this is smart?" Margaret asked, looking firmly at Eilith, caution in her eyes.

"Even if I wasn't, what other choice is there? Admit defeat? Let Jacquelyn's men find us and put us up for execution?" Eilith spoke. "All we can do is fight and hope we win. It's the only choice we have."

"Can't we try and regroup? Maybe we'll find someone to boost our ranks..." said Amelia quietly.

"We can't count on it," said Eilith. "The four of us may be the only ones who are safe right now. We have no way of knowing at the moment. We have no way of finding anyone."

"Fair enough," said Margaret. "But still..."

"It's dangerous, Margaret," said Amelia. "But I think we have to do this. We just have to do this, confident it'll all work out."

"You think so, Amelia?" Margaret asked, unsure as she looked at her lover. Amelia was smiling faintly. Margaret's confidence built with that smile. "Yeah. I suppose there's not much to argue. Die fighting or lying down, we still die. If we fight, we have at least a small chance of winning."

"Glad you're finally coming around to the idea then," Eilith said, smiling.

"Yeah," said Cross. "Let's kick some ass."

"Yeah," Margaret said, smiling, ready for what was to come.

"Then let's discuss the plan," said Eilith.

Margaret listened attentively.

* * *

Xuemei's expression was a somber one as she sat behind both Hiromi Tohdoh and Katsumi Kozuki inside the knightmare frame _Aífe. _The knightmare wasn't made for three, so it was definitely a tight fit. It was a fairly roomy cockpit, designed much like the _Guren'_s with a motorbike style seat. Still, it was hardly comfortable. Xuemei had to really press herself into Hiromi's back to stay on the actual seat. Hiromi was doing the same with Katsumi in front of her. This was probably still a little less awkward then Katsue and Chaowei's situation in the sister unit.

"This really couldn't be any less comfortable," Hiromi said through a sigh as they flied. "You mean to say we have to stay like this all the way to the EU. And we can't fly any higher or faster...?"

"Nope, sis says we have to keep it like this if we want to stay out of enemy sights," said Katsumi. "I don't like having someone other then sis hanging onto me like this either, so it's not just you..."

"No one is going to like this," Xuemei said, blushing more than she knew; completely unfamiliar with this much human contact. "It's something we must bear. This is all we have. All we can do."

"I know," said Hiromi. "It's unavoidable. Doesn't make it any more bearable."

"Complaints will get you nothing," said Xuemei." We must focus on what's to come."

"This mission..." said Hiromi. "We're going to save my mother, the president, the Tianzi and the others. It's seriously important. And it's all up to us."

"It's really a burden, I guess," said Katsumi. "But that's why we have to remain confident. We're the only ones who can do this. So we have to."

"Did your sister tell you much of the overall plan for infiltrating their facility?" asked Xuemei in a serious voice.

"Well, she's not going to be able to form a full plan until we see the facility ourselves," said Katsumi. "Likely we're going to have to rely on force for a lot of it though."

"Your sister's claims to be quite the strategist and yet she's thinking it will be brute force that gets us through here?" said Xuemei. "Interesting."

"Some times it is the best strategy," said Katsumi. "You know that."

"Still, we won't know how much protection they have over there. It could be deadly to be so direct."

"Me and sis will be doing most of the fighting," said Katsumi. "Our Geass really is powerful. It'll be the three of you who secure the prisoners."

"My sword skill is peerless in the Federation," said Xuemei. "I should help fight."

"We're all going to be doing some fighting," said Katsumi. "But sis was under the impression the rescue part was really something you wanted to be a part of."

Thinking of her mother, Xuemei closed her eyes. "You are very right. I have pledged above all else I would secure the Tianzi's life. I intend to do just that."

"I'm definitely in for the rescue too," said Hiromi. "My combat skills are middling at best. Besides, making sure mother's safe would be a greater reward than I could ask for right now."

"You've calmed down quite a bit," said Katsumi in a soft voice. "It shows you're more confident now."

"I've come to terms with what I can do and what I can't right now," said Hiromi. "I've realized there are things I have to leave to someone. Someone I'm sure I can trust with them."

"It's that princess. It all stems back to her, I suppose," said Xuemei, thinking of the girl. Thinking of someone she now considered a friend. "She really is an interesting woman."

"She's still technically an enemy," said Hiromi without any weight, saying it more because it had to be said then anything else.

"Is it naïve to hope she won't be when all this is said and done?" Katsumi said in a soft voice.

"I'm afraid so," said Xuemei. "There are no scenarios where she remains a friend. If the EU's domination were to crumble things would return to how they were and we'd be fighting them again. If it doesn't we'll inevitably be found and killed, as will she."

"I suppose it's a bleak outlook then," said Hiromi in a low voice. "It's unfortunate. There are some Britannians I'd wish weren't my enemy any longer. Especially for Yasuko's sake..."

"Is she really alive?" said Katsumi in a soft voice.

"Alive," said Hiromi. "But not herself."

"You're trusting her to that knight then?" said Xuemei in a low voice. "The one she saved from death at my hand all so long ago?"

"The very same. Hildegarde Waldstein," Hiromi spoke in a simple voice.

"An opponent worthy of respect.," said Xuemei. "I know I had wondered at their link back then."

"I denied it for so long," said Hiromi. "But now it just may be the only thing that can bring Yasuko back to us."

"Love's an unusual thing," said Katsumi. "Hard to predict, hard to control, but so very beautiful."

"You seem knowledgeable on the subject for one so young," said Xuemei in a quiet voice.

"I suppose I have my secrets," Katsumi said with a soft snicker.

"We all do," said Xuemei under her breath. "And sometimes those secrets are the things that push the hardest. The reason we cannot allow ourselves to fail."

"Exactly," said Katsumi. "I couldn't have said it better."

Xuemei let herself smile despite her discomfort, her thoughts with her mother.

* * *

Miya was crying. She was able to smile still when she was with others. She was alone. She was in the room she had been given on board the ship they were taking to the EU. She was lying on her bed. She was crying. She couldn't stop crying when alone anymore. The quiet reminded her of just how lonely she was now. Just how empty so much felt. How those empty spaces would never be filled quite the same way again.

A knock sounded at the door. She sat up and hurriedly wiped her eyes of wetness.

"Yes?" she started. "Who's there?"

"Miya," a soft voice sounded. "I was hoping we could talk..."

"Empress?" Miya started, recognizing the voice. "Umm... okay... it should be open."

The door opened and Ava li Britannia stepped in, dressed simply, but still looking a beautiful as ever. Miya forced a smile and laugh.

"Visiting another girl's room at night?" she said. "I wonder what Astrid might say. I betcha she'd be jealous."

"Your eyes, Miya..." Ava said, brushing off the tease and staring at Miya with a piercing gaze. "Have you been crying?"

Miya looked down. She had been caught, she supposed. She gave a hard gulp and then the tears just started flowing. Ava sat atop her bed. Miya fell into her friends embrace. It was comforting.

"You haven't been the same since you've arrived here," said Ava. "I could tell that every smile has been faked."

"She's gone," said Miya in a low voice. "I lost her."

"That girl, the one who disappeared in Britannia... Moore's estranged daughter...?" whispered Ava, following,

"She defected to the enemy," said Miya. "She killed her father... we fought..."

"How horrible..." Ava started in a concerned voice, shivering in a way Miya noticed. "You weren't forced to..."

"I was distraught over what she had become. It pained me, it wounded me so deeply, but I knew it was what the Cynthia I loved would want, you know?" Miya spoke in a meek voice. "I had no choice but to aim to take her life."

"You loved her?" said Ava somberly.

"As deeply as you can love someone," Miya choked, the tears staring anew. Ava held her gently.

"I'm so sorry..." Ava said, starting to cry herself.

"If there's one thing I won't do, it's blame you, Ava," said Miya. "There are far too many people who had a hand in it all for me to even look your way. Besides, there's one figure I can blame. One figure I can hate."

"Who is that?" said Ava, confused.

"A real monster," said Miya. "Not a confused human wrapped in a deep darkness like Cynthia or her father, but a man who has cast away his humanity and become a simple fiend. It's him who I swear on my life I will kill."

Ava seemed stunned at the conviction of Miya's words. "I never thought I'd hear an oath of vengeance off your lips, Miya."

"I can tell with people Ava. I can tell if they're good or not. There's nothing good about this man. He speaks of things holy but his soul is blacker than anything you can name. He's a fiend. A monster. A rare being on this planet for whom it's too late."

"So, this man killed Cynthia, not you?" Ava started.

"I was going to. I realized just as I was being a fool. I closed my eyes to hide from the ugliness before me and realized I was wrong, that my Cynthia was still in front of me. It wasn't too late. I could have undone the damage to her. I could have saved her. She realized it as well. She wanted to be saved. Then he arrived," Miya spoke in a quiet, emotional voice. "He was the same false priest who had cast Cynthia into the depths of her darkness. In his madness, in the name of God, he struck her down right there before my eyes. There was nothing I could do."

"I would doubt that Amarantha has multiple priests," said Ava in a low voice.

"What do you mean?" started Miya.

"The same man hurt Astrid six years ago," said Ava. "He is one I can never forgive. He broke her mind. It took all this time for me to fix it."

"Ava...!" Miya started, shaking. "Is that really so? That monster sunk its fangs into Astrid once?"

"I'm afraid so," said Ava in a low voice. "He's a fiend. A foul demon. It would do me great pleasure to slay him myself, but I intend not to stand in your way."

"Your words only strengthen my conviction," said Miya in a low voice.

"What will you do if the priest is not at Amarantha's side?" asked Ava in a low voice.

"I don't know," said Miya. "I just have this feeling that he will be."

"You've always been an interesting girl," said Ava with a light laugh.

"You've always been kind to me," said Miya in a soft voice. "I'm sure you considered me a child, despite me being a year older, but you were kind all the same. You always listened. I never saw the cold persona I heard gossiped about at school, at least not directed at me. I've always appreciated that, Empress."

"You're the sort it's hard to be cold with," said Ava in a low voice. "I was never very good at expressing myself in school, but in truth I always treasured the bonds I had with you and Margaret, even if I may have unfortunately viewed you both as somewhat smaller than myself. Your warmth was always comforting."

"I'm glad to hear that," said Miya. "I always knew you liked me, even if some people were quick to deny it as being possible."

"My reputation at the school was really something else," said Ava with a laugh.

"I think I'm better now," said Miya, noticing that Ava was still holding her. "You better let go. Your girlfriend probably would kill me if she saw us like this."

"Probably," said Ava with a laugh as she let go of the girl. "I once some time ago made an offhand comment that something you did was cute and it put her in a bad mood for over a week. I was somehow too dense to figure out why back then."

"Come to think of it, there's kind of been a slightly cold edge to everything she's said to me for a long time..." said Miya, sitting up. "Even when Absolution had her imprisoned and I'd visit her, she'd cast me these icy stares..."

"Astrid's wrong to worry. You're a precious friend, but she'll always be something more," said Ava in a warm voice.

"I don't think I'll cry anymore, Ava," said Miya. "I will do what I have to do. I will kill that man and allow Cynthia's spirit to find rest. Then I'll live my life as before. That's what Cynthia would want for me."

"You've really matured, Miya," said Ava in a quiet voice. "Just as Margaret has, just as Astrid has, you have too."

"So have you, Empress," Miya spoke quietly.

"We'll see about that," said Ava. "I've begun to doubt myself."

"Don't lose hope, Empress," said Miya, shaking her head. "You shape your own destiny. No one else does."

"Thank you, Miya," said Ava closing her eyes. "That's exactly what I need to hear."

* * *

Hildegarde peered off into the night sky as she stood atop the deck of the ship they were on. Not many stars were visible but the full moon was particularly bright. It looked strangely beautiful there.

"Lady Waldstein," a voice said. "Stargazing?"

Hildegarde turned her head to see the young Astrid Weinberg beside her. She nodded.

"There isn't a lot to see," said Hildegarde. "Just a lovely moon."

"I see," said Astrid, looking up. "It is lovely."

"Are you and the Empress truly lovers?" Hildegarde found herself asking.

"It's not something very easy for us to hide," said Astrid smiling. "I suppose it doesn't surprise me that rumors would spread."

"Yes. And watching you two it's all the more apparent," said Hildegarde. "Love is obvious when you've seen it yourself."

"That girl you spoke of," said Astrid. "Hiromi Tohdoh's sister. She was your lover."

"I suppose sometimes you can tell love from just words..." Hildegarde said, impressed.

"You hope to save her?" Astrid started in a low voice.

"You'd do the same for the Empress I'm sure?" said Hildegarde with a nod.

"Unquestionably," said Astrid. "That's what our love is."

"Then need you ask?" Hildegarde spoke simply.

"I suppose not," said Astrid with a short laugh.

"I will reclaim Yasuko," said Hildegarde with perfect conviction. "I will save that girl or I will die in the process. There is nothing else."

"You are a knight worthy of respect," said Astrid in a soft voice.

"Lord Marsh was a man of honor. I strive not to stray so far from his example," said Hildegarde in a quiet voice.

"Does your conviction sway when you realize how little we know?" said Astrid. "We're following a lead given by the enemy into what's likely a trap. Deifilia Amarantha has more power then we even know. Our chances are dismally low."

"Does the Empress know her lover is such a pessimist?" said Hildegarde with a short laugh.

"It's better to be cautious sometimes," said Astrid. "Ava's a bit too naïve. It's her deepest flaw."

"So you don't think we're making the right move, going to them?" asked Hildegarde.

"I didn't say that," said Astrid. "There's hardly another option open to us at this point. I just don't like our chances of coming out of this with a desirable outcome."

"I see," said the Knight of Four. "Are you prepared to die then?"

"For my beloved?" Astrid said with a simple smile. "At a word."

"I see," said Hildegarde. "Then we are the same. I intend to save Yasuko, no matter the price to myself."

Astrid nodded. Hildegarde's eyes returned to the moon.

* * *

Deifilia Amarantha wore a smile on her face as she faced a door within her castle. She gave a low knock at it and awaited a response.

"Who's there?" an insistent voice came. Deifilia's smile deepened.

"Why it is I," she said smoothly, knowing her voice would be enough.

"The last voice I ever care to here," the reply came as the door opened. Ashlynn had opened and wore something of a scowl as she stared upon Deifilia. Her friend Chiharu was atop their bed. She stood as Deifilia entered.

"What is this all about?" Chiharu insisted. "What makes you think we want to see you here?"

"Oh, how cute," Deifilia said as she walked over toward the bed and sat upon it. "You must really hate me."

"I should think that would be obvious by now," Ashlynn scoffed. "Now, if you would please explain why you'd disrupt us this late at night?"

"Oh, did I interrupt something fun?" Deifilia teased, giving a bright laugh. "It really is testament to my fair nature that I should allow young lovers such as you to share a room all this time."

"I don't want to hear this from you," said Chiharu. "Now if you will, please leave my sight before I fall ill."

"Oh, poor girl. The intensity of my beauty too much for you to stomach?" Deifilia laughed.

"Not quite," Chiharu growled.

"Well think about this," said Deifilia. "I'm unguarded here. Signa would still be watching, but Signa displeased me greatly in the last fight and I've assigned her to help the new Empress of Britannia get established. My current guards, Father Cain and young Marcella, don't know I'm here."

"What's your point?" Ashlynn started coldly.

"The longer I stay here, the more likely I am to lower my guard. The more likely I am to turn my back and provide your little girlfriend here, Ashlynn, an opportunity to crudely punch my head off my spine with her Geass-enhanced strength," said Deifilia, smiling.

"That is a fair point," said Chiharu. "I'd certainly love to see that scenario unfold. But if you're suggesting it, I suppose that means you don't intend for it to happen."

"Anything is possible," said Deifilia. "But you're right to say I don't intend to die today. I will see my world take shape. I've put far too much into it to let it fall because of one hateful child."

"Then what are you doing here?" Ashlynn demanded harshly.

"I'm lonely," said Deifilia.

"And we're supposed to care, why?" said Chiharu shaking her head.

"I don't care if you care or not," said Deifilia. "I just need someone to be with right now. I'm afraid to open up more to that witch... and Lucrecia..."

"What you've done with that child disgusts me!" Ashlynn shouted.

"Lucrecia? I'm aware that you've been whispering in her ear. I know you conspire to turn her against me," said Deifilia. "That's why I can't visit her. She's a child who wants so desperately to be adult. She's in a fragile place right now and it would be painful for me to see her crack."

"You don't expect us to let you touch us," said Ashlynn.

"Perhaps. That could be some fun, if you so desire," said Deifilia. "Nothing pleases me more than intimacy."'

"I'd rather die then have you touch me again," said Ashlynn in a cold voice.

"But you used to be so into it, Ashlynn," Deifilia teased.

"Stop calling me that! It's not my name!" the girl shouted.

"True," said Deifilia. "But you don't know what your name is. I rather think the name I gave you suits you so well."

"Fuck you," Ashlynn said bitterly.

"I'd be happy if you did," Deifilia retorted. "You were always a lot of fun." Casting a glance at Chiharu, she smilingly added, "Though it'd be ever more fun to get my hands on this winsome child. She really is pretty, don't you think, Ashlynn?"

"I told you I wanted no one to lay a hand on Chiharu," said Ashlynn. "I've even let that filthy witch touch me in Chiharu's stead."

"Really?" Chiharu started. "When did this happen?"

"Desperate to save lovely Chiharu's virginity for yourself now, Ashlynn," said Deifilia with a grin.

"Go to Hell," said Ashlynn coldly.

"You really become oh so adorable when angry," said Deifilia with a soft laugh.

"You make me sick," said Ashlynn.

"So, are you going to rape us, or is there something else you're here for?" Chiharu started in, her voice matter-of-fact.

"I don't believe in taking girls against their will," said Deifilia. "I won't touch you or Ashlynn if you don't wish it. I'm just here to talk really."

"We have nothing to discuss with you," said Chiharu coldly.

"I'm willing to answer any question you may have," said Deifilia in a low voice ."As you plot my demise in those cute little heads of yours, aren't there things you wonder about me?"

"I don't entertain madness," said Chiharu. "I don't care about what you're trying to do. I just know I don't like it. I'll do everything in my power to stop it."

"And you, Ashlynn, have you ever been curious as to the history of your fair Mistress?" Deifilia asked.

"Yeah, I"m curious," said Megami. "Curious as to how anyone could get so screwed up as you."

"Then indulge me. Listen to a long story," said Deifilia. "Listen to me and then I'll leave you."

"Feel free to talk," said Chiharu curtly. Megami laughed. "Doesn't mean I'll be listening."

"Very well," said Deifilia. "Let us see..."

* * *

She was the daughter of nobility. She was gifted. She was beautiful. Her tutors insisted from an early age she was bound for greatness. She was born August 22, 1971 a.t.b.. Her name was Deifilia Amarantha. From an early age, she was a dreamer.

Her childhood was pleasant yet uneventful. She had no siblings. After her mother's death, her father, who effectively owned the town they lived in, would happily give her anything she so desire. But young Deifilia didn't ask for much. She never had much interest in material things. Things didn't interest her like people. The few things she did ask for she would have returned without question for just a second more with her mother.

It was 1992 a.t.b. when her life took an unusual turn. She was engaged to be married. She rather liked the groom to be. He wasn't of noble birth, but rather the son of a wealthy Britannian merchant now living in the EU. Of all the suitors her father had presented her, this was the only one Deifilia could bear. A fairly independent woman, Deifilia didn't see much point in marriage. It seemed backward to her; old fashioned. Though perhaps this was merely an excuse for that fact that, even though she liked this man, Eldridge Delaney, she wasn't attracted to him in a physical sense.

Eldridge had a bright future ahead of him. He was attending a prestigious university, studying business. He'd inherit his father's company. Then the whole world would be ahead of him. This won Deifilia's father's approval, even if the boy wasn't a noble. Eldridge was good for conversation. He was articulate. Deifilia often wondered if being a trader, no matter how influential one, was wrong for him.

Eldridge was a valued friend, but Deifilia would never love him. But it was in that period where they were engaged, coincidentally enough in his very presence, that Deifilia Amarantha would fall in love. She was lying back into the side of a hill, looking up at the clouds above. Eldridge sat nearby at a canvas, painting the surroundings with his deft stroke.

"Are you satisfied, Eldridge?" asked Deifilia in an offhand fashion.

"That's a broad question, Deifilia," Eldridge said. "Am I satisfied with what?"

"For starters, myself?" said Deifilia in a quiet voice.

"More satisfied then you could know," said Eldridge. "I cannot fathom a lovelier bride."

"Quick to flatter as always, I see," Deifilia said, shaking her head. "Well what of yourself?"

"Am I satisfied with myself?" Eldridge started, laughing at the question.

"Exactly," said Deifilia. "Are you pleased with the person you are. Are you content with the person you are destined to be."

"I suppose," said Eldridge. "I haven't been able to choose much for myself, but the choices that have been made have left me with everything I could want. My life seems quite fulfilled."

"I see... Well, what of the world around us?" said Deifilia then.

"Am I satisfied with the world?" Eldridge repeated the question.

"Right," said Deifilia. "This hill is beautiful, but it's hardly everything there is to this world. Some of it is rather ugly."

"I suppose so," said Eldridge. "But most I've seen is pleasant enough to leave me content on the matter. The world isn't all good, but I'm confident the good outweighs the bad."

"A well-learned man of business speaking so optimistically? I suppose it's testament to your youth," said Deifilia with a laugh.

"I'm a year older than you," said Eldridge blankly.

"Age is just a number," said Deifilia.

"So what are your answers then?" started Eldridge, shaking his head. "Myself, yourself and the world? Are you content with them?"

"No," was all Deifilia said. Eldridge gave a hard laugh.

"You don't wish to marry?" started Eldridge, tilting his head.

"Not particularly," said Deifilia. "But don't think it your fault, Eldridge. Your as decent a man as could be found, just the whole idea hardly excites me. I fear I may be immune to love."

"That's unfortunate," said Eldridge. "But I suppose there's little I can do to change such feelings."

"Mature of you to realize that," said Deifilia. "I fear most men would be determined to make me swoon. That's probably why I find you tolerable."

"I hardly know where to respond to that," said Eldridge, shaking his head. "More over, I'm curious as to what dissatisfaction you could have with yourself."

"This life feels empty," said Deifilia. "I can see the faults around me, but I'm powerless to change a thing."

"The world is your real concern, I suppose then?" Eldridge started in a low voice.

"This is a corrupt age, world is run by liars and bloated nobles blind to things just in front of their faces. It's filled with corruption and villainy. It festers in such a disgusting way and no one does anything about it. They just war. We kill each other endlessly in a cycle. That's the scum humans are," Deifilia spoke in a hash tone. "Here in the EU our Kings may call themselves by a different name; we may be under the impression that we have chosen them; they may downplay the nobility, claim that it no longer matters, but it is all the same. Nothing has truly changed. It's the same as it ever was."

"What would you do about it had you power?" asked Eldridge with a nod

"Do you believe in God, Eldridge?" Deifilia asked suddenly.

Taken aback for a moment, Eldridge blinked. "It's not something I think about much. But I suppose I do. Perhaps not a god who intervenes on this plane, but certainly one who sparked the creation of all that we know."

"I'm skeptical myself," said Deifilia. "But I can say for certain, setting the wrongs of this world right is not something men can power needed to do such a thing matches that of a God more than it does a man."

"I see," said Eldridge.

"Unless you mean to ask me what I would do as God?" Deifilia started, smiling.

"What might you do then?" the man responded, head tilted in curiosity.

"Destroy it," said Deifilia simply. "I've seen nothing in this world which indicate its worth the effort to save. If I were God I would destroy the whole thing and start over."

"What a unique woman I am to marry," Eldridge sighed just under his breath. Deifilia laughed. She turned back to the clouds. She caught some that were rather dark.

"Is that rain on the horizon?" she started.

"It would appear so," said Eldridge. "I suppose you can never trust the forecasts. It was supposed to be clear today."

"I'd prefer we find shelter," she said. "I rather dislike getting wet."

The two rose and gathered their things. The hill was at the outskirts of town. They were a ways from either of their homes and had no means of quick transportation at their disposal, as the driver who had left them there was not scheduled to return for another hours. As the storm neared quickly, they decided to take refuge in what was reputably an abandoned home. It was a large, sturdy place, so it would suffice.

"This should work for now," said Eldridge as they entered the house. "The storm is moving quick, so we shouldn't be here long."

"Yes, this should do," said Deifilia as she closed the door behind her. Just as she turned back around, she was fated for the encounter that would change her forever.

She was standing there with a gun held taut at a stunned Eldridge. She was beautiful in a way Deifilia knew not possible. Perfectly shaped, her body curving out in ways that would provoke something, be it lust or jealousy, in anyone who looked. She was dressed in a torn white dress, that showed off quite a lot of figure, particularly her mesmerizingly large breasts and perfectly flat stomach. Her long pitch black hair seemed slightly unkempt but beautiful all the same. There was a beautiful fire in her deep green eyes.

"Explain now or I kill you!" she demanded, waving the gun around boldly. "Who are you? Who do you work for?"

"I am Eldridge Delaney," Eldridge replied in a slightly nervous voice. "I'm a simple merchant's son. I mean you no harm. This is my fia-"

"Deifilia Amarantha," Deifilia said excitedly, unsure of just how deep her smile was. "I am not one you must worry about either. We merely thought this house abandoned. We wished to use it as a place of shelter until this rain has passed."

"I see," the woman started, lowering her gun. "I suppose I owe you an apology then. My name is F.F."

"That's not the sort of name you hear everyday," said Eldridge blankly.

"Well, I'm not exactly normal," said F.F. "Would you believe it if I told you I was a witch?"

"Are you mad, miss?" Eldridge started. "Perhaps your dress was torn in escaping from the mental hospital in town?"

"This lady is far too beautiful to be a simple escaped loon," said Deifilia. "I find it not so difficult to believe there's something magical about a winsome appearance as this."

"Truly your girl is quick to flatter," F.F. said to Eldridge. "Does she not own a mirror? She should know she is every bit as lovely as myself."

"I've seldom heard that girl say a kind word about anything," said Eldridge. "Any flattery leaving that one's lips is new to me, for I've heard none."

Deifilia couldn't quite explain even to herself why she so wanted to shower the woman with compliments. Why just staring at her left her feeling joyous. It was unreal. Exhilarating.

"Please, tell me, F.F., what brings a witch to this place?" Deifilia asked.

"It was a harrowing escape that tore these clothes," said F.F. "But from no mental ward, Instead it was a power crazed noble who kept me as a pet. The mayor of the neighboring town, Siro Malas."

"That man is scum," said Deifilia, remembering the fairly young man's face. He had actually been one of her suitors. He was handsome and suave, but clearly a loathsome creature once you spoke with him. "What did he do to you?"

"Probably everything you fear," the woman replied. "Beauty sometimes really is a curse."

"I'll kill him," said Deifilia sharply. Eldridge was stunned.

"Deifilia, what's gotten into you?" he asked.

"I-I don't know," Deifilia started, shaking her head.

"I really appreciate the sentiment," said F.F. "You're a kind kid."

"Kid? You don't appear so much older as to address her in such terms," Eldridge started.

"As I said, I'm a witch," said F.F. "I've been alive for over 500 years now."

"Ridiculous," said Eldridge.

"I believe you," said Deifilia. "But I'm curious; what is a witch? I've never seen one before."

F.F. smiled and spoke in a pleasant voice. "Well, I don't ride around on a broomstick casting magic spells, if that's what you're asking." She gave a soft laugh. "I'm immortal and I'm capable of performing one sort of curse."

"What curse is that?" Eldridge asked, doubt still on his face.

"I can make a man a king," said F.F. in a soft voice.

"That hardly sounds like a curse," said Eldridge.

"They acquire power," said F.F. "But the price is steep. Their fates are rewritten so as they inevitably are cast into solitude's darkness."

"Interesting," said Deifilia, nodding at the words. "How do you make a man a king? It hardly seems like something a simple curse could do."

"You're thinking too literally," said F.F. with a laugh. "The curse known as Geass is called the Power of the King. It's a unique ability, manifesting differently in every man. It's a tool that should prove enough for a man to take hold of his destiny and become king should he choose."

"Have you cursed anyone with this Geass?" asked Deifilia in a low voice.

"I was able to stay out of sight of men for over fifty years... but just recently that Malas stumbled upon me and realized what I was," said F.F. in a dark voice. "He demanded of me power."

"What power did he receive?" asked Deifilia curiously.

"A fairly simple memory Geass," said F.F. "Using his ability, he can force people to remember him far longer than they normally would."

"I suppose that's why I still remember him," said Deifilia. "There was hardly much memorable there."

"It hardly seems a useful power," said Eldridge.

"It's how he was elected mayor," said F.F. "A few public speeches and a good chunk of the town had a persistent, vivid picture of him. People are pulled toward what is familiar."

"It's subtle, but he could go far with that ability," said Deifilia. "By imprinting himself in the voter's memories he could climb to be president in a number of years, no problem."

"He was dissatisfied," spoke F.F. plainly. "A lot of Geass are far more direct then that. He locked me up in a room alone and abused me every so often. He has now for the past year or so. My immortality saw whatever damage he done restored within the day."

"Give me Geass," said Deifilia bluntly.

"What?" Eldridge started. "Deifilia, are you crazy?"

"No," said Deifilia. "I'm serious. I want power. I want the power to kill Malas."

"Deifilia!" Eldridge demanded. "You're a pacifist... a vegetarian... how could you desire to kill anyone?"

"The things are hardly related, Eldridge. Some men deserve destruction," said Deifilia. "Men are cruel beings. Some especially. This is particularly true in greedy kings."

"I really like you, Deifilia," said F.F. with a smile. "I've seldom met such a sweet girl. I'd be happy to give you Geass, but you do realize that there's a reason I stress the nature of Geass as a curse."

"I already feel alone," said Deifilia. "I can imagine no solitude greater than that which consumes me now."

"Hmm," said F.F. with a smile. "Very well then. I loathe creating more Kings in a world that has far too many, but I can tell that you, Deifilia Amarantha are different. Your heart is filled with love and passion. I can just feel it that I can trust you. And after such a boorish man, having such a comely lady as my contract is a thrill."

"Contract?" Eldridge started. "That word is not tossed around lightly. As a man of business, I know as much. What is it you're getting in return for this power?"

"Deifilia must help me fulfill a specific desire," said F.F. "She must grant my deepest wish."

"I'd be pleased to do so," said Deifilia. F.F. smiled and stepped toward her. Deifilia froze up as the woman kept approaching, eventually placing her hands at Deifilia's shoulders. "What are you...?"

"Hold still..." she said with a teasing smile. Then she did something shocking. She bent forward and kissed Deifilia on the lips. It was a bold kiss. Long and heated. Deifilia kissed back eagerly, consumed by passion. She had to focus hard to keep her knees from giving out. Then it ended and the witch pulled back. Deifilia slouched to the floor, her world spinning.

"Was something so scandalous truly necessary?" asked Eldridge, baffled at the display.

"No," said F.F. "But it's most fun. A witch I knew centuries ago taught me as much. When you get a cute master you think you're really going to like, there's no better way to start the contract." She twirled slightly and sighed. "But that witch started all contracts that way if I recall."

Deifilia couldn't find coherent words to say or even the strength to stand, so she just sat there for a bit.

"Your girl sure seemed to love it though," said F.F. with a soft giggle. "I wonder if she's yours anymore."

"I'm not sure she ever was," said Eldridge, closing his eyes, somewhere between regretful and disappointed.

Deifilia stood, still not sure what to think about F.F.. There were other things to consider though, namely, her new power.

"So, my Geass?" asked Deifilia. "How do I come to know it's nature?"

"Testing it," said F.F. "Usually it's a sight based power. Geass only rarely manifests as something that can kill with a glance. I suppose you try and focus on making eye contact with someone. Perhaps this poor sap here."

"I'm not some guinea pig to be used for experiments," said Eldridge shaking his head. "Especially when you say fatal powers are a rarity, not an impossibility."

"Eldridge, stand still," said Deifilia, approaching him. She looked him in the eyes and focused hard. Nothing happened.

"Hmmm... It's not working," she said. "Though I suppose I know not what I'm looking for."

"It's difficult," said F.F. "Usually the first time a Geass is used it's unintentional."

"I see," said Deifilia turning around. "I suppose I'll have to wait then."

"My god! That was Geass then?" said Eldridge, shaken.

"What was? I saw no change in your state under my stare..." said Deifilia.

"That's the point," said Eldridge. "I struggled horribly to free myself from your gaze, but I could not move a muscle. I was frozen."

"You don't say?" said Deifilia, tilting her head. "Let me see..."

She made eye contact with Eldridge once more. Instead of just focusing blankly on him standing there, she pictured him in motion. She compelled his right arm to move. It did. She soon found she could control all of his limbs should she dig deep enough.

"My, this power is fantastic," said Deifilia. "This is Geass?"

"Yes," said F.F. "And a powerful one, it seems. And it will only get more powerful."

"Excellent," said Deifilia, smiling brightly.

F.F. would come to live with Deifilia after that. Her father was confused by the girl inviting some strange woman to live with them. He was made even more distraught when Deifilia pushed back her wedding. Meanwhile, she plotted the demise of Siro Malas. She could not forgive the man for causing such pain to the beautiful F.F. who had so completely captured her heart. Every night she would practice her Geass, perfecting her control over bodies. She would use it on Eldridge, she would use it on her pet cat, she found she could even use it on herself through a mirror. Each passing day it became easier.

It was a cold night when she decided to enact her plan. Siro Malas was in town that night. He had business with her father. It was after the meeting, as he was preparing to leave the mansion, when she was positive no one was watching, that Deifilia approached him. She was dressed in a seductive low cut red dress and wearing a bright smile upon her face.

"Mr. Malas," she spoke in a smooth voice. "I was hoping to have a word."

"Ms. Deifilia..." he said, staring lustfully down her dress when he thought she wasn't looking. "What a pleasant surprise..."

"It's just..." she said. "I had to see you... I don't know why, but this whole time... ever since we spoke... I've been thinking of you constantly."

The man smirked excitedly, more than pleased. He laughed. "You don't say?"

"Yeah," said Deifilia. "I know I may have been harsh with you then, and I'm sorry. You've adhered to my memory far more than any of the other men. I'd like only an opportunity to get to know you better."

"At once, my dear," the man said. "What did you have in mind?"

"Please, come up to my room," she said in a low purr.

"Mmm, as you wish, my lovely girl," he said in reply, following her eagerly.

Deifilia sat atop her bed. Malas sat in a chair nearby.

"Now what can I do for you, my beautiful lady?" the man asked, smirking.

"I'm confused, Mr. Malas," said Deifilia. "Father presses me to marry but I do not love the man he has chosen. He's a Britannian man of common birth. He's dull and uninteresting. He's nothing like you."

"Then simply choose me," said Malas. "I was under the impression your father was letting you decided."

"He was, but when I refused so many, he got angry and selected one himself," said Deifilia. "He's so very strict with me. I hate it."

"A man who is cruel with such a fair lady is hardly a man," said Malas.

"So you're a hypocrite then?" said Deifilia, looking the man in the eye.

"What?" he asked. He soon realized he was not in full control of his body. "What have you done to me?"

"You are a cruel man, Siro Malas," said Deifilia with a laugh. "It's a wonderful twist of fate, isn't it? Thanks to your Geass, you'll be remembered well after your death tonight, while most scum of such a base level are forgotten so quickly."

"You! You've met with her!" he started to shout. Deifilia shut his mouth forcefully with her Geass, keeping it shut.

"Come. Time to die," she said, willing his body to lift her, so as they never broke eye contact. She willed him down stairs and into the main hall of the manor. Then she had him put her down. Then she had him grab her arm brusquely. The she screamed.

"Unhand me, you pervert!" she wailed at the top of her lungs. Guards and servants filled the room, and eventually so did her father.

"Malas, what is the meaning of this?" the noble and dignified lord Amarantha bellowed, disgust on his face. "Unhand my child!"

Deifilia had him let go and then sent his arm down for the fancy pistol he wore at his waist. She had him draw it. She had him point it rigidly at her father. She had him smile deeply.

"Have you gone mad, Malas?" her father roared, as his men who were armed pulled their own firearms. "Cease this at once, or face the consequences!"

She had Malas fire. After adjusting the aim, obviously. The bullet sped just past her father's head, a narrow miss. The guards didn't wait for orders. They all just fired. At least fifteen bullets filled Siro Malas' form as he fell to the ground, instantly dead.

"How could this have happened?" Lord Amarantha started. "This was a fine man when we spoke just an hour ago."

"He became violent when I refused his persistent advances, father," said Deifilia. "It was frightening."

"Then he is where he belongs in Hell," said her father. "The story will not look good in papers, but everyone here saw the same thing. The bloody fool was armed. If his aim had been just slightly better, I'd have a hole in my head now."

"I'll contact the police, sir," said the head butler.

"Good idea," said Lord Amarantha. "The sooner we explain this mess the sooner it's out of our hair."

After the police had arrived and her testimonial had been given, Deifilia retired back to her room. F.F. was waiting there.

"That beast is dead now," said Deifilia in a cold voice.

"I never told you to kill him," said F.F.

"I felt I had to," said Deifilia. "That man took so much from you. I couldn't return that, but I could at least punish him."

"Your a sweet girl," said F.F. with a smile. "What compels you to go so far for me?"

"I love you," Deifilia said simply. F.F.'s eyes went wide.

"Are you serious?" she started.

"Ever since the day we met, I've been in love. So utterly and completely," said Deifilia.

"Love is beautiful when it's so pure," said F.F. "I'm flattered."

"But you don't return my feelings do you?" Deifilia started, looking down. "It's unusual for women to have such feelings for each other."

"There's a reason I kissed you that day," F.F. said. "Even then I knew you were someone beautiful. I had this hunch you'd become special to me. I could feel it in you, that just maybe you'd be able to complete my wish."

"What is this wish of yours, F.F.?" asked Deifilia.

"I've seen so much hate and darkness in this world of men and kings," said F.F. "It saddens me. It hurts me to see that common men are treated as but dirt for the ruling classes to tread over. The injustice, the inequality of it all, it sickens me. I want to change the world, Deifilia. I want to make it fair. I want to make it beautiful."

"We will," said Deifilia. "I swear we will. We'll change it together."

"Do you mean that?" said F.F. "It's not a simple task, changing the very nature of the world."

"I couldn't mean it more," said Deifilia. "We'll change things. There will be no more kings. Only men."

"Deifilia..." F.F. whispered. "Then come to me..."

Deifilia did just that. They laid together on the bed. The kisses started swiftly but lasted all through the night.

Deifilia called off her marriage to Eldridge the next day. It wasn't being true to herself. She had her one partner she wished to stay with forever. She needed no other. Her father didn't understand, but he didn't push her. It was like he was afraid of knowing what the strange woman at her side truly was to her.

Years passed by. Deifilia continued to practice her Geass nightly, for hours at end some times. It was a powerful ability, but it wasn't enough for her. If she was going to change the world, she needed something more. Eventually it happened. She found herself able to dig deeper. Her control could go down to the very nerves of men. She could do even more things then before. Though, her control of this was small at first, it gave her hope.

As the years passed, her love of F.F. only deepened. She moved away from home, desperate to make good on her promise to change the world. Around them things changed. The war between Britannia and the EU flared up again to a fever intensity. Eldridge's father returned to Britannia. He decided to stay in the EU for the time, despite the conflict. Due to his continuing friendship with Deifilia, he was hardly a nationalist and had come to sympathize with her vision.

In the year 1995 a.t.b., Verum Tutela was formally started. It was just the three of them at first, but they built up followers. Using her Geass, Deifilia was able to reconnect damaged nerves in a small number of victims and veterans of the war. Her reputation as a miracle worker spread throughout. Some called her a prophet, a holy woman. She never disputed or affirmed these claims. She just let them spread. The people listened to her as she spoke out against the war, against the EU's leaders, against the entire world order. It was the kind of speech that most, even the downtrodden, would shut out as madness, but with the question of divine powers hanging in the air, those who wanted change clung to her message.

Soon she had a mid-sized force at her command. Through a series of uprisings, she soon had influence over a healthy chunk of the South Eastern quarter of the EU. The EU could do little about them with their focus on Britannia. Things were going very well. At that point, Deifilia wondered if it wasn't actually possible for them to change the entire world.

"We're making the first few steps," F.F. said as she approached her one night. "We just might be able to do this, my love."

"I was always under the impression we would," said Deifilia. "I believe I told you back then, I would change the world for you. I didn't just say that I would try."

"Of course," F.F. said with a smile. "We will change the world. Of course we will."

"It's already better in the territories we've freed. No kings, no classes, just people living and working together," said Deifilia. "We just need to continue spreading the message soon enough we'll reshape this world."

"It's a wonderful thing that men will always outnumber kings. It's fear that has kept the lower classes on the ground," said F.F. "All it takes is the right encouragement and they'll see that they're not powerless. The only thing the kings have over them is that very fear they use as their weapon."

"Yes," said Deifilia. "But something in this sets wrong with me. Men are too easily manipulated. Acting on this 'divine message' but that isn't so different from them blindly following their kings. I wonder if they truly feel individual even now."

"It's hard to say," said F.F. in a low voice. "We can only do so much. We can set off a revolution, but it's up to the masses for it to pick up. We're just a simple woman and a witch. They call you an agent of God, but we both know that God has no hand in this thing."

"If only He did," said Deifilia. "It would certainly save us a lot of trouble."

"I've lived over 500 years. I've never seen any evidence of any sort of God with any interest in the world of man," said F.F. in a quiet voice. "Perhaps that's why this world is so lonely and miserable."

"My Geass has evolved in the past three years," Deifilia started. "Is that uncommon?"

"It depends on usage, but most Geass evolve," said F.F. "It's part of the Power of the King to constantly be evolving."

"Could it evolve further?" asked Deifilia.

"I've had a fair number of contracts in those 500 years and I've never seen a third state," said F.F. "But I won't deny the possibility. There's much I don't know."

"How did you become a witch, F.F.?" asked Deifilia suddenly.

"I was a Geass user back then. I took the Code of my warlock who had become weary of life. Eternal life appealed to me. With it I thought I might be able to slowly change the world. But every King I made with my power was blinded by ambition in the end, no matter how fair his vision in the beginning," F.F. explained in a dry voice.

"Are there a lot of witches in this world?" asked Deifilia, tilting her head.

"It used to be there was one behind any king of note. Now I know of none left in this world," said F.F. "Or... well, there is one I've heard of... I think she might be in Britannia."

"Yes?" Deifilia started.

"At least I can't confirm that one dead," said F.F. "The other one has been quiet too long."

"Where do they go if they're immortal?" started Deifilia, confused.

"If you're brutal enough with us we won't come back," said F.F. in a low voice. "Fatal wounds can be be healed, but hack us into tiny pieces and burn what's left and we won't be coming back. Witches have been hunted for a long time now."

"So you believe yourself one of two that remains?" Deifilia asked, nodding.

"Occasionally humans are born with dormant Codes, but it's exceedingly rare," said the witch. "There could be more. But yes, a Britannian witch called C.C. is the only other I know of, even if I've never met her in person."

"I see," said Deifilia in a warm voice.

"Why all the fascination with witches today?" asked F.F.

"My lover is a witch," said Deifilia. "It's only natural I'm fascinated. They are questions I've been meaning to ask for some time now."

"Don't fall to the same traps as my other contracts, Deifilia," said F.F. "It would crush me if you did."

"I won't," she replied. "I will keep my promise. I swear on my very being I will make this world beautiful for you."

"Be you a woman, a queen, or a goddess, you Deifilia Amarantha, are exactly what this world needs," said the witch, pulling the other in close. "Exactly what I need." They kissed lovingly, the passion between them incredible.

The era of Verum Tutela would not last. They kept growing as the year came to an end. The EU was hardly able to challenge them. Things were going great. Then it all crashed down in a fiery end.

Deifilia could feel her heart pound at the sight, at the sounds as she returned after a speech one night. The building which had become the headquarters of Verum Tutela was set ablaze. Screams and gunshots filled the air. Friends ran past, set ablaze, only to be shot down by soldiers.

Deifilia noticed something instantly about the soldiers. They were not native. They were Britannian. They were well armed. What's more there was something else. Something Deifilia had never seen before. A metal giant; a weapon like no other. It was the weapon known as _Ganymede. _Against it, they were useless.

Deifilia panicked. She hadn't a clue what to do faced with the metal monster and the Britannian troops. Eventually, they noticed her. The _Ganymede _peered directly at her.

"We've found the enemy leader," said the fair-voiced woman pilot.

"Excellent," a deep voice bellowed as a man stepped forward. He looked noble and dignified in a way few men ever could hope to, despite the blood splattered on his cape.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Divine Prophet of Veum Tutela, Deifilia Amarantha," said the man in a strong, deep voice, that held untold conviction.

"You are... y-you're that Britannian prince... the one rising in power, Charles zi Britannia..." Deifilia started. "This is the _Ganymede_, the war machine piloted by Marriane the Flash..."

"I see introductions are not needed," the stalwart prince started. "Tell me, what did you hope to accomplish with this show? Did you think to change the world."

"Verum Tutela is exactly as it name says!" shouted Deifilia. "We stand as guardians of the truth! We stand against the oppressive ruling classes that continually war for their own benefit!"

"If the truth is your ally, does that make lies your enemy?" the man questioned.

"Of course!" said Deifilia. "The lies of kings! The lies of men like you! That's what we stand forever against!"

"Don't you see that you are the liar here!" the man roared. "Masquerading as a woman of God, you are a sham, promoting a philosophy so marred in contradictions it is but a naïve joke."

"You're wrong! We're changing the world. We're making it a fairer place!" Deifilia demanded.

"Men are not equal, Deifilia Amarantha," said the prince. "That is why there are kings. Those who have power will rise to the top while those who inherently lack it will exist as the masses for them to control. That is the nature of man! Twisting it as you do, you prop up an ugly lie that could never support itself."

"I swear you're wrong! Men can evolve," said Deifilia. "If given the room to blossom, they will! They'll come to support themselves. Without kings, they'll come to live together."

"I've heard enough of this," the man said in a low voice.

"I've secured what we've come here for," said the woman in the machine suddenly. Deifilia looked up. There was F.F. clasped in the large steel hand, struggling for her life.

"F.F.!" Deifilia screamed. "Unhand her at once! Unhand F.F.!"

"Silence, disgusting worm," roared Charles. "The witch comes with us!"

"You...!" Deifilia spat.

"I'd pray to a god if there's one you believe in," Charles laughed as he pulled out a saber and pointed it at Deifilia.

"I need no gods," said Deifilia boldly. "For I shall be a god myself!"

"Then I should destroy you now!" the prince roared. "The Gods are my enemy! I will kill you now before you can join their ranks!"

The sharp blade was thrust through Deifilia's stomach. Blood poured out of the wound as it was removed and flicked to he side. She fell forward. She could barely make out the sounds of F.F.'s harrowing screams. Charles kicked her body hard to the side. She coughed up blood. She'd be dead soon.

Opening her eyes, she found something surprising. It was unreal, but it was there; a large chunk of mirror. Still able to feel the heat of fire, even as her body became increasingly cold, Deifilia peered endlessly into her reflection. She cursed the woman who looked back her. She cursed the woman who was so small and powerless. Even as a Queen she had not enough power to protect F.F., much less her dream. She cursed herself as she stared endlessly into her own eyes.

She lied there in a daze for hours. If anyone was still around they'd have figured her dead. She should have been dead. She wasn't; her focus grew only stronger. She fought with her reflection and very gradually the pain lessened. Eventually she found herself able to move. She sat up. Her wound was closed. All that remained was a scar. It was surreal. Had she dove in and created new flesh? Was that possible? It almost scared her... Was this a God's power?

Looking around, she noticed the fire was out. The building was burnt to nothing, corpses lined the road. She stood with some difficulty, everything felt heavy. But she walked forward from the ashes of that already abandoned hell. No one was around. No one but one man. She approached them, unsure what to even say.

"Y-you're alive..." Eldridge Delaney spoke, shocked.

"I'm as surprised as you are," she said, her voice weary; heavy.

"Britannia. I wonder why they would get involved with us?" started the man.

"I don't think it was Britannia but rather Charles zi Britannia," said Deifilia. "He knew what F.F. is. He wanted a witch.

"She saved me back there," the man spoke. "I'd be as dead as everyone else if she hadn't bought the time needed for my escape."

"I mean no offense in saying I'd have preferred it the other way," said Deifilia forwardly.

"But if she truly was the mark, I could have done nothing to stop them" said Eldridge.

"I suppose that's accurate," said Deifilia in a weak voice. "Did she tell you anything?"

"In the very last moments before they took her, she granted me a Geass," the man said. "And she gave me a message for you, as well as a declaration of love."

Deifilia choked up a little. "The message?"

"_Perhaps we were wrong in our approach. The want for a king's power is inherit to men. Maybe instead of getting rid of kings, God should instead get rid of the common men_."

"That's-!"

"I don't understand it either," said Eldridge. "It seems to run contrary to all that you two believed."

"I wonder if that's what she meant..." Deifilia started. " But that would be..."

"What is it, Deifilia?" Eldridge asked.

"Never mind," she said. "What is this Geass you now have?"

"I don't know. Perhaps I should experiment on you as you did yours on me?" he started.

"As you wish," said Deifilia rigidly. The man nodded and then looked her deep in the eyes.

He stayed there for a long time. His eyes widened repeatedly and at one point he even began to shiver. He just kept watching, staring endlessly into her eyes.

"What do you see?" she eventually asked.

"I believe I see the future," said Eldridge. "I believe I see your future."

"Y-you don't say?" Deifilia started. "Care to expound?"

"It's... it's more than I could hope to process in such a short time..." he replied.

"I fear we may have more then enough time to make sense of it now," said Deifilia. "Verum Tutela is dead as is Deifilia Amarantha. The dead can only do so much."

"Right..." Eldridge started.

"But I suppose I'll be counting on you for the long run, my sage," said Deifilia with a smirk.

"Sage?" surprised at the word.

"Would you prefer 'seer', 'prophet', 'oracle' or some other such term," asked Deifilia.

"No," the man started. "It's fine."

"Help me reclaim her, Eldridge," she said. "Can you do that much?"

"Of course," the man replied.

And so Verum Tutela would go down as but a foot note in history. The ease at which it was destroyed saw it largely ignored despite how serious it was at its height. Two years after its eradication, two years after its divine prophet was reported dead, the man responsible, Deifilia's greatest enemy, Charles zi Britannia was named 98th Emperor of Britannia, the woman at his side then, Marianne the Flash, becoming his wife.

Deifilia spent the next few years lying low. With her enemy in such a high place, she couldn't risk moving around openly. Mostly she focused on her new power. Her ability to control the matter of living beings down to the cellular level. it was a lot harder to master than the other levels. It took a lot of practice and a lot of study. She mostly practiced on herself. Soon she found she could outright halt her aging with enough focus. This gave her hope. She'd stay young and beautiful for her love. She'd join her in eternity when they were reunited.

Eldridge practiced his Geass as well. He poured over Deifilia's future trying to make sense of it. Each day he would piece more of it together. A long, 16 years later, it was he who told Deifilia where to go to meet her next great ally. It was at a time when war had reached its heights once again. Deifilia was guided to a battlefield, scarred by flames. It was there she found a man clinging to his last breaths in desperation, just as Deifilia once had.

She saved Belisario Nemsio's life that day. Having lost everything that day but a deep seeded want for revenge again Cornelia li Britannia, he pledged himself to Deifilia's vision. He would rise to the top. He would become a king for her. It would be through him that she would be propped up.

It was another couple years before Eldridge determined the next place Deifilia should go for the future she wanted. She met the ally who would reunite her with her love. A "chance" meeting was orchestrated between herself and an up and coming young Britannian scientist named Alfred Selwyn. During this meeting, a hired thug assaulted Selwyn. She used her geass to repair him. Being a member of the Geass Directorate, he recognized the ability for what it was and a long conversation was prompted.

Selwyn was a genius of the top order, but he had a disagreement of opinions with Britannia itself. What's more, he had a weakness for beautiful woman. He spilled his guts to her with hardly a provocation. He told her that they still had her, but that she wouldn't like what she'd see. With some forged records and kind words, he got her a position at the Directorate as his personal assistant, though initially she was watched incessantly.

Even when she was in, she couldn't move around too much or be found out by V.V. and the others in command. She was under constant surveillance, so she just acted as a normal assistant would, blended in, did the job and didn't say anything. After a year, she wasn't watched as closely. After a year, Selwyn brought her to F.F.

F.F. had been made a test subject for the Directorate. They had V.V.. Before him they had C.C.. They had no need for another Code bearer. So instead, they used her for experiments. They explored her brain, trying to determine how it worked, what made a witch a witch, how Geass was given. Now she was broken.

She was technically alive, but looking at her you wouldn't know. It was like she was sleeping. She was frozen there lifelessly. Selwyn wasn't sure she could ever be restored. They had done too much tampering. The Emperor had told them to hold no curiosities back. She was gone. She wouldn't be coming back.

Deifilia was broken but not surprised. None of Eldridge's futures had shown her with the woman she loved. None of them had shown that form of happiness. She had already come to terms with this. She asked Selwyn about the research then. She asked him if they had isolated anything. He repeated that they were close. That with just a little more analysis, they might have unraveled the secrets of Geass, but now the project was at a stall.

Deifilia stayed on at the Geass directorate as the Black War begun. Things became hectic after that. As the terrorist Zero tried to reshape the world just as she once had, she watched from the sidelines, impressed by the mystery man's struggle, though curious if his convictions were all they appeared to be. During the chaos of this new war, her surveillance dropped to nearly nothing. Two of the Geass bearing children the Directorate held were recorded as missing at this point. Both of them; a girl with no emotions and a boy lost in bizarre delusions were taken by Deifilia to eventually be used as pawns.

Quickly a bloody event Eldridge had foreseen approached. The day before the Black Knights were to annihilate the Directorate, with the help of a very young Philip Malden Xander and Signa Norrell, Deifilia took F.F.'s body from the tube that held it and tucked it safely away. She didn't report for work the next day.

Rather than warn Selwyn, she let him see Hell. Eldridge had seen that saving him would be possible for her, so she decided it was worth the risk. Selwyn had been on her side since their first encounter, but this would ensure that the very smart man would forever be her loyal servant. Zero's troops massacred the scientists and children that day. She appeared to save just one man.

Shortly afterward, another child turned up unplanned. Naida Fiametta had used her Geass to take the form of a corpse and had thus been overlooked in the massacre. She had nowhere to go, so Deifilia took her in. Two more girls were eventually found from that massacre, years apart. It was harder to kill Kings then the one called Zero knew, Deifilia supposed, no matter how young they were. One girl had used sound tricks to mask her position. The other had become invisible to her assailants. they would all be useful components to her plan.

A rebuilt Selwyn pledged to finish his research on F.F.. Her physical form would be sacrificed, but it would be for her dream. The dream she had articulated to Eldridge in those last few moments. A dream of not a world of men, but a world of kings.

* * *

"And that's the bulk of it," Deifilia started, smiling deeply.

"A world of Kings?" Ashlynn scoffed, seemingly sickened that she had a part in the tale, no matter how small. "What nonsense is that."

"Geass, dear Ashlynn," the woman replied. "This ability which we have. This ability which makes us unique and beautiful in ways normal men aren't."

"What of it?" started Chiharu, disgusted.

"Do you know why the Chinese Federation failed under the High Eunuchs?" said Deifilia. "They spoke of equality there, a lack of a class system. Dissolution of property. Fine things, beautiful concepts, and yet the country collapsed."

"The Eunuchs claimed everything for themselves," said Chiharu. "That sort of philosophy can't work as someone will always get to the top and not be fair with it."

"Equality between men can not exist so long as it is possible for a man to become a king," said Deifilia with a smile. "But what if all men were kings already? Would equality not be possible."

"I don't know what you're saying, but I don't like it," said Chiharu.

"I know what you're saying and it's the most perverse idea I've ever heard," Ashlynn snarled.

"Selwyn completed it," said Deifilia. "Lucrecia is but 12 years of age. Surely you wondered where she possibly could have acquired her Geass?"

"You don't mean..." Ashlynn started.

"Of course," said Deifilia. "Lucrecia was a test subject. She was a test to see if a Geass could be artificially constructed in a child. Lazarus Cain is a similar test. An experiment to see if we could do the same in an adult man. Both were highly successful."

"You're sick," Chiharu said simply.

"It's a simple enough technology which allows the creation of these artificial Geass," said Deifilia. "We've been mass producing units for years. In the peace treaty being drawn up, their distribution world wide is the first point. In only a few months the power of a king will be available to anyone who desires it, free of charge."

Neither girl said anything. They seemed too stunned to respond. Deifilia smiled at them.

"Won't that be a beautiful world? One where everyone will have power, everyone will have an ability unique to themselves. No one will be useless. No one will be weak. If survival of the fittest, that backwards principle Charles zi Britannia trumpeted to me is truly the way of the current world, it will soon be antiquated. All will have a unique power which allows them to survive and thrive in their own unique way."

"A world like that is unstable," said Ashlynn. "It will be swallowed in its own chaos."

"Chaotic? Yes," said Deifilia with a smile. "But that's the nature of truth itself. Chaos is beautiful. Especially when the current order is so very ugly."

"You're a monster," said Ashlynn. "You don't know beauty. You pervert everything you touch."

"My dear Ashlynn, I fear you just don't understand," said Deifilia as she stood. "If the two of you play nice, I'll allow you to live in my new world."

No reply came as Deifilia left. She smiled as she closed the door behind her.

"Watch over me, love," she said in a dreamy voice. "Our world will come to fruition in only a matter of time..."

A/N: Well... I'm actually surprised .I hadn't thought the Deifilia backstory stuff would last that long. I put the first few scenes in as I thought I'd actually be stretching for material with that stuff, but nope, backstory scene is chapter length on its own. Means the chapter is a little long. Well, this was a fun chapter to write. I've been wanting to expound on Deifilia's history, motivations and plans for a while now. I hope it was interesting. It certainly explained a lot, I hope. Deifilia really is kind of twisted. Ah well, next chapter will be the action-packed climax thing. Should be fun.

Items to be added to the info page when I feel like it:

F.F.

Siro Malas


	47. Turn 46: Crossing of the Lines

A/N: Again more delays. I apologize. The new semester started and I actually have a very heavy course load this time. These first couple weeks I've been too tired to get any writing done. Hopefully I'll become more adjusted to this new schedule as it goes on; only a very few number of chapters left, after all. Anyway, here is the next chapter. Hopefully it's exciting.

Disclaimer: Valeria: "CrazyNinjaPenguin... he owns all the original knightmares in this story but not any of the ones modeled after those in Code Geass..."

Elenie Pallas wore a stern expression. Her beloved Deifilia had placed a lot in her hands. Though she was just a scientist, Deifilia had explained to her that she was running low on people she could truly trust. For once, she needed Elenie. She had been assigned organizing a proper defense of the main EU prison facility. She wasn't used to such things, being non-combat personnel, but she was determined not to let Deifilia down. She figured no one would attack the prison anyway. If they did, she cared not what she was forced to do. For Deifilia, she would do it.

"You sure you'll be able to fly this big thing?" she said, looking at the girl nearby, the peculiar girl with the dreamy eyes who continually stared up at the massive knightmare that was the cornerstone to their defense.

"I've already spoken with him..." said Valeria Giullare. "He's looking forward to flying with me..."

Elenie didn't know what to say. This girl saw friends where she saw works of art and where most people just saw machine. Maybe that would make her the best pilot in the end? After all, she was the only of the Four Champions who still drew breath.

She'd have to be good, the unit before them, _Jupiter, _was massive and incredibly powerful, but it was not as finely-tuned as most of her creations. It had been hastily built from scraps of many of their destroyed units, notably _Heracles_, _Achilles, Medea, _and_ Typhon, _all built around Valeria's original _Bellona. _It was about as tall as _Heracles_, gold and white in color, and armed with a several massive cannons that jutted out at various angles.

"So much of this facility's defense counts on you," Elenie said. "Please don't let Deifilia down."

"I'll do my best..." said Valeria. "So will _Jupiter, _I'm sure."

"I honestly hope nothing happens here," said Elenie. "We won already, didn't we? I'm honestly not sure why Deifilia is so cautious."

"She put us here because she knows this place is going to be attacked," a voice said. Elenie turned to see the other in charge of defenses there, Rowena Winfield.

"What makes you say that, Winfield?" asked the scientist, confused by the words.

"She plans everything," said Winfield with a steady nod. "There's no room for error with her. Enemies of some sort will come for the prisoners held here."

"Why doesn't she just execute them all then?" Elenie said, narrowing her eyes. "If they're so valuable to the enemy..."

"It's all about appearances with that woman," Winfield said in a low voice. "Executing the old regimes of the conquered regions would cause resent among the people, while everything she does is to create that messed up, happy little utopia she so covets."

"Speaking of resentment, I can see an obvious source," said Elenie, narrowing her eyes further. "How do I know you're truly loyal to Deifilia."

Winfield laughed harshly. "I don't even know anymore. I don't even care anymore..."

"That does little to secure my faith, you know?" said Elenie in a cold voice.

"I'll do what it takes to make my name known," said Winfield in a dry, somber tone. "It was a promise to my mother on her deathbed. I don't intend to break it, you know? Even as it seems live every thing's crashing down around me."

"I suppose such a promise is some solace," said Elenie nodding at the words. "I wish you well with that."

"Thank-" started Winfield, when suddenly an alarm sounded and some soldiers ran in.

"We're under attack!" one of them shouted.

"Fuck!" Elenie yelled. "You're joking!"

"I wish I were, " the soldier replied. "It's two knightmares. Fairly small, but fast approaching. They destroyed our scout units in a matter of seconds."

"Deploy at once, Giullare!" she shouted toward the distant girl in the corner of the room, she immediately ran toward _Jupiter _and boarded it.

"_Jupiter, _taking off!" Valeria shouted as the take off sequence began.

Elenie's hands shook. It was her time to shine for Deifilia. She had to do well. She needed to show her dedication. She needed to show her love.

"Bring me the most valuable prisoner in this facility," she said. "We need a safeguard should they get inside."

"Understood!" the soldier said and departed.

"This is it, I suppose," said WInfield with littler enthusiasm. "Our moment to show the world who we are."

"I guess that could be said," said Elenie. "But I'd forsake this world for that single woman. That single Goddess..."

"I see," said Winfield coldly, closing her eyes.

* * *

Jacquelyn mi Britannia smiled as she sat on her throne. She was Empress of Britannia. She had power and, as her popularity among the people was on the rise, she was loved by her people. What's more she had her dashing husband standing stoically by her side. Life didn't get any better. Surely it didn't. She was happier then she ever had been.

"This really did pay off, Richter, my dear," she commented softly.

"I suppose it did," said the man. "Though I detest the debt I have to that woman. I resent the Geass addled, mad world she intends to have us build for her. And yet I'm still not sure how to break from the pace I made with her."

"You'll think of something I'm sure," said Jackie. "I mean, surely on this planet there's no man smarter than you. Defying that damned whore should prove a simple task for the man I married."

"The unicorns are coming!" a voice suddenly interjected. Jackie looked up to see the bizarre stranger, Philip Malden Xander, who Deifilia Amarantha had put in charge of defense there, along with the silent pale girl who sat by him. They were just idling about, not doing anything of insignificance. It was honestly a little unnerving.

"She mocks us by handing us a madman and damned doll as our means of defense," said Jackie. "I see not why we need either. We have our own men. Better men. More normal men."

"That woman only see those who have Geass," said Richter dryly. "Without these two, the entirety of _her_ Britannia was as if unprotected in her eyes."

"If she only sees those with Geass, what does that say of us?" asked Jackie in a quiet voice.

"I don't know. I can seldom understand it," said Richter, shaking his head. "Her world being what it is, I can't see why she refused me the power. It doesn't make sense to me."

"Bleh. Who needs such useless things," said Jackie dismissively. "It's all nonsense anyway. It's a crutch my stupid, useless cousin used to claim power. I have absolutely not need for such ugly things."

"The unicorns will destroy us all!" Xander roared with passion.

"And I'd definitely prefer not becoming something like that," Jackie said, pointing to the Geass user. "It's sickening."

"I suppose it is," said Richter. "If being reduced to such madness is the price for power, I'd sooner keep my fine mind."

"Exactly! Are these fools really the heart of the castle's current defense?" asked Jackie. "If so, it's almost sad."

"I suppose it is," said Richter. "That woman attests it's unwise to rely on anyone higher-up who was loyal to your cousin just yet. I can agree with that much. For now we have no choice to rely on her personnel. Not that it matters. There's no one who could pose a legitimate threat to our defenses."

"What about that beastly cyborg man that's apparently been running amok in the city?" asked Jackie. "The one who freed that damned princess and took her into hiding?"

"A man is still a man," said Richter. "One man can't do anything on his own in this world. This is especially true of stupid men and that man is likely the stupidest I have ever had the displeasure of meeting."

"Do not underestimate unicorns! They are fearsome beasts!" shouted the madman at full volume.

"I just can't take this anymore!" Jackie shouted, stomping her foot.

As if echoing the sound of her stomp, it was then that a number of gunshots could be heard from nearby, clearly within the castle walls. Jackie gave a short shriek and jumped back.

"What's happening?" she started, frightened, looking around frantically.

"We're under attack!" a soldier came rushing in to say. He was wounded and coated in blood. He was visibly slashed up in several places. He fell over soon after speaking. It was quite possible he was dead.

"What is..." Richter started. "You two! Deal with this!" he shouted to Signa and Philip, unaware that they had already ran toward the threat on their own, not even waiting for his order.

* * *

"So this is it?" said Miya Ashford with a gulp as she walked through a dark forest in the heart of the EU with Ava, Astrid and Hildegarde. "I so hope this isn't as crazy as it feels."

"We'll only know when we get there," said Hildegarde in a low voice.

"I'm surprised we were able to get this far so easily," said Astrid in a quiet tone. "Ava's Geass makes it easy to blackmail others, and we're more than capable of holding our own against most threats, but we haven't had to either as much as I thought we might."

"Yeah..." said the Empress steadily. "If this is truly the enemy stronghold we're approaching, it's sorely undefended."

"On paper, Deifilia Amarantha isn't the enemy leader," said Miya. "Why defend something no one should be looking for, I suppose?"

"Exactly," said Astrid. "The fact that we were for all intents and purposes invited here, only makes it that much more obvious."

"Regardless," Ava said with a soft smile. "This certainly is a suitable setting for what could be the end of our lives."

"It certainly is a spooky enough atmosphere," said Miya, looking around the dark woods. "I half expect some horrible monster to pop up out of the shadows at any second."

"I think I see it," Astrid said suddenly looking into the distance.

"Yes," said Hildegarde as they continued. "We're certainly nearing a large structure. It's not too far either. We'll be at it's gate in minutes."

"I want you to all try and survive this no matter what," Ava said in a quiet voice, moving forward. "I would hate for any of us to die at this damned place."

"I'm living, Ava," Miya said with a firm nod. "I have to live on. Not just for myself, but for Cynthia too."

"I too have no intention of dying here," said Hildegarde with determination evident in her eye. "I will save the one I love. Failure is not an option for me."

"And I will not leave your side, Ava. In life or death, I will be beside you always," said Astrid in a quiet voice.

"Then for the both of us, I suppose it's my job not to get us killed," said Ava giving a short laugh. "Very well."

It was then that they reached the large, old gate at the front of what could be seen now to be a massive, old-fashioned castle. Slowly the gate began to open with a loud creak. Miya gave another gulp as she approached it tentatively.

"We really are expected, it seems," Hildegarde said, reaching for her sword, which she unsheathed and pointed into the darkness.

"Welcome, lost children!" a heavy voice declared into the night. "I see that you have been guided by God's light just as His mighty prophet had claimed you should!"

"You..." Miya started, her blood running cold at the voice. "I suppose I was right about there being monsters in this darkness... Show yourself, cursed priest!"

Lazarus Cain stepped slowly from the darkness, toward them, a depraved smile warping his lips. Miya could feel her entire being fill with a hate so pure that is was truly unnerving. This man disgusted her. It was that simple.

"Vile priest, the very sight of you makes my blood boil with rage," Ava started, angrily.

"I wonder if you can even know the extent of the pain you've caused," Astrid spoke in a weaker than usual voice, perhaps taken back to the scene of her own attack by this man, six years ago.

"I have been instructed to take Ava li Britannia to my Liege," said the priest. "The rest of you have no meaning before God. You can leave as you please or chose to be destroyed by Holy judgement."

"I'll show you meaningless, sham priest!" Hildegarde roared, sword ready.

"This is my fight!" Miya demanded, drawing her own sword. "The rest of you can go on ahead. This man is the very reason I'm here."

Hildegarde laughed. "Very well."

"Good luck, Miya," said Ava in a low voice. "I leave him to you."

"You're not going anywhere, lost child of Britannia!" the priest roared as he ran toward Ava. Miya blocked his path.

"I am your enemy, priest!" she declared boldly, the sword raised proudly. "I face you now with the sword of a true knight in my hand, the sword that knight once used to protect his child, the sword I now raise in that child name, the sword that shall cut you down!"

"I am a servant of God, child. Pointing that blade at me is the same as pointing it at God Himself! You dare point your blade at God?" Cain started in a low voice.

"For Cynthia's sake, I'd slay God if that's what it took," said Miya. "But right now it's not a god I'm after, but a simple monster who claims to be something more. It's not God, but rather Lazarus Cain I point my blade at now. Understand this! You will die here at my hand!"

Cain drew his sword and gave a low laugh. "Very well, enemy of God, show me the strength of your sin!"

* * *

Katsue gave a full sigh as she finally was able to land _Scáthach, _her sister doing the same with the sister unit, _Aífe. _Chaowei jumped out instantly and the others from her sister's unit did the same. It was then that Katsue looked up. Something big was headed their way. It was slow moving, but looked immensely powerful. It was a little worrisome.

"Katsumi, looks like we'll have to leave the infiltration to them for now," said Katsue. "We got something bigger to deal with."

"I see it, sis," said Katsumi.

"We'll keep that thing off of you guys," she called down to Chaowei. "Good luck to you and the others. We're counting on you all."

"Heh, looking at the size of that thing, I'd say you guys are the ones who need the luck," Chaowei retorted with a short laugh.

"Maybe so," said Katsue in a confident voice. "But I have faith in my sister and I have faith in what we can do together. No matter how big it may be, we'll manage. We always do."

"Right," said Chaowei with a full nod. "We'll take care of everything down here!"

"Then let's go!" said Katsue with enthusiasm. Chaowei ran from the _Scáthach_ to join the others. And with that the knightmare took off in tandem with her sister's unit.

They flew straight for the massive knightmare on the horizon.

"So this is the enemy," said Katsumi in a low voice. "Looks tough."

"Size doesn't mean anything," said Katsue, nodding, "We can do this."

"They've been scarred..." a soft, strange woman's voice sounded. "But I can tell both of you were very beautiful one time. It's a shame you were damaged so."

"What on Earth are you talking about?" Katsue started at the enemy pilot, deeply confused by her words.

"It makes it easier for me though," said the woman with a long, deep sigh. "I mean it's my job to make you both even uglier..."

"I think this woman's messed up in the head," said Katsumi in a soft voice, shaking her head in disdain.

"Perhaps so," said Katsue with a short laugh, still unsure what to make of the pecuilar foe. "Still, she's the enemy."

"Let's go, sis!" said Katsumi, fiery passion in her voice as she gave the call. "I know we can do this!"

The two of them flew in, only to be greeted by a massive volley of cannon fire. It was sure to be a very tough fight.

* * *

Amelia Gottwald certainly felt alive. Her arm was still in a cast and yet still here she was flipping around and fighting several armed men at once. What's more, she was actually winning against them. She had been given a gun to make things easier for her. She was a very good shot and her mobility only made it less likely any return fire found her.

Everything about Eilith vol Britannia's plan had seemed insane to her. It was impossibly reckless. The cyborg knight, Cross was also clearly insane. On Eilith's command he had scaled straight up the back castle wall carrying all three of them. Such strength seemed unreal. If Amelia hadn't seen it, she wouldn't have believed it. Somehow, this man was even stronger than her father. Previously, this notion had seemed impossible to her.

They had then proceeded to just unload, killing every soldier and guard that approached them with their particular skills. As it was now, they were surrounded by corpses, but none of them had even been hit once. Amelia didn't know whether to be impressed or concerned. At that moment, she supposed she was a little of both. At the very least, she was beginning to become a bit more optimistic.

"All's going to plan," Eilith said with her head cocked and blood on the sword in her hand. She was the weak link in their team, and even she was holding her own perfectly. Some impressive sword work, and some even more impressive foot work had seen her score a small number of kills, even as the rest of them were doing far more.

"I can't believe this is working," said Margaret, who was using her Geass to mimic Amelia's ability, not Cross' as that was beyond the scope of what her body, or any normal human bout for that matter, could handle. "I guess a lot of impossible stuff is possible for a superhuman."

"Heh, now this fight is what I'm talking about," said Cross with mad excitement. "Bring it fuckers! You're all just going to die!"

"Sure is enthusiastic," said Margaret, shaking her head.

Amelia laughed. She couldn't believe that here they were, having boldly, perhaps stupidly, jumped right into an enemy stronghold and they had time to joke around. It was hard to believe.

"It's about time they'll be throwing whatever big guns they have our way," said Eilith in a steady voice. "I'd watch our heads."

Ironically, just as the princess said, this, a sharp knife came flying at Amelia's head. She ducked quickly and it hit the wall behind her. She looked in the direction and saw a girl there with skin and hair of an ethereal white, dressed in pure black. At her side was a relatively normal man with glasses and a bizarre expression. They stood out in the crowd, to say the least.

"Right on cue, I suppose" said Margaret, nodding toward the man. "That's the horse guy."

"You don't say?" said Eilith with a cocked smile. "You beat him pretty good last time, right?"

"Yep," Margaret nodded.

"Ready for a repeat performance?" Eilith laughed.

"You bet I am," Margaret started.

"Then you and Amelia take him out," she said with another short laugh. "Me and Cross will take the girl."

"Got it," Amelia started.

"Yeah," Margaret said with a nod.

"Heh. I"m sure as hell ready," Cross started.

He ran toward the fair girl in black, his blade slashing toward her. She effortless evaded it and slashed at him. This was also evaded.

"You ready, horse boy!" Margaret taunted the other enemy.

"Agents of the unicorn! I shall smite your unholy dark powers with my mighty hammer!" said the deranged man, holding his heavy wooden staff into the air. Amelia tilted her head, aimed her gun and fired. With surprising speed, the man avoided the fire and ran toward them.

"I suppose it wouldn't be that easy..." said Amelia with a sigh.

"Heh," Margaret laugh. "This still shouldn't be so hard, love. Not for the two of us!"

"Right!" said Amelia with a firm nod.

* * *

Hildegarde's expression was stern as they finally reached the large castle at the heart of the dark wood. She was ready for this. She had to remain strong. Her sword was held firmly as they approached the door to the castle. Just as the exterior gate had, this began to open slowly.

"Heh, shall we," the empress started with a soft laugh once the door was finally fully open.

"I see why not," said Astrid, nodding.

"There's no turning back now," said Hildegarde in a low voice. The three of them entered slowly.

"A cold reception," the empress said in a low voice, as they emerged in a large entry hall, that seemed entirely empty.

"Let's continue forward," Astrid said in a very steady, solemn voice. "We'll be met soon enough."

It was as they were nearing the end of the long entry hall that the door there opened and a figure stepped out of it quietly. It was a child. A young boy. Hildegarde's eyes went wide as she recognized.

"You're that kid, Hiromi's younger brother!" she started, feeling a little concerned, thinking about Yasuko.

"Hehe," the child laughed. "I wasn't expecting this one to tag along. I guess not even that old man can see everything."

"Who are you?" the Empress started in a low voice.

"Katsuo Tohdoh, I believe," the boy replied in a deadpan voice with a short laugh. "Not that it matters. I'm merely here to guide you, Ava li Britannia. I'm here to take you to my Master."

"I see," said Ava.

"Follow me," the boy said, turning to lead them.

"I suppose we have no choice," said Astrid in a very cautious voice as they followed behind the boy.

They all followed the child in silence for a moment. They moved through a corridor and then up a long stair well, and then into another open room. It was here that the boy came to an abrupt halt.

"Before we go any further, I think it's time we shed the excess weight," the boy said, looking directly at Hildegarde.

"What are you saying?" Hildegarde started angrily.

"Marcella! You're needed!" the boy bellowed.

Suddenly a person dressed in black did a starling, acrobatic flip from a balcony far above them, down onto a table, landing effortlessly. She then jumped toward them, stopping in front of the boy. With her beautiful black hair and gentle features, there was no masking the identity of this girl to Hildegarde. This was Yasuko Tohdoh. This was the girl closest to Hildegarde's heart.

"Yasuko..." Hildegarde started in a quiet voice.

"Marcella! Dispose of this woman! She's useless to our Master!" the boy ordered in a harsh tone.

"Yes, sir," said Yasuko without emotion, moving forward a curved blade pointing out of either hand.

"Go on ahead, Empress," said Hildegarde solemnly. "Just as the priest was Miya's fight, this is mine."

"Good luck, Waldstein," Astrid started with a solemn nod as she stepped forward. The Empress echoed the sentiment.

"Lead us to your master," said the Empress.

"Just a moment," the boy said. "I think a change is in order first."

With that the boy moved toward a figure sitting at a table in the darkness, obscured. He made eye contact with this figure, then he fell lifelessly to the ground all at once. The figure stood slowly and walked from the darkness.

"Mother..." Ava said quietly.

"I think this form is slightly more appropriate," the form of Cornelia li Britannia said in a dark voice.

"You're a monster," Astrid replied bitterly, but nonetheless, the two followed the body swapping Geass user.

Hildegarde focused instead on the girl in front of her. She had to remain confident if she was going to do this.

"Yasuko..." she said in a low voice. "Don't you recognize me."

"My name is Marcella," Yasuko replied in an emotionally drained. "And I've never seen you in my life,"

"Please, Yasuko, don't do this," Hildegarde said, feeling sad and nervous. "I don't want to fight you."

"I'm sorry," Yasuko said ."But I have been given the task of eliminating you. I cannot disobey."

"You're going to leave me no choice then?" Hildegarde started somberly but strongly. "Very well, Yasuko. I'll have to force you to remember me. I'll force you to remember us."

Giving a low gulp, Hildegarde steadied her sword and her nerves. Yasuko came running toward her. Her blades met Hildegarde's sword in the air.

* * *

Hu Xuemei was literally shivering with anticipation as they ran toward the high security prison. This was madness. It really was. The twins had used their knightmares to blow a nice entry way into the side of the facility for them, so getting in was no trouble. Still this was frightening and borderline insane. They were already surrounded by men with guns. Xuemei's sword was coated in blood and her arm was already sore from swinging it. It was crazy, but Xuemei would have it no other way.

Wu Chaowei was definitely doing his part as well, dual-wielding two handguns in a way that made even Xuemei, one who normally saw no beauty in fighting with firearms, appreciate it. He truly was a master of that weapon just as Xuemei was a master of her blade. He was hardly the fool she had initially taken him for. She was pleased to have him as a comrade.

Hiromi Tohdoh was hardly a master, but she was rigorously determined and scarily angry. Pure fury and bestial rage made it a mistake for any of the men who crossed her and the machine gun she had brought along. This made her an equally valuable comrade.

They were making good progress toward where the important prisoners were supposed to be held. Xuemei's mother would be safe soon. She was confident of that much.

"Just a little more..." said Chaowei, dodging a bullet and mowing a man down at once. "We're almost there."

"Right," said Xuemei, nodding. "It's just around the corner according to the data from the twins."

Once the area was clear of men, the three of them sprinted ahead. They arrived on the block of cells for which they had come. Hiromi moved in at once, after making sure it was clear of enemies, retrieving a key she had pulled off the corpse of a guard she had killed and opened each of the three cells.

"We're here to rescue you all," Chaowei started coolly.

"I was hoping all that noise was for us," a smirking Rakshata Chawla said as she stepped out from her cell and nodded.

"You children are so reckless..." Villetta Nu spoke, stepping forth as well. "This was far too risky to try."

"But it worked, so it's not right to complain," said President Kaguya Sumeragi with a somber expression.

"Hiromi..." a broken voice started in a low cry.

Xuemei watched then as Nagisa Tohdoh emerged from her cell.

"Mother..." Hiromi wept, her eyes filling with tears. They ran toward each other. Mother embraced daughter as best she could while the latter still held her large firearm at her side. Hiromi fell into her mother's warmth and smiled. Both women, as strong as they were, cried.

"I was afraid," Nagisa spoke. "I feared I'd lose you too..."

"I feared the same, mother," Hiromi spoke.

"You're everything to me," Nagisa said through tears. "You and your brother... you're all I have left."

"Yasuko's alive too, mom..." Hiromi said in a low voice.

The woman's eyes went wide and she stepped back slightly, clearly stunned. "Do you truly mean that?"

"She's a prisoner now, just as you were," Hiromi said in a somber tone. "As is Katsuo, unfortunately."

"You should have went to them, not I," Nagisa choked, looking strangely confused by what to think.

"I left them to someone I know I can trust," said Hiromi. "As much as I wanted to help, I knew I could count on this person to save Yasuko. This was a better place for me. After all... we... the three of us, we need you, mom. So does Japan."

"Hiromi..." the woman continued to embrace her daughter. Xuemei felt jealous. Shouldn't she be having a similar scene of her own? She turned to the Japanese president.

"Where is the Tianzi?" she asked in a direct voice.

"They grabbed her from our cell shortly after the alarm sounded," Sumeragi spoke somberly.

"Shit!" Chaowei started curtly, clenching his fist. "They're planning to use her as a hostage against us!"

"That's very likely," said Villetta in a low voice.

"I suppose it points to the fact that they didn't underestimate you," said Rakshata in a high voice. "You should be proud."

Xuemei clenched her fist. Her moment of happiness had been snatched from her. She worried for her mother's safety.

"So you're the one's who've disturbed us today?" a voice then said. Xuemei turned to see a line of heavily armed and armored soldiers. At the front were two women. One of them was a tan woman with black hair and glasses. The other had curled sand-blonde hair and dour expression. The former had a lightweight handgun pointed at the head of a woman one of the soldiers had bound before him. It was Xuemei's mother. Xuemei felt anger build deep insider of her.

"You bastards!" Chaowei yelled. "Release the Tianzi now!"

"And why should we?" said the woman. "She's our trump card. You revere this woman as your holy empress. A single bullet could kill her right now. That would certainly cast a bad light on this prison raid, wouldn't it? You don't want to be inadvertently responsible for such a thing, do you?"

"You monster," Sumeragi spoke.

"We'll kill that one too," the black-haired woman said. "We'd prefer they didn't have to die, but it's not like their deaths would completely ruin things. And if it's necessary, it's necessary. Them dying is certainly preferable a thing compared to you escaping with them, after all."

"God... what do we do...?" Hiromi started, looking at the soldiers, completely unsure of herself. "There's too many of them this time when just the three of us are armed... And the hostage..."

"You realize it's hopeless, I trust?" said the black haired woman.

"We can't just give up now, " said Xuemei, making eye contact with her mother. "We just have to have faith. We can't waver."

"You're thinking of something reckless, aren't you, Hu?" Chaowei spoke, nodding to his countrywoman.

"Perhaps," Xuemei spoke quietly.

"I'll back you up then," he said with a nod.

"Stop! I really will shoot the Tianzi if you try anything!" the woman shouted, looking rather frantic at that moment

"Just try to!" Xuemei shouted. "I swear I will save her!"

Xuemei then dashed forward and tackled the man who had her mother bound, forcing her sword into him.

Several gun shots fired.

* * *

Chiharu Ohgi sat atop her bed. Something felt really odd. Something was definitely happening. She could just feel it. When the door opened and an invisible figure embraced her, suddenly becoming slowly visible, she was more curious then surprised.

"Big news, Chiharu," Megami Subarashii spoke, more upbeat than usual. "The castle is under attack."

"Attack? By who?" she started, deeply surprised by the news. "Who knows to attack this place?"

"Ava li Britannia and her knight," Megami started wit ha smile. Chiharu shot up immediately.

"You're joking?" she all but shouted.

"I can crack some inappropriate jokes I suppose, but I wouldn't joke about this," said Megami.

"What do we do?" Chiharu asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" the other started. "We help them! This is our chance to take action! This is our shot to finally do something."

"Right," said Chiharu. "Of course. Let's go."

"Heh," said Megami with a full smile and laugh. "I haven't felt this good about anything in a while."

Chiharu smiled cautiously as she looked at the other. "Let's not get too excited just yet," she said with a laugh.

The two then left their room. They headed down the staircase and into a corridor. It was there that their path was impeded. A fair child stood in their way, a large hammer in her hands.

"Lucrecia, why are you here?" Megami asked, her smile vanishing in an instant at sight of the girl.

"Big Sister..." Lucrecia spoke. "I'm sorry."

"What?" Megami stated. "You said you'd come with us in the end?"

"Mistress said I can't do that," said Lucrecia in a low voice. "She said she'd do something really bad if I did that."

"You weren't supposed to tell her anything!" Megami shouted, clearly distressed.

"She forced me to," Lucrecia said softly. Chiharu could see tears in the young girl's eyes.

"What did she tell you to do now?" asked Chiharu.

"I'm supposed to stop you if you try and leave your room," Lucrecia said in a soft voice. "I'm supposed to... h-hurt you if I have to..."

"She didn't say hurt, did she?" Megami said in a low voice.

"I'm sorry, Big Sister," Lucrecia cried fully. "I'm really sorry."

"Lucrecia..." Megami started, stepping toward the girl.

Lucrecia slammed her hammer down onto the ground. The floor fractured cleanly and fell in, becoming a massive hole, as the ceiling in the room beneath them caved in and crashed to the floor below.

"Stop there, Big Sister... " Lucrecia said desperately. "Please... Please just go back to your room."

"L-Lucrecia..." Megami started.

"I'm sorry, Lucrecia," Chiharu spoke rigidly, knowing what had to be done, activating her Geass. "I can't do that."

And with that, Chiharu leapt powerful over the large hole in front of the girl and into a powerful downward punch at the girl.

* * *

Ava li Britannia wore a stoic expression as she followed whoever it was in her mother's body. Astrid was beside her. This would be unbearable without the girl. She followed silently, her mind blank. She was ready to meet with her enemy. She was ready. As the one in front of her came to a halt, she was ready.

When she looked up, she noticed something strange. They had stopped in a room that appeared to be a dead end. What's more, no one else was in sight. It was just the two of them and the impostor "Cornelia".

"What's this?" Ava started. "Where is your master?"

"Cornelia" laughed heavily, evilly. Her smile distorted into madness as she peered disgustedly at Ava.

"You are a disgusting piece of filth!" she declared. "Did you honestly think my Master cared to speak with garbage! You were merely a puppet for her to use! I invited you here for no purpose but to finally dispose of you before the stench became too bothersome to bear!"

"You monster," Astrid started. "Taking on such a form and using it to say such things. It's hardly human."

"Garbage deserves no human respect, girl," said "Cornelia". "Neither do the vermin who wallow in it."

"You will not insult Astrid, before me!" Ava started, drawing her mother's saber which she had worn at her side. Astrid drew a high-powered, but light-weight handgun at the same time.

"Oh, so you're not going to just lie down and die?" the woman spoke, pulling her own sword, which was rather large and heavy. "Very well."

Ava crossed swords with the enemy. Just as in their first encounter, she was thrown back easily. Astrid fired a shot. The enemy deflected it with a quick parry, giving Ava a chance to jump in. The enemy was able to guard but it was obvious that the teamwork had evened things quite a bit.

"Not bad," said "Cornelia". "Even garbage can become troublesome when lots of it piles up. This might be more serious than I thought."

Astrid fired again. The enemy stepped aside of the bullet and rushed toward her. Ava raced in and with strength she hadn't known she possessed, forced the other back. She pointed the blade at her enemy.

"You won't touch Astrid!" Ava declared.

"Heh, and you can't touch me," the woman replied. "You can't kill your darling mother, after all."

"Damn you..." Astrid cursed.

Ava knew it was true. She couldn't kill her mother, even if she was being controlled by someone else. Even if she put Astrid in danger. Her mother just meant too much to her. She couldn't just cut her down like this.

"It's hopeless, you know," the woman started with a smirk. "You can't touch me. I don't know why you even try."

"Because we must," said Ava, readying her sword. "I can fight. If I'm careful, I can fight..."

"It's a lot harder to immobilize a target safely then it is to simply put it down," said the woman. "You're risking a lot."

"I'll kill if I have to," said Astrid. "Ava's life is worth far more to me than her mother's. It would bring her pain, she might not forgive me for it. But still, it's Ava I hold before all else. I will not let her die."

"Astrid..." Ava started. She still wasn't sure what to think. The though of killing her mother now... after all this time... It was just too much for her. It scared her.

"Very well," said the woman with a clear, mad laugh. "I'll make sure to kill you first then."

"I won't allow that!" Ava started coldly. "I'd sacrifice the entire world to save Astrid! That includes my own mother."

"Heh, very well," said "Cornelia" with a deep smirk. "I suppose we'll see how far that passion takes you."

Swords crossed again. Astrid made a quick shot. The enemy tried to force Ava into it, but she mustered strength to resist and the enemy pushed back to avoid the fire. Astrid fired three more shots. Quick sword movements deflected them all as Ava made a rushing slash. The enemy side stepped it and made a quick slash of her own. Ava and Astrid attacked at the same time. "Cornelia" dodged Ava's attack effortlessly, but the bullet nicked her leg, drawing blood.

"Hehe," she started, wincing. "Your teamwork is impressive. I suppose this is _love_, or some such drivel?"

"Don't mock what will be your undoing, monster," Astrid spoke, firing again without warning. It was deflected.

"You still think you have what it takes?" A laugh soon came. "How deeply amusing. Destroying that confidence should prove fun."

"You can't win against us both," said Ava. "Your outnumbered. As strong as you are, two on one is not a fight you can win."

"Heh," the woman spoke. "Let's see."

With that, she flipped toward a nearby wall. A sword was hanging on the wall as a decoration. The enemy removed it, all the while avoiding Astrid's insistent fire with some quick movements. When done, "Cornelia" had two large swords pointed out at them, one in either hand.

"You're going to fight with two swords of that size now?" Ava started in a low voice, surprised.

"It's a talent of mine," the woman replied coldly.

"I see," Ava said, breaking into a small smile. "That just might be a clue to a certain mystery."

"Oh?" "Cornelia" started. "I suppose the number of swordsman who are famed for such a style in these parts is small."

"I always pegged you for a coward, despite your rhetoric," Ava snarled. "I never figured it was to the extent you'd chose to fight in someone else's body."

"Are you trying to taunt me now, child?" the enemy started with a curt laugh. "How amusing."

"Is one insignificant loss in a war decades ago enough to breed such a deep, insatiable lust for revenge against someone, Belisario Nemesio?" Ava started piercingly, confident she had discovered the identity of the one who was defiling her mother's form with Geass.

"There is nothing insignificant about that loss!" the enemy roared. "I knew nothing but my home! Your mother, she destroyed it all. She killed everyone I knew and loved that day. My mother, my father, my brother, the woman I was to marry, every friend I had ever made. All of it was burnt to the ground and nothing was left but me."

"Heh, so revenge is all you had then?" Ava started in a low voice.

"Exactly!" a roar sounded yet again. "I was healed by that woman. I'd have chosen death back then, but she healed me! There was nothing left for me but to promise she gave me, that if I followed her, I could have a revenge so complete and beautiful on that woman. I'd be able to cause her so much horror and misery, so much pain and devastation. I'd be able to give her a taste of what she had put me through!"

"You're mad, Warrior King," Ava said in a low voice. "But I will say, you're a good actor. If only the EU knew they had elected a total loon..."

"You dare joke with me?" Nemesio roared. "Very well. It's all the same. Just so you know, your mother is conscious through this all. I can't wait to hear her screams as I kill you, her precious daughter, with her own hands! Then I'll finally be able to burn this disgusting body into dust."

"You really are mad," Ava started. "I'll spare my mother your sadistic pleasure, I swear it!"

"I don't intend to let your plan transpire either," said Astrid. Looking at Ava, she nodded. "Let's win, Ava, for your mother's sake."

"Yeah," said Ava. She raised her sword and charged forward at Nemesio. Astrid ran to the side and aimed a shot.

Nemesio deflected both attacks at once with precision aim and laughed.

"Just try! You cannot not beat me!"

* * *

Deifilia sat in a chair with a smile on her face. Across from her the witch, D.D. was sitting. By her side was Eldridge.

"Now is the interesting part, it seems," Deifilia said. "I trust all is still going according to plan, Eldridge."

"More or less," the old man replied.

"Soon all threats should be silenced, then?" she started.

"You know how my power works, Deifilia," the man started. "I can see down the lines of Geass, but at the places where they cross, things become blurred."

"I have faith in my men to succeed," said Deifilia. "And it's not like it matters anyway. No one is vital anymore. Not Nemesio, not Elenie, and certainly not that Novak and his idiot bride. I can do the rest myself if I have to."

"Heh, that's a lot of confidence," D.D. laughed. "We're really that close to this messed up Geass world you want to make then, I suppose?"

"Everything is already in place," said Deifilia. "Thanks in part to you, witch."

"Only thing I ever did was give out a few Geass and let some creepy guy examine by brain or something like that," D.D. said quietly.

"And it's because of that Selwyn was able to finalize the machine before he died," said Deifilia in a low voice. "Before we had you, the artificial Geass process would have been far too inconvenient and expensive. Now it's so simple."

"Right," D.D. nodded. "Whatever you say. It's all the same to me. I don't care if humans have Geass or not. All that matters is that I'm satisfied."

"Such a base ambition," said Deifilia in a soft voice. "There's something oddly attractive in that."

"You think so," said D.D in a harsh way. "Funny considering you appear uglier each day."

"What makes you say that?" started Deifilia, concerned.

"Time," D.D. replied simply. "I grow bored easy, you see."

"You still enjoy out time together at night..." Deifilia spoke softly.

"Heh," D.D. said "I said you were in decline, not that you had actually become ugly just yet. In fact you're still more interesting than any human I have ever touched."

"Why tell me such things then?" asked Deifilia looking down.

"Did it hurt your feelings?" D.D. laughed coldly.

Deifilia forced an uncomfortable laugh. It actually did sort of hurt to hear this woman speak that way. "Not exactly."

"I just want you to understand," said D.D. "I don't belong to you. I'm just along for the ride."

"I see. I won't take you for granted, I suppose," said Deifilia with a smile. "But it's a lesson I've already learned. I know to take nothing for granted in this world."

"And yet you seem to take this victory for granted," D.D. laughed.

"Stop playing games!" Deifilia raised her voice. "I've worked hard for this. It's come so far already."

"Whatever you say," said D.D., smiling.

"You still see it in my eyes, don't you Eldridge, our world? The one I promised her I'd build?" Deifilia started. Her old friend looked her in the eyes.

"I can," the man replied simply, in non-descriptive terms.

"Excellent," she said. "That's all that matters."

A/N: Alright. So, yeah, part one of the climax. It was kind of short, I know, but I didn't want to dive fully into a lot of things just yet. I know it sort of just set up the destined battles without following through on any of them, but that should just make you all more pumped for the next chapter. I'll try and make you not have to wait as long for it, I suppose. This one was kind of fun It was a quick write really. This is the exciting part, after all.

Items to be added to the info page eventually:

Jupiter


	48. Turn 47: Love and Hate

A/N: And here it finally is. I know the delays aren't good for the momentum in this exciting climax, but school really is sort of dominating me this semester. In what free time I do have I'm too exhausted to do much of anything usually. I haven't even touched a video game in well over a month now... But anyway, here it goes.

Disclaimer: Katsuo: "This CrazyNinjaPenguin guy doesn't own any of the Code Geass stuff, got it? He just owns the characters he came up with himself."

Valeria had a serious expression on her face as she sat inside _Jupiter, _borrowing his strength as her own. The fight was intense. The enemy knightmares had signs of damage but the enemies were crafty. Still, despite it all, she was confident she would win. Her comrade for the fight was the King of Gods after all. Besides, her Geass had already analyzed the enemy units fully. Victory for them was a physical impossibility.

Katsue was breathless. The enemy had just too many weapons. There was nowhere safe to fly. Aside from it's many powerful canons, the behemoth unit had the same massive sword as _Heracles _in one arm and a giant lance, the tip of which appeared to be the trident _Achiles _had used, in the other. Katsue was beginning to wonder if they'd win even when they upped their game and started using their Geass. It seemed almost impossible. She supposed all they needed to do was buy the others time. Still, surviving seemed like a task in this battle.

Katsumi was confident. She was exhausted to the point of pain in her body, but she was confident. She could feel it. She could feel her sister's faith waning. She couldn't blame her. This knightmare they faced, though crudely stitched together in design had more raw firepower than just about any. On paper, defeating it with their units would be ruled an impossibility. But Katsumi wasn't going to admit defeat, even to facts like that. She had faith in the bond between her and her sister. It was strong enough to get them through this. It was strong enough to get them through anything.

"Why do you fight for the EU?" said Katsue in a strong voice. She was going to try for a psychological attack. Try and break the one behind the control's resolve. "Don't you realize what's happening? Don't you know they're in the wrong?"

Valeria frowned. She disliked being asked questions. People didn't interest her. Despite it all, she didn't like to be rude. "I fight just because it brings me close to them. I don't care who it's for. It's just because the EU is my home that I fight with them."

"But don't you see? There's something more to this then national pride. Don't you know anything of what's happening behind the scenes? It's not about Britannia or the EU or anything else. This war is the personal power game of a deranged madwoman," Katsue fought, determined to buy some sort of leverage in the fight.

Valeria closed her eyes. "As long as I get to see the beautiful things I care not what happens to the people in this world. They don't interest me."

Katsue grimaced. She wasn't sure where to take it from there. They were dealing with an odd one.

"Sis, we have no choice now," said Katsumi. "Let's use it!"

"Alright," said Katsue as she looked at her sister's face on the monitor. Their eyes met. Then they were one, a single entity in two bodies, two knightmares.

She flew at the _Jupiter. Aífe _and _Scátach _moved in perfect tandem through the sky, cutting elaborate shaped as the barreled toward the bigger unit, the _Scátach_'s blaster pulsing uncontrollably as the _Aífe_'s sword flew in for a timely stab.

They flew so effortlessly around every blast Valeria threw at them. She was amazed. She had never seen knightmares move like this. It was incredible. Suddenly she was missing attacks on purpose, just to see how they'd strike at her. It truly was two knightmares fighting as one. It was just beautiful.

She honestly didn't know how to attack any more. It reminded her of the fights with _Brunnhilde. _Her heart felt guilty, heavy. But she'd still try to win. She had to at least try, right?

She powered on all her cannons , but they darted in perfect time around them. She sent her massive blunt sword crashing down upon them, but they split at the right moment and charged up to claw through _Jupiter'_s armor. She tried to stab them with her lance, even firing a large bolt of energy from it. But the opponents, aside from being much more beautiful, were a lot sharper. They knew exactly how and when to move to avoid serious damage, and their attacks were becoming more damaging.

She continued the bombardment, but she was only scoring glancing blows. They didn't have a lot of fire power, but all the little blows were building. Then the two units joined together suddenly at their claws. It was like they had fused into a gigantic, powerful cannon. It heated up with a brilliant red and fired. The blast was powerful and rocked _Jupiter, _damaging it severely, but not fatally. The two units had left themselves vulnerable, however. Valeria saw her opportunity to win.

But why should she, she thought? Why should she smite beauty? She recalled the words exchanged with the girl. She fought only to be close with them. Should she use this monster _Jupiter, _an ugly mess of dead bodies stitched together to create something grotesque, to silence these beautiful twins who flew together in such a beautiful, miraculous way? Nothing about it seemed right.

"Oh no," she said in a very awkward voice, drained of emotion. "Your attack is too strong and has beaten me. I must eject."

And Valeria did just that. Though _Jupiter _clearly still functioned, she fled. She didn't care about this battle. She didn't see the point in seeing it through. She had no stake in it. That it had shown her something beautiful was enough for her.

The twins' geass stared ahead shocked.

"What just happened?" Katsumi asked.

"I don't really know..." said Katsue.

"Did she give up?" Katsumi started quietly. "But why?"

"You got me," Katsue started. "But it's to our advantage. With our knightmares _still _ working we might be able to steal a small transport for better use to transport everyone."

"Sounds like a plan, sis," Katsumi started. She smiled out at the escape pod flying out into the distance, wondering just what was going through the head of their bizarre opponent. Whatever it was, she was thankful.

* * *

Philip Malden Xander gave a harsh laugh as he faced his opponents. They were intriguing. One was a black haired girl. She was injured but still fought on, like a proud unicorn with a broken leg. She was swift on her feet and a good shot with her weapon. The other was a red haired girl who moved similarly to the other one. Philip had seen this girl before. She had been touched by the great unicorn and had a curious power. He had lost to it that time but now he knew not to look her in the eyes hastily.

Margaret was surprised with the bizarre man's fighting ability. He was surprisingly quick on his feet and athletic. He wasn't Ulric Cross, granted, but he was on Amelia's level, surprisingly. What's more, he was carefully avoiding eye contact with her. He had surprising intelligence for a loon.

Amelia was getting exhausted. There was pain in her broken arm. It was becoming hard to hold the gun straight. The man was as fast as her and moved in ways that betrayed her expectations. Her and Margaret should have had the advantage together, but as the fight progressed, she wasn't sure that was the case.

"I will smite you from existence, foul servants of the evil unicorn!" said Philip sweeping down to the ground and smashing his staff into Amelia's leg. She hadn't the time to move. She fell to the ground in excruciating pain.

"Amelia!" Margaret started, not liking what she saw. The blow had been a clean hit. Amelia's leg was likely fractured now. She had dropped her gun and was howling in pain. The man had his staff raised above her head.

Margaret rushed him with her saber. She managed to draw his guard, to her relief. He evaded her thrust and instead kicked Amelia harshly, so as she was sent flying back to lie on her back.

"You'll pay for that, you sick freak!" Margaret cried. She rushed the man. She got hit by his staff in the stomach effortlessly. She fell to her knees and coughed up blood.

"What the hell," she said in severe pain. She realized the truth then. Amelia was unconscious now. She couldn't borrow her powers any longer. She had to switch to this man's power now. Her Geass didn't require eye contact, unlike his. She'd be able to absorb his fighting style without effort and would be back in it. She started her Geass.

She didn't feel anything. Aside from confidence she could use his Geass now, it didn't seem like she had taken in fighting data. It struck her then. This was an opponent with no formal style. He was ultimately aware. He fought in an entirely reactionary way. Reacting to movements and situations with random strikes. It was not something her Geass would be able to copy well.

Her other comrades fought the pale girl on the other side of the hall, but she couldn't use them either. Her body couldn't take fighting with Cross' abilities and the difference between her skills and the princess' was really negligible; something told her trying to use the pale girl's skills would be the biggest mistake though, that any strength she got from her would be at the price of losing what she was fighting for.

She was left to her own abilities then. The abilities that had never been enough to defeat Ava li Britannia in simple fencing matches were all she had to defeat an opponent like this. Okay, that wasn't completely true. All she had to do was get him to look at her. Then she could use his Geass on him. But that was a lot harder then it sounded.

But she needed to act. The man would kill either her or Amelia if she stayed there thinking. She needed to have faith in herself for once. She had to do this. The man lumbered toward her with his heavy warped staff. She composed herself. If she tried to attack, she'd get hit again. She couldn't take many more of those blows. Instead she darted to the side of him and rolled to the floor, grabbing Amelia's gun and firing it.

Philip was surprised by the move but had time to evade it. When the girl followed it up with a strike, he read the motion of her blade and moved out of its path. She hooked the slash at the last moment in an off way, almost catching him off guard. The girl was becoming trickier. This really was the sort of enemy the magic would be useful on. But he couldn't risk it.

"You bastard," the girl said breathlessly. "Just let me kill you already."

"I have been selected! My power is righteous! You are but the sham child of unicorns! I will smite you before the eyes of my Great Scion!" Philip cackled gleefully.

The girl shot her gun again and then ran to the side. She shot it again. It was hard to avoid gunshots. Philip was lucky that in the girl's haste her aim was sloppy. He rushed toward the girl as she came to a halt and delivered a fierce kick. Margaret breathlessly pulled a knife from her belt. It was one of Amelia's, which the girl had given to her for should she become disarmed in the fight. As she absorbed the blow, she ruthlessly pushed it into the man's calf. It didn't get as deep as she liked before the force of his blow sent her flying back in pain, but it did clearly weaken him.

As she struggled back to her feet, she noticed the pain in his face. Not wasting an instant, she grabbed the gun again and shot it. His reaction time was too slow now. The shot nicked his arm. He grimaced in pain.

"Damn you, child of unicorns!" he scowled. "How dare you scratch I, the noble and just hunter of your foul lot!"

Margaret just gave a sharp cry and thrust dead ahead. This was it. She put all the power she had into the thrust. This would decide it. Philip smirked. The pain was intense but this move was reckless. He avoided the girl's move with a swift side step into a counter attack, pounding his staff into the girl's back with unfortunately only enough power to bruise it.

Then the man was surprised. The girl reached up and grabbed his slightly limp left arm which had been nicked by the fire. The girl pulled at it roughly and the pain brought the man to his knees. They were face to face.

Margaret was able to use Geass first.

Philip's world slowed to a crawl. He tried desperately to counter the Geass with his own, but his reaction time was so far reduced, he was hardly able to fully open his eyes before the girl had already reclaimed her sword. By the time he got his Geass off, the sword was already piercing his heart. He fell back slowly.

As geass contact broke he began to speak. "I cannot die. I exist as time does. I will live on forever until all of them are gone. I will never cease! I am the hunter of the cursed beast! I am the guardian of time, the magic champion, the bane of the monstrous unicorn!"

And then after that there was nothing. Philip Malden Xander was dead. Margaret sighed painfully as she crawled toward Amelia. The girl was still out cold and her leg really didn't look good. She was breathing though. This was enough relief for Margaret.

"I did it, love," she said in a low voice. "I did it..."

* * *

Lazarus Cain wore a smirk. This girl was just another sinner in need of punishment. It was that simple. God's light shone through him. It would eradicate this child. She hadn't a chance. She was just another foolish enemy of God.

Miya shook with rage at the sight of her true enemy. She didn't know if there were gods, but she knew that there did exist both men and monsters in that world. This was definitely the latter. Niles Moore was a pitiable man who had lost himself to personal darkness in a moment of weakness, a darkness that would forever haunt him. Cynthia Moore was a girl robbed of her innocence too soon, who became too caught up in the thought of slaying demons that she became vulnerable and allowed herself to be lead astray. Lazarus Cain was simply a beast. There was nothing else there.

Cynthia had been so committed to the idea of killing a monster and yet she had failed to do just that in the end. Miya would finish her quest for her now. Not to avenge her sadly vanquished love, but simply because she felt an obligation. This fiend who acted in the name of God could be allowed to exist no longer.

So with that in mind, she hefted the blade Niles Moore had entrusted to her that fateful night this monster had first sunk it's fangs into her dear Cynthia. That memory burned into her heart, she charged the beast with a full slash.

Cain quickly parried with his thin blade and back stepped, then went into a quick thrust. Miya barely caught on in time to avoid. This beast was an expert fencer it seemed. Miya only had her Absolution training to rely on. Sayoko Gottwald had put her through a hell of a crash source, but as intensive as it was, this monster had likely trained with a blade for years. In terms of pure skill, he was definitely Miya's better. A lot of this fight would be riding on emotions alone.

"Die!" Miya shouted as she made for a heavy thrust. It was sidestepped, but Miya had predicted that. She went fluidly into a heavy horizontal swing. The man caught the blade on his and they fought strength to strength for a moment. He was a fully grown man and she was a small girl, so obviously she was at a disadvantage in terms of raw strength. It was lucky her sword was considerably larger and heavier, as it gave her needed leverage. Even so, he was able to shove her off and follow up with a quick stab. She pushed her body back to avoid it and inevitably fell on her rear.

"Foolish child, your time is at it's end," the fiend said as he stepped toward her. She didn't look down quick enough. Their eyes met. Miya's surroundings were replaced by a vision of hell.

"Heh," Miya started. "You've caught me in your game, beast. I suppose you'll kill me now."

"Miya..." a voice started. A haunting voice. Her voice. Cynthia Moore walked toward her, glowing radiantly like an angel.

"I see, I suppose sadism is a natural for beasts," shouted Miya. "I'm immune to your attempts at torture, Cain!"

"What are you talking about Miya?" Cynthia said. "It's only me here."

"I don't believe that," Miya said.

"Look at me love, don't I look real?" Cynthia started. Miya couldn't deny that the resemblance was perfect.

"Cynthia Moore is dead," said Miya simply.

"I am," said Cynthia. "And it's because of you, Miya. You killed me."

"Damn it, Cain! You won't get me to waiver like this!" Miya shouted hopelessly.

"That's right Cynthia, I killed you," a voice said. Miya looked around, shocked. What stepped forward was surprising. It was an image of herself, perfect in appearance. "I failed to save you, Cynthia because it was easier that way. You were broken. You weren't worth it. I killed you and I'd do it again."

"Fuck you, Cain!" Miya shouted. "This isn't right!"

"Why, Miya, why?" Cynthia said, looking at the Miya image.

"I couldn't truly love someone like you," said the image. "Never. You're useless to me."

Blood then splattered everywhere as Cynthia's head was cleaved from her neck by the image's sword, a perfect image of the sword Miya held.

"Die!" the image shouted again and again as Cynthia's head reappeared again and again, only to be severed off. Soon the room was filled with disembodied heads, all with Cynthia's face. They came to life and soon began to swarm Miya, biting at her legs. She fell to her knees at the pain, and the short little pains became more and more intense as the heads were able to crawl higher and higher.

"Stop this..." Miya whimpered. "It's sick... it's wrong...I-I..."

"Not so strong now, sinner!" the booming voice of the priest started in. "God will see you to hell. There you can answer to the true Cynthia Moore."

The beast's voice hit something inside Miya. Suddenly the full reality of her drive was restored in her. She couldn't die like this. She couldn't let the monster beat her. She couldn't let this man win! She still had one trick up her sleeve. It was all she needed. She closed her eyes. She could feel people, whether they were monsters or men. She could feel them when she closed her eyes.

"Damn you!" Lazarus Cain roared as he staggered back. Miya had lifted her sword and cut him where he stood, her innate gift having filled her in on his location. He had been standing right nearby, stabbing her legs with his sword to simulate the biting of the head creatures. Her legs were covered in blood and she couldn't stand now, but she could see him. The illusion was gone.

"You've broken free, sinner," said Cain. "But I've already won. You can't move. You'll be judged shortly."

"That's what you think," Miya started as she reached for her side. Cain charged at her. She pulled the sidearm she wore. A gun that had once belonged to Cynthia.

"I really suck as this," she mumbled to herself with tears in her eyes. "So please, Cynthia, if you can where you are, guide this one shot for me, okay?"

With that Miya closed her eyes and fired. When she opened her eyes, Lazarus Cain was on the floor dead. The bullet was lodged in the very center of his brain. Miya swore she could feel a familiar warmth in her hand as she dropped the gun...

Her vision blurred. She realized then just how many wounds Cain had been able to fill her legs with. She felt remarkably faint.

"I don't want to die..." she whispered. "I want to live for you... Cynthia..."

Her vision continued to blur as consciousness gradually slipped away.

"Please watch over me... my love..." she said to the radiant, golden-haired angel in front of her she wasn't even sure was there.

* * *

Jiang Lihua was frightened beyond belief as she watched her daughter take a beyond risky action. Guns fired. She feared for the worst. It was entirely unclear who had been shot at first. One peculiar thing struck her though. She hadn't been shot, even as a gun had been directly pointed at her. That gun's aim had been averted at the last second by someone close by.

Xuemei was breathless and scared as she knelt before her mother, pulling her sword out of the man she had just slain. As the shots fired, she wondered if she had been hit. She realized quickly that she hadn't. Many of the enemy soldiers, on the other hand, had been.

Chaowei grimaced in pain. He had killed four men in a matter of seconds with his twin guns, lightning aim and perfect reflexes, but one of the damned bastards had taken out his right arm in the cross fire. He could tell at once that it had hit the bone and fractured it completely. The pain was immense and blinding.

Hiromi gasped as she felt the heat of her machine gun. She had done it. She had protected her mother, downed two of the soldiers at once, and survived the crossfire unscarred. What's more, no one on her side was dead. That included the captive Tianzi surprisingly enough, thanks to a surprising action.

Elenie's mind was blank. All but two of the men around her were dead and though she had fired her gun off, it had not reached the Tianzi. No, her arm was being held rigidly upwards by someone. Immediately, at recognition of this woman, she filled with rage.

"What do you think you are doing!" she demanded. "You dare betray Deifilia after all she's given you?"

Rowena Winfield scowled at the woman as she threw her arm aside and kicked her in the stomach.

"What has that woman given me but guilt and pain?" Rowena started. "I've had enough of standing with that monster. Curse her and her foul world!"

"Y-you!" Elenie started, clenching her fist. "How dare you speak of her that way! How dare you insult my Deifilia!"

"You disgust me," said Rowena. "You're just a tool. A delusional little puppet."

"What happened to your little promise to mommy?" Elenie spoke derisively through her fury. "You abandon the glory you could see at Deifilia's side?"

"Just shut up," Rowena says. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Men!" Elenie shouted. "Kill this traitor at once!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the soldiers started, pointing their guns.

A swift, full slash ran through the air as Xuemei then leapt forward and soon both soldiers were cut down, their bodies falling limply to the ground as blood poured from their wounds.

Elenie backed up in a panic. Her hands trembling as they held her gun. She was alone now. No goddess would come to her rescue. That included her beloved Deifilia. It was over.

"You're done!" Rowena spoke, coldly, drawing the blade she wore at her side. "It's over!"

"Damn you! If I'm going to die, it's going to mean something!" Elenie screamed, she then held her gun out and fired as many shots as she could in the direction of the Tianzi.

Hiromi didn't have a clear shot. Chaowei couldn't focus past his injury. There was too much distance between Xuemei's sword and the enemy. Rowena ran head long into the fire with her sword. She could feel two bullets sink into her her flesh, one in her stomach and the other her shoulder. But her sword found its mark. It pierced directly though the enemy's chest. As Elenie Pallas breathed her last breath, blood pouring through her wound and from her gaping mouth, she was able to pull the trigger once more, sending another bullet flying into Rowena's flesh. As Elenie fell limply on the sword, Rowena fell back. She noticed the severity of her injuries at once. The front of her shirt was coated in red. She could feel it pouring out of her. She was dying.

"Miss..." Lihua started, running toward the stranger who had saved her life. "No..."

The Tianzi knew at once in seeing the woman up close it was hopeless. "Why?"

"This is how one becomes known..." Rowena said in a low whisper, shocked by the pain of just speaking.

"Rowena Winfield" Chaowei spoke in a low voice. Clenching his bloodied broken arm as he looked down on an opponent he had once had little opinion of; one he had bettered and hadn't thought twice about. "I'm glad I didn't kill you that day."

"So it's Winfield?" the Tianzi spoke. "I will never forget you. I will see that your name is known. That the hero who sacrificed herself to protect a person and a nation she had no stake in is remembered. A selfless and beautiful woman."

Rowena felt herself begin to cry. She had done it. She truly had.

"Mirror..." she started. "In my pocket..."

Tianzi bent down and examined the woman. In a small pouch in her jacket pocket, she found a compact mirror; a slightly odd thing for a knight to have on her being. She opened it and handed it to the woman without a word. Rowena took it with all the strength she had left.

"Thank you..." she said. She looked deep into her own eyes. Soon she was seeing something different then reality. She was face to face with her mother.

"I did it..." she said softly. "Mother, I kept our promise... Here I am at the side of an Empress, imbued with her deepest respect... I became someone strong... someone great... I did it..."

As her vision was overtaken by a blinding whiteness, all Rowena could see was her mother's smile.

Rowena Winfield was dead.

Jiang Lihua stayed at the woman's side a moment, shaken but relieved by the smile on the woman's face as she passed and the mumbled words she spoke as she did. Words spoken to her mother. Tearing up, Lihua stood and turned, coming face to face with the one she wished to see. She didn't think about it. She just embraced the girl. She embraced Xuemei. She embraced her daughter. It was surely jarring for the others to see, not understanding their link, but it was needed. The emotions couldn't contain themselves.

"What's this about...?" a confused Hiromi Tohdoh spoke, relieved she could finally lower the heavy gun in her hands.

"There's no use denying it," a resolute Kaguya Sumeragi started, stepping forward, feeling as if she was stepping out of a semi-paralysis. The secret she had been made confidant too. There was no need to hide it anymore. "The girl known as Hu Xuemei is Holy Imperial Princess of the Chinese Federation."

"You're... fucking kidding...?" Chaowei started. Villetta Nu moved toward him and examined his wound.

"Is that really possible?" Rakshata Chawla started, expressing genuine shock.

"The age difference is kind of..." Nagisa Tohdoh started. "I suppose she's his then..."

Kaguya didn't say anything. She just watched mother and daughter continuing to embrace, barely aware of the others' stares.

"This guy's losing a lot of blood," Villetta started. "We need to get out of here soon."

"Don't you want to spring your husband and whoever we can from the male cells first?" Kaguya started.

"Of course," the woman replied. "There will be time for sentimentality later."

"Yeah," Lihua said, breaking her long embrace. "We must hurry."

Xuemei smiled, feeling remarkably fulfilled. She glanced once more at the fallen knight Winfield, in deep gratitude and respect.

* * *

Signa Norrell was fighting two opponents. One was stronger than her. Mechanically enhanced and remarkably ruthless. The other was far weaker than her, better than a total amateur, but still weak and useless. In this fight she hindered the male, who was more focused on protecting her then winning, more than she helped him. Calculating her chance of success against the two, with her Geass, there was about a 70 percent chance of victory.

Ulric Cross was pumped as the fight progressed. The pale girl was fucking fast. She was bloody ruthless too, like a fucking robot programmed to kill. The princess would be dead meat if he wasn't careful around this bitch. He needed to end it as soon as possible, but the bitch seemed on top of his game.

Eilith was out of breath. This was crazy. She was out of place. She felt like she'd be dead if she even breathed wrong around this opponent. She had previously thought Ulric Cross would be enough to make her feel secure before any threat, but now she wasn't sure.

Signa came racing toward Eilith, a sharp, curved knife in hand. Ulric raced in front of her to block. Signa leapt fully over him and moved into a sharp downward strike at the princess. Ulric had to move quickly. He couldn't block, just absorb the stab himself. It pierced into his left upper arm. It was kinda painful, but nothing that would threaten his enforced body. Signa flipped back a distance.

"Why don't you go find a place to hide for now, princess?" Ulric started as he glanced back at Eilith.

"I was thinking the same thing..." Eilith said with a sigh as she made a run for it.

Signa sprinted after her.

"Fuck you!" Ulric roared as he ran to close the gap between them, inadvertently taking another stab wound, this one to the right shoulder. "Haven't you ever heard of a fair fight? I'm your fucking opponent, not her!"

"Your words are highly illogical," Signa replied emotionlessly as she sidestepped Ulric's counter attack. "You are stronger than I, so a one on one match is anything but fair. If I am to complete my mission and defeat you, I must exploit your weakness, which is that woman."

"You little bitch," Ulric started. But Signa jumped past him and continued after the fleeing Eilith.

Ulric continued after her. He jumped and dove at her, his hand blade ready to cut her down. Signa ducked at the last second and slid under him, then threw her knife into his back. She pulled another knife from inside her coat and jumped after Eilith. Ulric, undaunted by the injuries, sped after her. He could match her speed with some work. He broke into a hard run and stabbed at her.

Signa avoided the slash, but Ulric was ready for that. he readied his left hand blade and made a clean cut. It didn't cut very deep, but he got the girl right across the chest. He then followed it up with a quick roundhouse kick to the girl's side, sending her staggering back to the ground.

"Ha," Ulric started. "For all that struggle, it's fucking over, bitch."

"I wounded you in three places," Signa said in a low voice. "On top of that wounds and general wear exist from the fight with the guardsmen prior to me. You've been careless with that body. You must be in a lot of pain."

"Fuck that," said Ulric. "I'm damn near indestructible. No fucking pain is going to bring me down. Besides, you can't do shit about it anyway."

Signa looked Ulric in the eye. The powerful man fell to his knees and began screaming in agony.

"Cross!" Eilith started, noticing what was happening. "God damn it man, what's all this about?"

"F-fuck..." Cross started. "So you hadn't played your last card, crafty little bitch..."

The pain was more than he could bear. It was mind numbing. It felt like every cell that made up his flesh was on fucking fire. He swore he was dying. He couldn't even move.

"You were right when you said it was over," said Signa standing and walking toward Cross with her knife in hand. "My chance of winning has just risen to 100 percent."

"You're forgetting about me, bitch," Eilith started, thrusting at the girl forcefully with her own sword.

"Kick her fucking ass..." Cross managed meekly as he looked up at his student's rush.

"You can't beat me," Signa said. "You are inferior."

"I'll show you inferior," Eilith roared as she slashed.

Signa parried it with her knife and swept low, trying to knock the girl off her feet. Eilith jumped the sweep and made a low stab with her blade. Signa evaded back and slashed upward with her knives. Eilith darted back and then saw her opening. She jammed her full fist into the enemy's chest, right at where Ulric had cut her.

Signa was hardly phased. Eilith barely had time to react. She ended up getting cut shallowly at the shoulder. She stepped back and calculated her next move.

"You can't feel anything, can you?" Eilith started, unsure what to think. The enemy hardly seemed human. How was she to proceed in a fight like this?

She laughed. She recalled her training. Cross hadn't seemed human back then either. This was the same as that. She just needed to survive. That determined, she jumped forward into a full slash. Signa fell to the side and leapt at her with her knife. Eilith grimaced as she let the blade nick her leg. She pulled a concealed knife and stabbed it roughly into the girl's hip. Signa jumped back, the knife still in her flesh.

"Even if you can't feel it, you'll die if I get enough hits," Eilith said.

"Don't you realize you've already lost?" Signa said. "I've already trapped you."

The girl jumped in front of Eilith, their eyes meeting.

"Fuck that!" Cross suddenly roared. Forcing every ounce of his remaining strength into overcoming the binding pain that was gripping him, he threw his full body suddenly at the enemy, tackling her to the ground. Then he punched her square in the face until it was obvious her jaw was broken. He then rolled off of her.

Signa didn't know what to think. No one had had the strength to overcome her Geass before. It went against every calculation. It wasn't right. It wasn't... her consciousness was starting to fade. She wondered why. She still needed to win. She still needed to... She couldn't stand. She didn't have the power.

"I think it's a double edged sword, you're inability to feel it," said Eilith. " He might have just laid the absolute finishing blow now, but you were dead even before that. The cut he gave you is too large and depleting you of blood far too quickly, and that beastly full force kick of his cemented it, rending your insides."

The princess took another step toward Signa with her sword. "I pity you almost. it must be painful having lost yourself so completely. Yet here you are, oblivious to even that pain."

With that, Eilith stabbed her sword through the girl's heart, killing her instantly.

"Good job, kid," Ulric started weakly.

"You okay, Cross?" Eilith spoke.

"I feel like shit," the man replied. "It's fading with that bitch gone, but I'm not sure I can even move..."

"Then watch over, Amelia," a voice started Eilith and Ulric looked up to see a somewhat bruised Margaret Enneagram walk toward them. "I'll take the princess and finish what we came here for."

"Right," Cross said. "I think I can manage that much..."

"Yeah," said Eilith. "Let's go

Margaret nodded.

* * *

Lucrecia Harrison was frightened. She felt like her world was falling apart. If she didn't stop Big Sister and Chiharu, Deifilia said she'd kill them both herself as Lucrecia watched, along with Marcella and the young boy Katsuo. She had no choice then. She didn't want to hurt them, but seeing them killed before her eyes was far worse. She'd really be all alone then. Maybe she'd be able to stop them without hurting them too bad. She could only hope.

Megami Subarashii was shaky. She didn't want this. She didn't want to see Chiharu and Lucrecia fight. It wasn't right. It was painful. She wanted it to end.

Chiharu was determined to break through. She didn't want to hurt the child. She didn't want to, but she wasn't about to let what was likely their only chance slip away. Not for anything. That's what she thought as she leapt toward Lucrecia with a Geass powered fist.

Lucrecia jumped back. She swung her heavy, massive hammer horizontally at Chiharu with her mechanically enhanced strength. Chiharu leapt into the air, over the swing and jump kicked the girl. Lucrecia darted back and swung her hammer up. Chiharu kicked off of it and flipped back. She then thrust her fist forward at the girl, hitting her in the arm.

Megami felt sick. Watching Chiharu strike Lucrecia. Watching the girl she loved hit a child. She was shaking. This needed to end.

It was hard blow, but Lucrecia's small body was strong. She absorbed it and swung her hammer readily in counter attack. This time Chiharu was too slow to get away. She raised her arms, determined to slow the hammer strike with raw strength, but all it did was cut the force. it still connected to her chest and sent her flying backwards.

"Lucrecia, please stop!" Megami shouted. "Please, this isn't right!"

"I can't do that," Lucrecia started tearfully as she leapt forward in follow up, swing her hammer down. "I can't let it all disappear. I can't let things return to how they were before..."

Chiharu rolled out of the way of the downward hammer strike, it connecting to the ground below, causing it to crumble. She kicked upward at the girl as she regained her feet, sending Lucrecia back a bit.

"Can't you trust your Big Sister and me just a little bit," Chiharu said.

"You can't..." Lucrecia started, still crying. "Not against Mistress! She'll kill you! She'll kill you for sure. That's why I'll... I'll stop you here. You won't have to die...She won't have to kill you..."

Megami knew the absolute power Deifilia Amarantha had over this child's life. It was no surprise she had no faith in them against her. She didn't hold it against the girl. She was frightened. She had nothing left but to lash out. It was unfortunate, but that's what it was.

"I don't want to fight you, kid," said Chiharu. "But you leave me no choice. And my Geass doesn't give me unlimited time."

With that, Chiharu moved into a sweeping kick at the girl. Lucrecia thrust her hammer at Chiharu. Chiharu darted to the side in evasion then jabbed at the girl. lucrecia used her small height to her advantage and ducked the punch, moving into a fierce upward swing. Chiharu wasn't quick enough to take any defensive action this time, but tense her muscles. The hammer connected to her side and sent her flying to her rear again. She gave a cough, and noticed there was blood in it. The pain was intense.

She cursed. She was strong with her Geass, but Lucrecia was strong, fast and had a weapon. She obviously had more training in hand to hand combat too. Chiharu glanced at Megami, but she knew that was useless. Her friend's Geass was only good for hiding and the woman had no hand to hand fighting skills of any sort. This was up to her. She had to beat this girl soundly and she had only minutes to do it or her heart would explode from prolonged Geass usage.

She leapt right up and ran at the girl. Lucrecia darted to the side and went into a heavy, high horizontal strike. Chiharu slid in low and went for a jab, moving just to side as the girl brought the hammer down. She connected, punching the girl in the chest. She backed off a little and grimaced, but seemed strong still.

Lucrecia's small body was deceptively durable. It was hard to damage. Maybe it was just because she didn't have a big hammer, but Chiharu certainly felt like the girl was doing more damage to her then she was to Lucrecia. The child jumped back then ran forward into a quick vertical jab with her hammer. Chiharu sidestepped and made a lunge at the girl. Lucrecia swung at her fully and again it connected, this time to her shoulder. Even in strengthening the muscles there, the pain was exceptional. Chiharu was thrown several feet back again.

She stayed on the ground a moment. What was she going to do. She was effectively out of time now. She looked around for Megami, hoping for some answer, or at least just to see the woman one more time. She was gone. Missing. Did she go ahead, or was she...? Chiharu didn't know what to think. She backed up a bit more, still on the ground.

"You're really strong, Lucrecia," Chiharu started. "I don't know how I'm going to beat you."

"You're not," said Lucrecia quietly. "I'm going to stop you now..."

With that, Lucrecia ran swiftly forward, toward where Chiharu sat on the ground. She went into a full downward strike at the girl as she approached her.

Then she tripped. Her left leg was kicked upwards by an invisible foot. She fell backward on her butt. Her long skirt flipped fully upward.

Chiharu's eyes went wide at what she saw. She laughed. "Why aren't you wearing anything down there, Lucrecia? Girls should always wear panties."

"No!" Lucrecia screamed as she realized her exposure, her entire face turning red. The heavy hammer dropped from her hands as both went to pull her skirt down to cover herself. Chiharu used the last of her Geass time to move quickly. She retrieved the unattended hammer and held it up. It was remarkably heavy, especially when she released her Geass.

"No fair!" Lucrecia screamed as she overcame her embarrassment to realize what had occurred. "That's a cheap move!"

Then the child was slapped hard across the face by an invisible hand. Lucrecia looked around. Then she felt something strange. She was being embraced tenderly. It was an invisible being at first, but soon her Big Sister was fully visible. She was warm.

"You've been a bad girl, Lucrecia," Megami said quietly. "Little girls are supposed to trust their Big Sisters. Don't you know that?"

"B-but..." Lucrecia started, tearing up.

"No buts," Megami started. "Have some faith in me and Chiharu. We'll face her and we'll make it back. You won't be alone. That's a promise."

Lucrecia began to cry more an more, unable to contain it all. "Big Sister..."

"So just stay here if you're too scared to face her," Megami said. "We won't keep you waiting too long."

Lucrecia gave a slight nod. Everything she had ever known told her that Mistress was on another level, that there was no going against her. Even so, she wanted to believe in that warmth. She wanted to trust. She wanted to believe.

"Make sure you keep your promise," Lucrecia started harshly. "Or I will never forgive you ever, Big Sister."

"Of course, Lucrecia," Megami said in a soft voice as she let go of the girl.

"I want you to promise too, Chiharu," said Lucrecia. "Promise you'll come back."

"It's a promise," Chiharu said smiling. "It's a promise."

Lucrecia nodded. She continued to sit there as the other two stepped away. She felt sick to her stomach. but if she couldn't believe in her Big Sisters, who could she believe in?

"You're really amazing, you know that?" Chiharu started in a low voice to the other woman as the exited the room into a corridor.

"Amazing enough for a kiss?" Megami started, leaning in close.

"Is this really the time?" Chiharu gave a long sigh.

"There's never a wrong time for you to kiss me," Megami laughed. "Besides, I'd say you were pretty cool out there too."

"Losing in a fight to a kid is cool?" Chiharu now laughed.

Megami snickered. "You okay to go on?"

"I've become more and more accustomed to the exhaustion of my Geass lately," Chiharu replied. "Right now, my body is rather weary, but I'm not about to pass out just yet. I want to see this through while we still have a chance."

"So if we make it back, will you give that kiss then?" Megami asked in an upbeat voice.

"Considering what we just told that girl, don't you mean 'when we make it back'?" Chiharu said, shaking her head.

"Oh so you agree then?" Megami laughed. "Excellent. I look forward to that, for sure."

"God..." Chiharu sighed. "At a time like this for you to be so..."

"Heh..." Megami laughed. "I'm truly frightened you know. It's just that you're by my side as we move towards her that I'm able to smile."

"You know..." Chiharu said with a grin. "I really could say the exact same thing."

* * *

Marcella's mind ached. Her emotions had been suppressed. She didn't feel anything, but at the same time, this woman's presence made something in her brain scream out. However she was confident enough she could keep it quiet. She was at a major advantage in this fight after all. Her opponent, who wore an eyepatch, had limited sight. With her Geass she had full access to that sight and it's limitations.

Hildegarde was trembling with indecision. How exactly did she get through to this girl? How exactly did she remind Yasuko, as hollow as she currently looked, of their love? How could she set this right? She had all questions and no answers.

Still Hildegarde was able to throw Yasuko back with her sword. The girl was relentless though and bounced back, slashing forward with her short twin blades. Hildegarde side stepped to evade. Yasuko jumped into an aerial kick which connected to Hildegarde's shoulder. The power was astonishing. A girl as small as Yasuko couldn't naturally have so much strength. It was a lucky thing that Hildegarde was outfitted with body armor under her knight's coat.

As soon as Yasuko landed, Hildegarde ran to the side and took another defensive stance, raising her sword. She couldn't bring herself to slash at Yasuko. It went against what she had come here for. She was here to bring Yasuko back. Nothing less was acceptable to her.

"Snap out of this Yasuko!" Hildegarde commanded. "If not for me, for your sister! For your brother! For everyone out there who loved you!"

"Your words mean nothing to me," Marcella replied. "I am Marcella Belita. I do not know you. All I know is my mission."

"Damn it, Yasuko!" Hildegarde shouted. Yasuko ran at her. Hildegarde watched her closely, watching for where an attack would likely come. She was good on the defensive. She'd stand here and bat attacks away until Yasuko was able to listen. She had to.

At the last second before striking, Yasuko moved at a highly unpredictable angle. She swept down into Hildegarde's blind spot, where her one seeing eye could not see. Next thing Hildegarde knew, a blade was rammed forcefully into her left side, piercing through her armor and deep into her flesh. The pain was blinding.

Hildegarde struggled to turn around, but as she did, she could not find the girl. She heard movement, but the girl could not be seen anywhere. It was like she was expertly keeping just out of her sight.

Then suddenly Yasuko jumped on her. Hildegarde tried to shake her off as a blade went for her neck. Her strength saw the girl lose her hold as the blade instead found its mark in Hildegarde's left shoulder. She turned around again. Again the girl was gone.

Hildegarde cursed. This was scary. Yasuko really could kill her if this continued. This was unlike any fight she had seen. Rather than fighting with one eye, it was like she was fighting blind. Was she about to lose her life to the girl she loved? That was a miserable fate.

"You're really good at hiding where I cant see you," said Hildegarde. "Certainly make a challenge to defend."

"Having one eye makes you simple to defeat. You see so little of what's around you. It's easy to hide," said Marcella in an even voice.

"Heh, let's see how long you can stay hid then!" Hildegarde started. She turned suddenly to parry a coming attack from the shadows. She was in time and threw Yasuko back.

"Didn't stay so well hidden that time," Hildegarde started as she stared at the girl with her sword held tightly.

"I made the mistake of speaking. It clued you in on my location," the girl said. "A simple error; it will not be repeated."

Yasuko came running toward her again. Hildegarde braced herself, but Yasuko betrayed her expectations again, this time vaulting cleanly over her head. Before she could turn around, her beloved's blade had again found its way deep into her body, this time at her mid back, slightly to the side. Hildegarde grimaced in pain and tried to turn around quickly again, but again Yasuko's speed shocked and frightened her again. The girl could not be seen.

"Damn it... how are you doing that?" Hildegarde started. She was being beaten handily by a girl as usually timid as Yasuko? It seemed unreal. Just what had been done to this girl?

The girl didn't reply, clearly not wanting to repeat the mistake of giving Hildegarde's ears a chance to pick up for her eyes. Hildegarde tried to be her sharpest. She fell back and swiftly turned. Yasuko was jumping toward her into a fierce dual kick. Hildegarde was sent flying backward, landing on her rear.

And Yasuko didn't stop. She leapt at Hildegarde with her blade. Hildegarde backed up rapidly, but suffered another stab wound, this one to her leg. She breathed hard. Yasuko had her effectively pinned. It'd be hard to get away. She wasn't sure what the hell she was supposed to do.

"Damn it... really damn it..." Hildegarde started. "How do you...?"

She looked up at Yasuko as she stared down at her. She looked beautiful even as she hovered over Hildegarde like an angel of death. Even if Hildegarde couldn't see the girl's lovely eyes through the obscuring visor... Hildegarde gasped as she rolled to the side and sprung up. That was it!

"It's that visor that's allowing you to fight like you do, isn't it?" Hildegarde asked, smirking at the girl.

"In part," said the girl as she looked back at Hildegarde. "It augments the normal attributes of my Geass. Normally I can borrow people's eyes. This thing allows me to use more then one set of eyes at once."

"So you've been using my eyes then?" Hildegarde started, surprised but finally understanding.

"I see no harm in admitting it, considering I am to kill you momentarily," Marcella started, shrugging.

Hildegarde gave a laugh and then a smile. "Fate is funny, Yasuko. It really is."

"I know not of what you speak. My name is Marcella," the other replied.

"I wonder just how far your Geass can see," she said as she raised her hand to her eyepatch. "You see, I have a Geass that allows me to see some special things too."

With that, she removed the patch and tossed it aside. Marcella was surprised. She didn't know what to think of this.

"What can you see with that eye?" Marcella started. "If you're Geass is so useful why haven't you been using it all this time?"

"With this eye, I can see clearly the truth. I can see the vulnerability within your heart. I can see the beauty there. I can see everything that you're blind to," Hildegarde said in a soft voice. "I can see it!"

And with that, Hildegarde opened her eye wide it burning with the power of Geass.

Curiosity flamed in Marcella. Could this woman truly see some vulnerability she was unaware of with this Geass? If so that could turn the tide of the fight. Maybe if she saw this vulnerability for herself she could make up for it. She turned her Geass back on, ready to see what the other was seeing.

Marcella was shocked to find the entire scene change before her. She was looking at something strange yet very familiar. It was a small transport plane resting in a large hangar. It was strange. She could still see through her own eyes with the visor and the woman, Waldstein, was still there. What she was seeing now did not match what Waldstein should be seeing in the slightest. It was as if she was seeing through the eyes of someone entirely different.

This person gave a heavy sigh of depression. She looked to her right. Marcella was stunned. The eyes that should have been Waldstein's were instead looking at that very woman. She had a somber look on her face, her eyes, neither blocked by a patch of any sort, showing a great regret. The one through which Marcella saw grabbed Waldstein by the hand and led her into a nearby corridor. Soon they were face to face

"Yasuko, what are you doing?" asked Waldstein. Marcella's body shivered. Why did it feel like Waldstein was talking to her? Better yet, why did this scene seem so familiar?

"I just wanted a chance to say good bye one more time," a voice said softly. Marcella's brain felt then as if it had been lit on fire. The voice was undoubtedly the exact same as her own.

"Yes, I see," Waldstein smiled back to the other, to this Yasuko, to Marcella and placed a hand at her cheek. Marcella could swear she could feel it. Switching to her other eyes, she noticed that Waldstein was in fact in front of her now, as if in a trance, her hand on Marcella's cheek to mimic the scene. Despite it all, Marcella found herself powerless to move.

"I really love you. I really mean it when I say I'm coming back when this has died down," said Marcella's voice again. Or was it her saying it? She couldn't tell any more.

"I'm glad. I mean it as well when I say there will always be a place for you at my side," the knight said in a warm voice. Marcella felt as if something in her was breaking.

"Yeah?" said Yasuko with quivering lips. Both in the vision and out, Hildegarde Waldstein bent forward to place a long kiss on those lips. Marcella was still powerless to respond. It felt like her mind was being sliced in two.

"I love you, Yasuko. I won't ever stop thinking about you until you are right here by my side again." Tears formed in Marcella's eyes. Her real eyes. The one's she saw through were still clear.

"And I'll never forget you, H-Hildegarde. Never. That's a promise," Yasuko whispered softly but gently. She had forgotten... She had broken this promise. The tears flowed uncontrollably.

Hildegarde was soon kissing her again. The vision and reality were blurred. All Yasuko knew is she was being kissed by the one she loved and she didn't want it to end. Never. Never again. She never wanted to be separated from this person ever again.

"Hildegarde... Miss Hildegarde..." the girl wept. "I... I..."

"Don't speak, Yasuko... all that matters is that it's over now..." Hildegarde whispered as she closed her eye, stopping the Geass vision.

But it wasn't over. Yasuko's tears reached a maximum as she threw herself from the other's arms. Her head went into her hands as she screamed out in agony. All at once it became clear to her, the waking nightmare she had been through the past many months. She knew the things she had seen, the things she had done. She was guilty. She had done countless horrible things. She had dirtied herself. She had hurt Hildegarde, hurt Hiromi. She had slain her own father...

"No..." she said in a low voice... "Miss Hildegarde... I- I... It's not over... I can't... I can't live with these things I've done..."

"Yasuko... you don't have to-" Hildegarde started but was cut off.

"No..." she said. "I must pay for my guilt. It's what I deserve. Please. I want you to do it. I want you to end it for me."

"I can't do that! I came here for you!" Hildegarde shouted.

"And look at you! You're covered in blood. I nearly killed you... just like I killed _him... _just like I hurt and killed so many..." Yasuko whimpered. "I can't live with it... I can't live with this blood on my hands... I..."

"God, you're so stupid!" a voice suddenly started in to everyone's surprise. Yasuko looked around. A child stepped toward them. It was her younger brother, who had regained consciousness from after having been used as Nemesio's vessel.

"K-Katsuo-!" Yasuko started, in shock.

"We both were forced to bad things, sis," he said. "It's painful, yeah, but you can't give up because of it. What am I going to say to Mom if you do? What about Big Sis Hiromi?"

"You don't understand... I'm guilty of so many things... I-I..." Yasuko started, quivering, unable to force out the painful words.

"I know what happened. I heard about it..." the boy said. "I don't blame you, sis. Mom won't blame you, neither will Hiromi. So you shouldn't blame yourself! You were a prisoner, a victim! Nothing that happened is your fault."

"Katsuo..." the girl started, tearfully.

"The boy's right you know," Hildegarde spoke. "Yasuko Tohdoh is guilty of nothing. All the horrible things you think of now were done by a girl named Marcella Belita. That girl is dead now. All that's left is you."

"Miss Hildegarde..." Yasuko sniffled. It still haunted her. It likely always would. But right now, she wanted to believe these two. She wanted to continue living. She bent down and hugged her little brother tightly.

"I like happy endings," Hildegarde started, stepping forward. She then fell to a knee. Yasuko looked back up to her.

"God, you're bleeding so much..." she said. "I... er... Marcella... she, really laid it into you."

"I wish I could keep going... that girl needs all the help she can get..." Hildegarde spoke. "But you're right... I don't looks so good right now..."

"Help me treat her, Katsuo," Yasuko said as she bent down. She couldn't do much but she could at least wrap the wounds.

"Alright," said the boy. And they bent to dress Hildegarde's wounds. "By the way, sis... I was wondering something..."

"Yes, Katsuo?" the girl started, tilting her head.

"A while ago... I saw you and her..." the boy spoke, his face turning red in embarrassment. "Does that mean that you're..."

Hildegarde blushed and Yasuko laughed. She smiled at the boy.

"I'd think that scene would require no further explanation," she said in a soft voice.

* * *

Belisario Nemesio was mad with excitement. This was the moment he had longer for. He'd crush his enemy so completely while she was helpless by destroying her child as she watched. This was the revenge that woman had promised. This was what was needed to soothe the fire that had long burned in his soul. He could not fail, this was what he live for.

Astrid Weinberg was staunch facing this enemy. Protecting Ava was all that there was. She hoped against hope for a happy ending out of this, but she'd do whatever was necessary to assure her love survived. That included killing her mother if it came to that.

Ava li Britannia was trembling. She didn't like this. She didn't like it at all. But there was nothing else. She needed to best this enemy even if he used her mother as a shield. She just wasn't sure how. This was a very skilled opponent and all she had to rely on was Astrid's impeccable aim and her mastery of sport fencing. It was a little overwhelming.

"A little child thinks she can take me on?" Nemesio started, throwing off a stab from Ava with little effort, while simultaneously darting out of the way of the other girl's fire. "How laughable."

"I've come too far to lose my life to some madman living his life for the sake of some sad revenge," Ava started, moving into another thrust. "I can't lose to you."

"As I see it, you can't win!" Nemesio shouted, beating the girl's sword aside with one sword and deflecting a stray bullet with the other.

"I do have to respect your skill," said Astrid. "You really are a warrior. But I am Ava's knight. I will not let you kill her."

"It's proof of Britannia's weakness that someone like you is ever named a knight," Nemesio spoke. "You're just a foolish, stupid child."

Kicking Ava out of the way with a sudden movement, Nemesio rushed toward Astrid.

"I don't know why I didn't think to kill you first! I can make the child suffer before the mother," Nemesio said with a laugh, going in for a cross slash. Astrid ran, not liking the close in distance, but Nemesio was faster.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Ava shouted, all the fire she had building within her. She leapt to her feet and charged in recklessly at just the right angle into a full diagonal slash with no hesitation. It found the mark. And for the first time Ava drew her mother's blood.

"An attack that bold from someone so pathetic?" Nemesio started, falling back to clench his side. It was obvious he felt all the pain of his current body. Ava's cut was fairly deep, and lots of blood was visible from it. "I have to say I'm surprised."

"Die!" Astrid shouted, firing her gun in. Nemesio wasn't going to be caught off guard twice in a row. He quickly deflected the shot and ran from the girl's line of fire. She fired some shots after him, but he continued to run until Ava was between him and Astrid.

"There's more where that came from," Ava started, thrusting back in. Nemesio caught it between his sword and threw it off all the while, kneeing the girl in the stomach. He was shot in the shoulder as Ava fell to her knees.

"You take a shot as soon as you see one, I suppose," Nemesio grimaced. The body had been reinforced and wouldn't die from these wounds, but it still did hurt.

"I take what I can get," said Astrid. "I may be young, but I have been through all the training of a Britannian Knight of the Rounds. I happen to have the best eyes of any of us. I wonder if I seem so stupid and foolish now?"

"Heh," Nemesio laughed. "How charming." Kicking Ava onto the floor with a heavy kick, he then ran toward the knight. "Show me the extent of this training you're so proud of then?"

Astrid ran back. Her specialty was ranged weapons. She was thoroughly subpar when it came to hand to hand. She did have a short sword on her, but she would be eaten alive if she was forced to rely on it. She prayed Ava would get up, but looking at her, she seemed thoroughly winded from the successive blows. She had no choice then. She tossed her trusty handgun to her right hand and drew the sword into her dominant left. She then met the enemy's slash with a strong parry.

It was overwhelming. Nemeiso's strength was incredible. He pushed her back with so littler effort and yet she almost fully lost her balance. It took some quick footwork to salvage her posture and avoid the enemy's next slash. She jumped back and fired her gun while raising her sword in defense. As Nemesio swerved to avoid the fire, She made a slash at him. Nemesio was easily in time to block the slash, and was then able to pull off another attack, shallowly stabbing Astrid in the thigh.

"Astrid..." Ava started, short on breath and trembling from the pain throughout her bruised frame. She didn't have time to be weak. Astrid would be killed. With effort, she jumped to her feet and rushed the enemy. He didn't see her. He must have been positive she was still down. Her cut was true, running a full diagonal path along her mother's back.

"Damn you," Nemesio started, as he jumped to a safe distance. "You're a lot more driven then I figured you'd be."

"What happens if I kill my mother? Do you die too?" Ava started in a low voice.

"You think you can defeat me now?" Nemesio. "How laughable. How utterly pathetic."

Ava smiled. That he had avoided answering told her the truth. If he was protected from death in that body, he'd have taken the time to boast. She had figured as much. She had seen him use his Geass to transfer his consciousness from the boy's body to her mother's. He couldn't just release it. He had to make eye contact with someone to transfer. His only escape was stealing Astrid's body or her own.

But when his purpose was to bring her mother pain, Ava doubted he'd leave her body so easily; the fact that he was making attempts on both their lives simultaneously cemented this to her. But this was a cautious man. He wouldn't leave himself without a clear escape route. Thus it was clear to her. Another body was nearby. Likely in that very room.

Ava looked around. The room they were in was a mid-sized trophy hall, filled with a number of statues and other treasures, weapons hanging on the walls. The back section of the room was rather cluttered. They had thus far stayed toward the open, mostly empty front half of the room, which was devoid of furnishings, being populated by only a few pillars. In other words, it was a good place to keep something hidden.

"I've decided," Ava started. "I've lived the past six years with my mother accepted as being dead. I've come to terms with it. For that reason, I am able to make this decision. I fight to kill now. I care not what happens with my mother," Ava started with lightning focused. She watched for the slight surprise in Nemesio's expression. Astrid too was surprised. She wondered if Ava might be plotting something. The girl would seldom announce such a thing as discarding hope of saving her mother.

"Do you hear that, my enemy? Your daughter thinks so little of you that she has no problem ending your life," Nemesio laughed. "Aren't you just so proud of her?"

"Silence worm!" Ava started. "Your end is here!"

Ava ran forward into a full charging thrust aimed at her mother's heart. Nemesio was again surprised to see her living up to her words, going for a killing blow. He moved quickly so the thrust only nicked his side. He didn't have time to avoid Astrid's gun, however. Her bullet pierced the body's chest just inches from the heart.

"And I respect Ava's choice. I'll not hesitate to strike you down!" Astrid started.

Nemesio cursed. Had he made some crucial misestimates? Where was the in over her head, naïve child he had studied for so long while waiting for this moment? The girl facing him now seemed somehow fearsome. Her knight was a similar story. The girl had been not worth noting prior to six years ago and deemed a moot threat after she rose to the Rounds. The Astrid Weinberg in that room with him had the eyes of a true warrior. Looking at her eyes it hit him. The girl could strike her mother down, but some things weren't possible for her still.

Rushing toward the blonde, Nemesio came to a sudden halt before her. As she let a bullet fly into the body's right arm, Nemesio activated his Geass. He left Cornelia li Britannia's body momentarily and instead claimed Astrid Weinberg's body as his own. He turned to face the other girl.

"You can kill your mother, Ava li Britannia, but can you kill this girl?" Nemesio started, cackling with laughter. "I didn't think so."

"You're a disgusting man, Nemesio," Ava started, scowling.

Nemesio moved to where Cornelia's body had crumpled onto the ground. He kicked the form over so as the woman's eyes, wide and hollow, were upon her daughter. "There, now mother can watch as your lover kills you."

"My mother... she's..." Ava started, noting the lifeless stare.

"I didn't want to say it, but there was never any saving her. We repressed her consciousness. We made her into a puppet. Even when I'm not in there, all she can do is watch. All she can do is see you die. She can't do anything about it!" Nemesio continued to laugh.

"I see," Ava said with a heavy sigh. "In that case, will you answer me one question, Belisario Nemesio?"

"I don't see why not. You're about to die, anyway," Nemesio started.

Ava looked her enemy in the eyes and smiled. "Where in this room is your body hidden?"

Nemesio's eyes went fully wide as he realized his critical error. Cornelia had been outfitted with protective measures against Geass. This body he had just snatched had no such measures. There was nothing he could do now.

"Standing behind the red tapestry, beside the statue of Ares at the far left corner," Nemesio was compelled to say, unable to stop the words from coming out. By the time he regained full control of Astrid's body, the girl was already racing toward the location.

Nemesio raised Astrid's gun. He wasn't good with such weapons, but it was his only shot. He fired until the gun was empty. Only one shot hit and it was a glancing blow to Ava's lower arm. She was there. Her sword was raised and there was no time to reload. The tapestry was thrown aside and his body was revealed. Ava shoved the sword into his mouth and skewered his brain directly.

For a moment, Ava prayed. It seemed logical that if the original brain died, the consciousness would die with it. But it was still a risk. And if logic betrayed her, her enemy would still be in her beloved's body with no other body to return to. She turned around, ready to face fate as she flicked the blood off her sword.

"You can truly be amazing, my love," Astrid said softly, smiling brightly. Ava gave a sigh of relief. The Warrior King was dead. Belisario Nemesio's quest for perfect revenge had been halted indefinitely.

"I surprise even myself, Astrid," Ava started. "I do not like to kill, Astrid, but in that man's case, it was easy."

"He was hardly a man anymore," Astrid said softly, bending down to look at Cornelia.

"Is she...?" Ava started, moving back toward the other side of the room.

"She's alive but unresponsive," Astrid said in a somber voice. "I don't know if she can be saved from this state."

Ava bent down. She looked at her mother's face, so hollow and cold. She then looked down further.

"Lend me your sword for a moment, Astrid," Ava started.

"What are you going to do?" Astrid said, concerned. She nevertheless handed over the short sword.

Ava cut her mother's shirt open. "I want to ask her something" she said.

She saw it there. A mechanical device was protruding from the woman's lower chest.

"Ava, stop, what if that thing's all that's keeping her alive?" Astrid spoke.

"My mother wouldn't want a life that relied on such things," Ava said. "And no matter what they did to her body, she'd die before we could get her out of here with how she's losing blood."

"Ava..." Astrid spoke in a really low voice. Ava lightly stabbed the sword at the device, cracking it in two down the center.

"Now I should be able to use my Geass on you..." Ava started as she moved up to look into her mother's still lifeless eyes, lifting her into her arms and holding her body close. "If I ask you something you'll have to answer. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, Ava..." a very strained, weak voice, sounded through the woman's lips. It was delicate and fragile, the woman's eyes still had none of their usual light. She did however find the strength to smile.

"I'm sorry, mother. I made some mistakes. I fell for some lies. I betrayed your expectations and took the curse that was your enemy into my body. I hope you're not too disappointed in me," Ava muttered, her eyes filling with tears.

"I don't blame you, Ava... I was the foolish one... I was caught up in things I couldn't change... I became like the man you just killed... lost on a blind quest for meaningless vengeance... I put my vendetta ahead of the people I loved most... and it was against something... something I now realize is just a weapon... a weapon that can be used for both good and evil..." Cornelia said, her voice very heavy. I am the one who should apologize to you and your father..."

"It isn't your fault mother," Ava said in a very paced, quiet voice. "That people like Deifilia Amarantha exist is proof that your quest was a noble one. Someone has to stand against her. Now it falls to me."

"You've become strong, my daughter..." Cornelia spoke quietly. "I know you'll be able to face her... I know you'll be able to do it...

"I love you mother..." Ava wept well embracing the woman. "I want you to come back with me... I don't want it to be over."

"This body is dying rapidly..." Cornelia spoke. "I won't survive much longer... There's no guarantee anyone other than that woman could set right what she did to me anyway..."

"Is there anything, mother, anything you want from me? Anything you want at all?" Ava started, the tears still flowing.

"Be strong, my child... do what you know to be right... protect the person you love... and tell your father I'm sorry and that I loved him..." Cornelia managed to say, her voice becoming even harder to hear as time progressed. "And I want you to watch over my daughter, Astrid Weinberg... watch over this silly girl so long as you can."

Astrid stepped forward. "I promise. I will never abandon your daughter. I will never let her go. I will be there for her always." The dying woman's smile deepened.

"I love you mother... I really do..." Ava said, her grip on the woman tightening.

"I love you too... my dear child... Ava..." Cornelia spoke in a soft, fading voice. And she said nothing more.

"Mother, are you still...?" Ava started, trembling. The woman gave no reply. Ava's crying strengthened. She knew she was gone. "M-mother..."

Astrid bent down and embraced her beloved as she let her mother's body lie on the ground. Ava continued to cry, but Astrid's warmth soothed her. Looking at her mother's smiling face, she felt her determination reach a new peak. There wasn't anything to discuss.

"Let's go, Astrid," Ava said as she stood suddenly, her clothing stained thoroughly in her mother's blood.

"Yes," Astrid said. "Let's set things right."

A/N: Heh. end chapter. I tried for emotional impact with these scenes. Hopefully I got some out of most of them. Obviously the lone knightmare frame didn't get that. You can maybe tell, but I honestly didn't feel like writing even one knightmare scene this time out. Other than that, I think I have some strong scenes here. Some maybe more than others, but it was cool. Next time will be part three of the climax, including the confrontation with Ava and Deifilia. It should be fun.


	49. Turn 48: Lies and Truths

A/N; sigh... I really wanted to get this out earlier. Last couple weeks have been busy as fuck. Always the slacker, I'm not taking many more classes then usual, but they're senior level classes now, which seems to mean they have an absurd amount of work attached. So I must apologize. I honestly haven't had much time to write until now (though my schedule should be lightening up fairly soon). Anyway, here it goes. Hopefully it's good.

Disclaimer: Deifilia: "CrazyNinjaPenguin owns the original characters and elements within this story. He does not own the characters and elements originating from Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion."

Eldridge Delaney stood rigid, peering into the mirror. He closed his eyes after gazing deep into them for a while. It was as he feared. He would be dead soon. He could see his fate and after that his vision was blank.

He had had a long life, he supposed. He was prepared for the end. His sinful life just felt empty in retrospect. He had devoted his life to her. It had been a marriage arrangement that brought them together. Perhaps to him he really had been married to her back then, if not officially, in a spiritual sense. Regardless, he became bound to her, even after he became aware of the fact she would never be his.

That had been hard for him to bear. But he never resented her for it, nor did he resent the one she chose. he was just content that he kept him close, and he was honestly pleased when her beloved came to accept him as well.

He aided them in their struggles against society. He didn't have to. He had money. He could have avoided such conflict and lived peacefully. He would listen to them talk about the world, it's corruption, it's salvation, what could be done, what couldn't be done, what should be done, what had to be done. He took it all in, but the ideology, as fascinating as it was, never truly compelled him. Not until that day.

He could recall his last meeting with the witch. Verum Tutela headquarters, so many years ago. He could still hear the sounds of the gunshots, the soldiers stomping through that already burning building. He recalled the bitter look of regret, of defeat, on the girl's face.

But more than anything he recalled what she said to him as she grabbed him by the arm and shoved him into a hidden chamber, forcing a strange power deep into his being as she did. Right before Charles zi Britannia inevitably cut off any hopes of escape for the girl herself.

_"Keep Deifilia looking forward. Guide her heart where I no longer can," _the witch had said simply. "_That is the terms of our contract."_

He recalled those words the witch had said. He too recalled the words the witch hadn't said. He recalled the words he had put in her mouth, the reckless message he had on a whim conveyed to that woman he was so devoted to. The message that her heart, so thoroughly shattered, had believed without question.

_"Perhaps we were wrong in our approach. The want for a king's power is inherit to men. Maybe instead of getting rid of kings, God should instead get rid of the common men."_

He had been angry when he conceived those thoughts. He had just lost many friends. He had been given power, but he had no way of knowing what true power was. He thought he had lost her then. That she crawled alive from the burning rubble, it had just seemed his place to finally speak something he himself had thought.

But she had never listened to him, so it was attributed to the witch. It had made sense to him, the words. A king was someone greater then a simple man. Greed was natural in men's hearts. The power of a king was something to be coveted. Geass was known as the Power of the King and what Eldridge had observed, this description wasn't far off. Geass granted a man a power, a power no other man had. If every man had such a power, if every man were a king, the world would achieve a balance, an order within its own chaos.

If survival of the fittest was the way of the world and suddenly all men were given not only a means to survive but a unique tool, a personal path to personal greatness, then wouldn't the broken, lopsided, unfair game of life be evened out if only just a little? It was thinking in simple terms, but Eldridge had convinced himself then. And when he looked into her eyes for the first time with his power, when he caught blurred glimpses of a world, chaotic yet true, beautiful and not afraid of itself, a world of Kings, he decided he'd guide Deifilia Amarantha in creating it.

Besides, this was keeping his promise. If she were to look forward continually, Deifilia Amarantha needed a goal. She needed a vision. He gave it to her that day, and decided to live the rest of his life in guiding her toward it.

Years passed, his life became a fairly hollow existence, but still he remained committed to that vision. Even now, he had no doubts such a world would be better than the one that existed now.

But as it was, he could no longer see his vision of this world. That wasn't to say it couldn't happen any longer. He just couldn't see it. Eldridge's Geass had an important limitation. He could only see events that would happen within his own lifetime. Everything else blurred and then cut off.

He hadn't had a clear vision in weeks now. Today he found he could see nothing, but a few hours ahead into his own future. All he could see was his own death, and even that was blurred and hard to make out,. There was the only one clear thing. He was going to die shortly.

If the world he desired was to be formed, he would never know. He would never see it.

He was resigned to this fate. He didn't fight it. He did regret it. But he didn't regret his path. He didn't regret his decision. He had devoted himself to a woman who hardly noticed him any longer, a woman to whom he had always been little more than an object to. He had told her a lie which sparked a plan that would upheave the very order of the world. He regretted none of that, only that he wouldn't see the end.

Those thoughts in his head, he left his chamber, intent on seeing the woman he had lived his long and weary life for one last time before the end.

* * *

Megami felt surprisingly chill as she walked through the halls of Castle Amarantha, every step her and Chiharu took echoing through the empty corridors. She was afraid. Sure she was. Who wouldn't be at a time like this? But with Chiharu there she could stand it. She could walk through those corridors and keep herself together. Chiharu Ohgi was the only reason she could even hope to face that woman.

"So, do you have any ideas?" Megami asked as they walked. "I mean, she can kill us with a look? How do we beat that?"

"She can't see you," said Chiharu. "So she can't look you in the eyes."

"Good point," said Megami. "Without someone perceptive like Signa or Philip there close by, I theoretically could get close to her without getting killed, I suppose... but..."

"What do you do to take her out?" Chiharu asked. "That fear of yours... of killing... of spilling blood... I trust you're not just conveniently over it all of a sudden?"

"I-I..." Megami started, trembling. "I'm not sure... I'm not sure... even for her... even for that monster... that I'd be able to... I want her dead... trust me. But to... to do it with my own hands... I have no confidence I'd be able to do it cleanly... or even at all..."

"I don't hold it against you," said Chiharu. "The things you've seen, the pain of it... I can't expect that damage to just go away. But you're not alone here. You've got me. So you don't have to bloody your hands. i'll bloody mine."

"Yeah... but you don't have my Geass... She can still get to you... she'll kill you for sure," said Megami.

"I know..." said Chiharu.

"Then what are you going to do about it?" asked Megami, concerned.

Chiharu gave a full laugh. "You know, I haven't really thought that far ahead yet."

"C-Chiharu..." Megami started. "No heroics. I'd rather just run away right now then see you die..."

"It is an option, I suppose," said Chiharu stopping in her path.

"What's that?" asked Megami, confused.

"Running. The castle is empty. We could turn around, grab that child and just flee, hoping someone else conveniently takes care of Deifilia Amarantha," said Chiharu in a direct manner.

"No," Megami said. "We can't. As much as I've spent my life running, I can't run now. We have to keep moving forward. This is something we have to do. Me and you, Chiharu."

"I'm glad you realize that," said Chiharu. "We'll think of something, I'm-" Chiharu cut herself off abruptly at a strange sound. "You hear that?"

Megami listened closely. It was a whispered conversation. The echo made it audible but not so well as to hear what was being said. It was coming from a large hall at the end of the corridor they were currently traversing.

"Yeah... someone else in here?" she said. "You don't think it's Marcella?"

"I can't think of who else it'd be," Chiharu started, gritting her teeth. "And I was hoping there'd be no more obstacles..."

"You think you can take her as you are?" started Megami.

"Honestly?" Chiharu said shaking her head. "Not really. I'm still pretty exhausted from the workout your little sister gave me..."

"Then we better hope like hell it's not-," Megami started. She cut herself off when suddenly a figure appeared in the doorway. It was a young boy.

"We can hear you, you know," he said. "You're talking really loud."

Megami gave an awkward laugh. Chiharu on the other hand ran up and embraced the young boy.

"Katsuo Tohdoh?" she started, amazed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Let go of me!" the boy clamored, fighting the hold. It was cute. "Chiharu..."

Megami decided then to walk past the boy and into the open hall. She caught sight of a girl kneeling over another who was lying on the floor. The kneeling girl was instantly familiar. Marcella Belita, the one they had feared to meet. But there was something different about her. As Chiharu entered the room and put the boy down, he rushed toward Marcella.

"Hey, Sis! Look, it's what's her face, you know, Hiromi's friend," he said in purposeful disrespect as Chiharu scowled in disapproval at him.

Marcella looked up at them. She smiled. The smile was so pure. It became painfully apparent then that this wasn't Marcella Belita at all. This was Yasuko Tohdoh.

"Miss Chiharu..." Yasuko spoke as she stood and smiled at the woman she had once crushed on.

"Y-Yasuko... you're you again..." Chiharu started, breathless.

"It's all thanks to her..." Yasuko spoke, nodding to the girl lying on the floor. She was pale and bandaged in many spots, but breathing healthily in her sleep. She was Hildegarde Waldstein of Britannia. From her time in Britannia, Megami could recall the relationship her and Yasuko had. It made her feel warm inside thinking about it.

"True love prevails then?" Megami said, smiling.

Yasuko's face turned red. "Yeah," she said.

"Love?" Chiharu spoke. "This girl is...?"

"Hildegarde Waldstein," said Yasuko. "She's the one I chose in the end. She's brave, strong and so very beautiful. She's done nothing but save me since I met her. If it weren't for her... right now... I don't think I'd be able to go on..."

"Sis!" Katsuo whined, clearly not liking the way his sister spoke of her own life.

"That's beautiful," said Megami. "Love is beautiful."

"I suppose that means you still remember..." Chiharu spoke in a low voice.

"I wish I could forget. I wish I could pretend none of it was real. But I'm not so... I know what happened. I can recall it all so very clearly..." Yasuko said in a low voice.

"Yasuko," Chiharu spoke in a low voice. "I'm going to kill Deifilia Amarantha."

Yasuko gave a low gasp. "That's... that's..."

"Stupid... reckless... suicidal?" Chiharu laughed. "What?"

"All of the above!" Yasuko said harshly.

"We can't just leave her to her own devices..." said Chiharu. "You should know that more than anyone."

"I know..." said Yasuko. "I know. But still... that woman... she's..."

"Do you remember anything... anything at all we might be able to fight her with...?" asked Chiharu.

"How do you even begin with someone like that?" Yasuko started, clearly at a loss.

"Megami can get close without detection," said Chiharu. "But she won't be able to kill the woman directly."

"That's right... she might be able to..." Yasuko spoke. "There were some tranquilizers among the drugs I was given when my memories were beginning to resurface... That might work... I could lead you to the lab where they keep all that stuff..."

"You sure you can leave her side?" asked Chiharu, nodding toward Hildegarde.

"I know where that stuff is too," Katsuo said. "While I was possessed by that creep he had me use it on Sis... I'll guide you instead!"

"Heh, thanks," Yasuko said, smiling. It was very apparent she didn't want to leave her injured love's side.

Looking at the two of them, Megami smiled again.

"This is just what we needed to see," she said in a low voice.

"What's that?" Chiharu spoke, tilting her head.

"Proof that love really is all we need," the woman replied with a playful smile. Yasuko gasped.

"Chiharu! You and her are-?" she started with wide eyes.

"What are you saying?" Chiharu shook her head disdainfully. "You're giving her the wrong idea about us..."

"Am I really?" Megami teased. "Didn't someone promise me a kiss for when all this is done?"

"I-I-!" a flustered Chiharu failed to find the words to protest.

"I think you two work well together," Yasuko said smiling and giving a light giggle.

"I thought girls were supposed to like boys..." Katsuo said through a low sigh, shaking his head.

"Heh. Lead the way kid," Megami said to the boy. "Let's see what weapons we can find for this fight!"

"Y-yeah..." Chiharu spoke, struggling to collect herself. She was smiling even after the blush was gone.

Megami prayed for a miracle then. She hadn't ever been particularly faithful. She wasn't even sure what she believed in. But she felt it was worth a shot. After all, she didn't want this to be the last moment she could see that smile. She wanted to treasure that smile well into the future.

* * *

Richter Novak wore a stern expression as he stood rigidly beside the throne. He hadn't heard much of anything since the commotion in the castle had started. That said, he was positive it would be handled efficiently, even as he could see the fear on his wife's face growing with the sound of each gunshot in the distance.

"They can't win," he said. "This castle is stable. It's reinforced. The supply of guards we have at our disposal is virtually limitless."

"Sometimes I wonder if you're as smart as you think you are, Richter," Jacquelyn accosted, stomping her feet,.

"You honestly think to talk smart with me?" Richter spoke up. "I hope you don't think I married you for the thoughts swimming around in that pretty head of yours."

"Why, I never!" Jacquelyn stammered. "You'd talk to your beloved wife like that?"

"I'll speak as I please. It's your job simply to breathe," he said. "And not get in my way."

"You- you bastard!" the woman shouted. "I don't need you! I'll get a divorce!"

Richter laughed before laying on some canned charm. "I mean you no insult my dear, I wish only to reassure you."

"Oh... well you have a funny way of expressing it!" Jackie huffed.

"Then you'll do good not to question the things that I say," he said in a low voice. "Your husband does know what is best for you, after all."

"But if this was so simple... wouldn't the noise have already stopped?" she asked in terse words. "That's all I meant to express before you became so snippy with me."

"It won't be much longer now," said Richter. "Just listen. In a minute's time, the noise will stop. A minute later, we'll hear the footsteps of a messenger ready to notify us of our victory. Then this whole mess will be behind us. We have nothing to worry about."

"Hmmph! We'll see about that!" Jackie scoffed, but she quieted afterward

A minute was allowed to pass in silence. Sure enough, Richter was about on the money. It was almost exactly a minute later that the sounds of struggle seemed to cease. Loud footsteps at the gate sounded quickly after that. Richter smirked as the doors were flung open.

As two figures manifested in the door, that smirk wasn't so much silenced as it was brutally murdered. His eyes went wide as his blood burned with rage. This was impossible.

"Don't you think it's funny, Richter Novak? Don't you think it's humorous that's it's me standing here in the end? That it's me who is going to end your life today?" said a girl. Richter felt like vomiting at the sight of this girl. Why was this- no, how was this... how was it this girl had made it before him? How the fuck did this useless maggot make it so far? It was inconceivable...

"See! You were wrong, Richter! Who's the smart one now!" Jackie stammered, furious.

"I wouldn't gloat at such an oversight," said the other figure at the door, Princess Eilith vol Britannia. "It's really not that smart."

"Have anything to say before you die, Richter?" the insufferable, detestable creature standing in front of him spoke. He could feel his dormant rage building just looking at her. He was losing it. He was losing his mind. The sight of this girl before him, it was pushing him over the edge.

"You're wrong, you wretched pile of excrement! It's you who is going to die!" Richter shouted, fiercely. A group of around six soldiers filed into the room from the side entrances. "I have men on standby! You hideous, brainless cow! You honestly didn't think I was so retarded, so on _your_ level, that I would throw everything I have at a single fucking threat?"

"Richter..." Jacquelyn spoke, shocked. "I didn't know you could talk like that. S-she looks vaguely familar... Just who is this girl?"

"A rodent! A cockroach. A diseased, revolting cunt. A mindless juvenile leech who has no business being here, or continuing to breathe for that matter!" Richter fumed, well past his boiling point. He simply couldn't handle this. He had become unhinged. The simple thought that the one who had broken through his defenses, the one who had destroyed his every estimate, the one who had made it this far was the same insufferable little whore who like a retarded child had latched onto him in school was beyond infuriating and made every moment or every day so nauseating. It was too much. The mere sight of Margaret Enneagram at that moment made his skin crawl.

"Are you done with your foul little temper tantrum?" the girl asked in an unfazed voice. "I think you've proved to everyone here who the truly juvenile one is."

"You say that with six guns pointed at your head!" Richter shouted. "Men fire! Shoot this repugnant pile of filth until nothing remains! Rid me of her sight and stench once and for all!"

"Yes sir!" the soldiers said at once as they raised their guns, ready to fire.

* * *

Astrid had a solemn expression as she walked the corridors at Ava's side. She was ready for what was to come. She knew Ava was too. They hadn't spoken at all since leaving that room, leaving Ava's mother... But it didn't need to be said. Both of them were ready. Both were adamant.

"Astrid?" Ava spoke after some time had past.

"Yes?" Astrid replied readily.

"How should we fight someone like her?" she asked. "We don't even have a very good grasp of what she's capable of. Isn't this dangerous going in without some sort of plan?"

"I had figured you'd have something by now," Astrid said in a light voice.

"I wish we knew a little more of what we were up against," said Ava in a low voice.

"Always so lost and curious, you really never do change, I suppose," a voice started. Astrid shivered at the familiar sound. She hadn't expected to hear this voice. It surely hit Ava even harder. She looked genuinely spooked.

"I can't say I'm satisfied with how our contract's turned out, Witch," Ava spoke in a cold voice as she turned. Astrid followed suit. Before them stood a woman that Astrid hadn't seen, and hadn't missed, for a fair length of time, the witch, D.D..

"Don't you mean 'long time no see', my dear Empress," the witch said in a low sensual tease, moving in close toward Ava. Astrid raised her gun at once.

"You have some nerve appearing before me like this," Ava spoke coldly. "Last I checked you had become a servant of my enemy."

"I don't know where you get your information, Empress, but it's not very good," the witch said with a laugh. "Besides, you should recall from experience that I'm not the type to be anyone's servant."

"Then explain yourself," said Ava. "We had a contract. Yet you've made no effort to return to my side."

"You're the one who proved to be a poor contract, Empress," said the witch. "You're too demure for my tastes. You hardly kept me satisfied in any way that compares to how I am pampered here."

"What of your promise to Ellesmere?" Ava started. "You'd serve the one who found you."

"I kept my word. The old fool never said I couldn't serve someone else as well," the witch laughed. "Besides, it's not like that man or any other has truly meant anything to me. I agreed to his demands mostly because a long nap sounded refreshing."

"Insufferable," said Astrid curtly.

"Say what you will. I know no obligation," said D.D.. "Not to you, Empress. Not to anyone."

"Not to Deifilia Amarantha?" Ava started, tilting her head.

"Certainly not," said D.D. readily.

"Then help us fight her!" Astrid demanded.

"I haven't a reason to," said D.D. "Ava li Britannia, Deifilia Amarantha, neither means a thing to me. Both are just transient humans. Pretty for now, but easily replaced in the end."

"If I were to pleasure you would you help us?" Ava started in a low voice. Astrid was stunned to hear such a thing be suggested.

"You'd go down on me right now, in the conditions you're in, after all that serious business just now, all while your pretty little girlfriend watches?" D.D. laughed harshly.

"So you've been watching us?" Ava asked, surprised.

"This old castle holds a lot of new toys. There are cameras in a lot of the rooms. It's necessary for the woman in charge to keep all her little toys in check and see that they don't act up," said D.D. "Today's certainly been a lot of fun to watch. Tearful reunions and harrowing, desperate struggles all around. It's better than that television thing you humans seem to be so fond of these days."

"I suppose it's all the same to one such as yourself," said Ava. "All the same, my offer still stands."

"You mean pleasuring me?" D.D. laughed. "Wouldn't that be fun..." she looked at Astrid. "What do you say about it, cutie?"

"I'll do it in Ava's place, if you desire," Astrid said readily. This wasn't the time to protest such trivial things if it could bring them a step closer to what they needed. Ava realized this, it seemed. Astrid was right there with her.

"Oh, how cute," the witch said. "I could have my pick then? You two have changed I suppose, or maybe you're just desperate..."

"So who will it be then?" Astrid asked, ready to drop to her knees.

"I can tell it's not just desperation with this girl," said D.D. stepping forward and rubbing two fingers down Astrid's cheek. "She's become a lot prettier since I saw her last. It's nice."

"Then you want her?" Ava started. "Perhaps you want us both to do it?"

"You're not even blushing," D.D. said with a laugh, moving toward Ava. She placed a hand on the girl's breast. She didn't flinch. "How funny. How exciting."

"If you'd rather molest me, I won't fight that either," said Ava in a low voice. "I'll take any blow to my dignity you'll push upon me if it means acquiring and advantage in the fight."

"Oh?" D.D. started excitedly. "Why don't you little cuties follow me then, I'd just love to show you something really neat."

"As you wish, Witch," Ava said in a low voice.

"Yes," said Astrid nodding.

The two of them followed the witch closely down a side corridor. They then traversed a long staircase and then began down a longer corridor. They just kept walking.

"Do you mean to take us so far from our path, Witch?" Ava asked.

"Path? Do you honestly even know where that woman is?" D.D. asked with a laugh. "I really might be leading you to her as we speak."

"You wouldn't!" Astrid started.

"Would I?" D.D. laughed. "It's your call whether or not you trust me. I honestly wouldn't blame you if you sprinted in the opposite direction."

"We'll follow you," Ava said. Astrid wasn't as sure this was right. The cursed witch really could be leading them unprepared to their enemy.

"Heh. Suit yourself," D.D. said. with a smirk. "Here we are."

She nodded toward a large metal door. She pulled a key out from between her breasts and inserted it in the lock.

"I'm not sure about this Ava," Astrid said in a low voice.

"I'm ready," said Ava. "No matter what's behind that door, I'm prepared."

"I see..." Astrid started. Finding her focus, just as the witch opened the door. "I'm ready too."

"Here you are," the witch said, stepping into the room, leading the other two in after her.

Astrid's eyes went wide. What was this? The room was filled with strange machinery. A massive computer took up an entire side of a large room. An odd machine Astrid couldn't recognize was on the other.

"What is all this, Witch?" Ava started, tilting her head as she looked at the machine.

"Something quite interesting the woman pieced together," said D.D. with a smirk. "It's a witch."

"What? What do you mean by that?" Astrid spoke, confused.

"I mean what I say," said D.D. with a smile. "All this metal, somehow it's the same as me, a witch. This bit is her body," she said looking at the strange device. Turning to the computer, she added. "And this is her brain."

"I don't understand! What are you saying?" Ava started in a low voice.

"I'm not using hard words, Empress. Aren't you supposed to be smart or something?" the witch laughed.

"This is a witch?" Ava repeated. "Deifilia Amarantha has had an artificial... this is a machine for granting Geass by artificial means?"

"Sure. That sounds about right," said D.D.. "Isn't that just fascinating? I never would have dreamed that with a little metal you could just build one of us. Humans can truly be interesting sometimes."

"Is this the only one of these?" Ava asked, almost speechless.

"No, there are lots of them. The body at least I mean," said D.D. with a smile. "There's only one brain. She said something about it being a network... or something like that."

"My god..." said Ava. "This is... just what is this woman planning."

"Oh, she wants to have these things all over the world, openly, freely accessible," said D.D. nodding. "That's what she says at least."

Ava's eyes went wide. "T-this is your plan, Deifilia Amarantha?" she spoke, trembling. "This is... this is..."

"Pretty cool, huh?" D.D. spoke. "They had to put me in some tube and look into my head to finish the thing up. Before that, it didn't work so good apparently. Only a couple successes were recorded."

"Conquering the world to give it Geass..." Ava started. "This really was your enemy, Mother..."

"It makes sense I suppose then. So that's why she's not having the EU hold it's conquered territories. The war was only to spread these about..." said Astrid in a quiet voice.

"I never would have dreamed..." Ava started. "That this is even possible..."

"Me neither," said D.D. "You humans can make things. Interesting things. If you have no other worth, you have that."

"But how does a computer emulate a witch? My understanding isn't great, but that doesn't..." Ava said in a low voice.

"It's because they used a witch to make it. A woman named F.F.," said D.D. "I actually met her centuries ago. She was a funny girl. In over her head. Kind of a lot like you, Empress. She was naïve. She wanted to change the world. She was so very invested in your transient world even after she became immortal."

"What do you mean used to make it?" Astrid started unsure what to make of this.

"Apparently the Emperor twenty years ago was a real jerk or something to us witches. He already had a couple, so he used F.F. for a bunch of experiments. Broke the poor girl's mind. Our friend Amarantha and her little friends found her and made her into this computer thing somehow. It now houses her consciousness and her Code and is able to use them to make contracts through this network thing."

"So there are actually organic components to this thing..." Ava said, looking sickened. "Freak science. A psychotic vision. I'm beginning to grow even more disgusted with this woman than I already was."

"She was totally in love with the witch in there too, which just makes it even juicer as I see it," said D.D. "She won't shut up about her, even when I reiterate that I don't care."

"So what do we do with this?" Astrid asked in a low voice. "How do we use it to get our advantage?"

"What can Deifilia Amarantha do with her Geass?" asked Ava in a low voice.

"Kill you," said the witch playfully, offering no further explanation.

"I'll take your word for it," said Ava looking down, giving a harsh laugh.

"I'll connect myself in," said Astrid, knowing Ava would protest. "If I acquire Geass, it might be just what we need."

"No, Astrid... I don't want that for you," said Ava in a low voice. "Instead, let me connect."

"But you already have Geass, Ava..." Astrid spoke. "What would that do?"

"Probably nothing. Maybe I'm just being silly," said Ava in a low voice. "I just want to try it before I subject you to such a thing."

"You don't have to protect me from this burden Ava," said Astrid shaking her head. "I'm ready for this."

"I won't get in your way should this fail," said Ava. She glanced at the witch. "I have a question, Witch."

"Yes, Empress?" D.D. asked with a smirk.

"In your long life, have you ever observed what occurs when two witches try to make a contract with the same human?" Ava asked.

"It doesn't work like that, Empress," said the witch shaking her head dismissively. "You can't just give yourself two Geass..."

"That isn't what I'm asking. Has it ever been tried?" Ava said simply.

"Not that I'm aware of," said D.D. "But it's not going to work. Geass is a unique power. It's manifestation depends on the person, not the witch. You can't have two such powers."

"I don't want two Geass," said Ava. "I was thinking about it. If a Geass contract can be initiated by some machine, there has to be a physical something that makes the contract. Something the witch changes in the mind. A trigger she pulls. I'm just curious what would happen if that trigger were pull a second time."

"So you want F.F. to pull your trigger, Empress?" the witch said with a sexual giggle.

"She's become a machine. Automated. A normal witch wouldn't bother, but machine's operate on process. If you give a robot a gun and run a process to tell it to fire it will fire, even if there are no bullets," Ava said in a low voice.

"And you don't think Amarantha thought of this?" Astrid questioned, concerned.

"Maybe she has. Maybe she's already used it like this. I don't know, it's at least worth a try," said Ava.

"Ava, you're right this is a machine... it won't know when to stop... it might hurt you..." said Astrid. "I don't want to see that. Even if it could change your Geass or make it stronger, it's far less risky to just give me Geass."

"Perhaps, but it's a blind risk," said Ava. "We have know way of knowing what you're Geass would be, Astrid. It's a gamble. It could be useless to us. Worse yet, it could change you in a way I don't like."

"You're being selfish, Ava," Astrid said.

"I know," said Ava. "Indulge me this once."

Astrid gave a sigh. "Honestly..."

"I love you, Astrid," Ava said in a low voice. Astrid shook her head.

"Alright, if you must," said Astrid. "But if this ends up doing absolutely nothing, I'm going to laugh at you."

"Fair enough," said Ava as she walked toward the machine. She opened the door to the small chamber and crawled into it, lying inside.

"Even if your Geass does evolve, what good is that?" D.D. started in with a laugh. "It's not exactly the most useful Geass. How is it going to evolve into anything more useful?"

"You've underestimated my Geass from the beginning witch," said Ava as she got into position. "For some reason, I feel this will definitely be enough."

"Whatever you say," the witch said, laughing.

"I suppose I'll try and work this thing," Astrid said as she moved over to the controls. "You wouldn't know how to work it?" she asked the witch.

"Not at all, " said the witch with a laugh. Astrid sighed. She turned the computer on and watched it boot up. It seemed to be working fairly independently. This was good, as anything too complicated would have been beyond her.

Moving toward the machine itself, she deduced that's where it was controlled from here. It made sense given the network setup. Astrid found a small input panel. Luckily enough there were input instructions right at the side of the panel. Astrid supposed this was logical as well given these were to be mass produced and distributed world round. They couldn't be so hard to use. Silently, she engaged the process.

The machine lit up and made some noises. After a few moments it stopped.

"I don't feel any different," Ava said from inside the machine. "I felt something, but it didn't last very long. Then it just stopped."

"See, this is stupid, Ava, let's stop it," Astrid said.

"Astrid, do it again," said Ava. "Do it again, but this time hold the button down. Keep the process engaged."

Astrid gulped. She shook her head. "I can't do that. There's a chance it will hurt you... I can't hurt you, Ava."

"I'll hurt you!" D.D. said enthusiastically. "Let me push the little button. I want to see what curious sort of thing happens..."

"But..." Astrid started.

"Let her do it," Ava said. Astrid sighed and stepped aside.

"Please be okay," she said as the witch pressed the button, holding it down completely.

The machine started again. It didn't stop either. It kept going and going. Ava started to scream. Astrid flinched. The screams grew deeper, she ran toward the witch to pry her from the panel but just as she was about to, the screams stopped. Her heart sank as she prepared for the worst. She flung the chamber of the machine open and pulled Ava out with all the strength she could muster.

Ava collapsed to her knees. She was pale, but she was alive. She wasn't responsive at first. Then suddenly she bent forward and started to vomit uncontrollably. After that she began to pant hard.

"Ava... Ava, please be alright," Astrid begged. "I can't... I can't do anything without you..."

"I'm... I'm okay..." said Ava in a weak voice. "I think..."

"Ava!" Astrid started, embracing her beloved fiercely.

"That certainly wasn't a lot of fun," said Ava in a heavy voice. "My head is pounding..."

"We can rest for now, Ava... just so long as your okay," said Astrid.

"Did it work?" D.D. asked cooly.

"I met her..." said Ava. "We connected... I met her for a few moments... I saw her pain..."

"But have you changed?" said the witch. "Was that trigger of yours pressed?"

"Do my eyes look different?" Ava asked, looking up at the witch.

"Slightly," said D.D.

"Lie to me, Astrid," said Ava in a low voice.

_"I hate you, Ava,"_ Astrid thought. But the words didn't come. She didn't get past the "I". She couldn't articulate the thought. "I can't, Ava. I'm physically unable to."

"So that's different," said Ava. She gave a weak laugh. "Kind of gives me an unfair advantage in our relationship."

Astrid shook her head. She liked being honest with Ava. She had nothing to hide from her beloved. She didn't care if she couldn't lie to her.

"So what happens when you actively engage your Geass now?" said D.D. with a smile.

"Let's see," said Ava making eye contact. Astrid stared back unafraid. Ava's eye widened. Then suddenly something pulsed deep inside of her. Something unstoppable.

Next thing she knew, Astrid had leapt upon her beloved, pinning her crudely to the ground. Her tongue was thrust deep into the girl's mouth as she kissed her roughly. Her knee went to separate Ava's leg, rubbing into her as one of her hands went to push up Ava's shirt. She simply couldn't stop herself.

Ava forced her eyes closed and the intense desire faded in Astrid. She pried herself from Ava and moved back. Ava sat up and readjusted her shirt.

"You have to stop? I thought I was going to see something good..." said D.D. teasingly.

"I'm glad I'm able to right now," said Astrid in a low voice, covering her mouth. "Ava's mouth tastes pretty disgusting right now."

"I'm sure it does," said Ava seemingly not offended. "But I suppose that's how it's changed. Rather than you being simply compelled to tell truths to me, you actively pursue your deepest desires when it switches on."

"Will that make any difference with Amarantha?" asked Astrid.

"I don't know. I won't know until we talk to her," said Ava.

"So what now?" asked Astrid.

"Give me a moment to rest, Astrid. I'll be ready shortly," said Ava in a low voice.

"Heh, this should be an interesting little show," said D.D. "I wonder how it will unfold..."

"Just for your amusement then? That's the only reason you helped us?" Astrid started.

"That's all there is to anything with me, haven't you figured that out?" D.D. laughed. "It's more interesting this way then it would be were you to face her unprepared and just end up dead. It's more fun."

"And what about after this? What will you do then?" Astrid asked.

"I don't know. Nothing that concerns you. I'm in the mood for a change. I doubt I'll be sticking around your sorry faces very long," the witch laughed coldly. "Nor will I stick with that woman should she beat you. I get bored you see. I never stay with anyone so long."

"You're truly a despicable person, Witch, but you really did help us today," said Ava.

"It wasn't so selfless," said D.D. "I do still remember that offer of pleasuring, actually."

"What?" Astrid started.

"I'll let you do it, sweetheart. That way your dear empress can have her rest," D.D. laughed.

"After all that... you're still going to..." Ava spoke.

"Very well," Astrid said in a low voice as she crawled toward the woman, until she was between her legs, ready to do the deed.

"This should be fun," D.D. cooed as a hand went to the back of Astrid's head, bringing her forward.

* * *

"Hold your fire!" Eilith shouted out, stepping forward in front of Margaret, who nodded contently. "Think about it. You guys can't gun down a member of the Britannia royal family, can you?"

The six men all seemed to flinch.

"This princess is a traitor to the crown! She's a criminal who is instigating a rebellion against my authority! She's no more sacred now then any other piece of trash! Destroy her!" Jacquelyn commanded angrily, standing from her throne.

"Is that what you have to say, Empress?" said Eilith with a smile. "Weren't you a traitor instigating rebellion not so long ago yourself? No, that's not right. It wasn't so much a rebellion as you supporting the invasion of Britannia by a foreign power."

"It's irrelevant! I have the power now, so my word is law!" said Jacquelyn stomping her foot. "These men are all mine! This castle is all mine! This Empire is all mine! Mine! It's all mine and there's nothing some sham commoner princess like you can do to take it away from me!"

Margaret laughed as she heard the words. Between this spoiled princess and Richter, who had lost himself to madness in seeing her appear in front of him, the current Britannian rulers certainly didn't seem to have a lot of class.

"The Empress sure is an ugly person," Margaret said. "Such antics hardly make one likable."

"What does a brainless, worthless whore like you know about being attractive or liked? You'll never be either to anyone given how obnoxious the sound of your voice is and how repulsing the very sight of you is to the stomach," said Richter. "Not that you'll survive a moment more." he turned to the soldiers. "Men, I believe I gave an order!"

"How mature," said Margaret, who wasn't being shot by soldiers despite the man's insistence. "I might have really been brainless at one point. How else could I have ever liked someone like you? It just doesn't compute."

"Kill these traitorous scum now!" Jacquelyn mi Britannia roared futilely.

"You know Richter, I'm happy now. I met someone I love. Someone who loves me. Someone who makes me happy. She doesn't see the horrible thing you seem to when looking at me," said Margaret smiling. "So that's why you're frantic insults strike me as tragically quaint. The mad incoherent blabbering of a delusional snotty fool who doesn't realize yet that he's lost."

"I will never lose to you! Never!" Richter screamed. "Kill her now!"

"A crown with no support is hollow," said Eilith. "You two really aren't that smart. These men have already figured it out."

With that, the six soldiers all lowered their guns entirely.

"What are you doing? You dare defy your Empress? Jacquelyn mi Britannia commands you! Shoot this enemy down!" Jacquelyn shouted, stepping forward. Eilith moved swiftly, drawing her short blade. It was stabbing deep into the foul girl's heart before she even knew it.

The empress staggered back as blood poured from the massive wound delivered to her. She opened her mouth, but no words could escape it, just a final gasp before she collapsed to the floor at the foot of the throne. Blood poured out of her body and onto the already red carpet as life left it forever.

"Jacquelyn..." Richter started, shaking, frightened, looking like a trapped child.

"I, Eiltih vol Britannia hereby proclaim myself Empress of Britannia till such time a more suited individual can take the throne in my stead!" Eilith declared proudly.

"No..." Richter started, panting, desperately. He tried running toward one of the side exits. The soldiers blocked his path. "God damn it! Out of my way! I don't want to die!"

"Richter Novak, you are a pathetic man," said Margaret. "A truly pitiable creature hardly worth killing."

"You fucking bitch!" Richter shouted, suddenly pulling a gun and pointing it at Margaret. He fired it.

One of the soldiers bat his arm down so all he hit was the floor. Margaret shook her head and stepped forward. She drew her sword and with one swift motion she stepped forward, into a full thrust.

"With this, I kill my weakness, Richter Novak," she said. "That's all you life was in the end. A milestone for a girl you despised."

Richter couldn't escape the blade. It pierced him deeply and the life left him immediately. Margaret smirked and removed her blade, allowing the corpse to fall to the ground in a bunch.

"Alright, men," Eilith started. "Gather everyone you can and convey what happened here. See to tending the wounded. Save as many lives as you can." She laughed. "And send someone to take care of these ugly corpses before they become too rank."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the men all said at once and left. Eilith sat upon the throne then and let herself finally breathe. Margaret allowed herself to relax as well.

"Well that was kind of intense," said Margaret.

"But it went well," said Eilith. "Somehow we pulled it off. I'm impressed."

"How's it feel to be the Empress of Britannia?" asked Margaret.

"God, don't even ask," Eilith said. "The mere thought of it's beyond the comprehension of a simple girl like me."

"Simple? You're incredible," said Margaret. "You royals, you and Ava that is, not that dead cow over there, are truly on another level from the rest of us."

"Well thanks," said Eilith. "I guess an Empress needs all the confidence boosts she can get."

"So what now?" started Margaret.

"We get in contact with Lord Weinberg or whoever we can. We try and set this thing right for when Ava returns," said Eilith with a smirk.

"And if she doesn't return?" Margaret asked.

"Well then I'm certainly in for a trip..." Eilith said scratching the back of her head and laughing. "This really isn't supposed to be a long term thing, you know..."

"Heh," Margaret nodded. "Ava will return. Like you, she's too incredible to fail."

"Someone doesn't even realize how cool she just was," said Eilith. "Incredible applies to you as well I'd say after what I just observed."

"Heh, perhaps so," said Margaret.

"I wonder if Cross is dead yet," Eilith after a pause.

"Worried about him?" Margaret laughed.

"Kinda," Eilith admitted. "That's silly isn't it? He's a fucking superhuman."

"I'm worried about Amelia. I think I may go check on them. See what I can do to help get things in order, and all that," said Margaret in a low voice.

"Cool," she said. "I guess the proper thing for us Empresses to do is just sit here though..."

"You never struck me as the type to do what's proper," said Margaret.

"True," said Eilith finding her feet. "Let's go."

Margaret laughed and the two of them left the throne room.

* * *

Deifilia sat patiently in her special chamber, the chamber she had prepared should anyone get close to her. They were getting close. Lots of things had been broken. She was still confident in her plan reaching fruition though. She'd just have to take care of these threats herself.

The chamber assured that. It was coated in mirrors. The walls, the floor, the ceilings, they were all angled mirrors. There was nowhere anyone could hide in the chamber where Deifilia couldn't look into their eyes. She was unstoppable in this room. No one would be able to avoid her gaze.

Footsteps in the distance grew closer. Someone would be here shortly. Deifilia smiled. It would be good to stop this threat finally. She needed to restructure. The machine made producing new servants effortless, she just needed to find worthy ones. Then she'd be back on top, nothing having changed. She just needed to trap the rats that were scampering toward her. It hardly seemed a difficult task.

The door to her chamber was then violently flung open.

"I've come for your head, Amarantha!" a voice shouted in boldly. Deifilia laughed. How quaint. She looked at Chiharu Ohgi's face, so determined, so serious. Her fear so far suppressed, ready to make her valiant stand. She looked cute, really. It was funny. She was wearing a blindfold across her eyes. This girl thought she could fight blind? How silly.

"You certainly look cute today, Chiharu," Deifilia said with a laugh. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'm going to kill you right here and now, Amarantha," she said. "In a few moments, your head is going to be separated from your neck by my fist. If you have any last words, I'd say them now."

"So determined," said Deifilia with a cool laugh. "Where's Ashlynn? I was under the impression you two were joined at the hip."

"She was gravely wounded," said Chiharu. "I had to leave her behind."

"Oh, I see," said Deifilia with a smirk. "Now isn't that unfortunate? Poor child."

"I wouldn't be worrying about Megami right now," said Chiharu. "I'm serious when I said I'd be killing you shortly."

"However do you plan to hit me, Chiharu? You can't see through that blindfold," said Deifilia, shaking her head

"It's simple," said Chiharu. "I have a trick up my sleeve that will ensure my hit."

"Oh? How curious," Deifilia said. "I'd love to see such a thing."

"Alright then." said Chiharu. "Observe." With that, Chiharu raised her hand slowly.

Deifilia, without turning or flinching reached up and grabbed the invisible arm holding a tranquilizer just over her neck. As Ashlynn's pretty face became visible under her hard grip, she looked over her shoulder and made eye contact with the woman.

She didn't kill Ashlynn. She just put her in extraordinary pain. Ashlynn was worthless. Killing her outright would just be boring. The girl screamed in extraordinary pain. Deifilia kicked her away, delivering a boot to the stomach. The tranquilizer fell to the ground below and shattered.

"I-It failed..." Chiharu started, reaching for her blindfold...

"Don't take it off, Chiharu!" Ashlynn managed between tortured screams.

"Of course it failed," Deifilia said with a laugh. "I'm not an idiot, Chiharu Ohgi. I'm not a child. I'm not so easily duped by something so simple. What, did you honestly think I'd conveniently forget about Ashlynn's little trick? I knew the second that I saw you there alone that she was inching toward my neck."

"You bitch!" Chiharu roared as she rushed forward, into a heavy punch. As the girl was blind, it was very easy to side step this. The girl's fist collided with one of the mirror walls and shattered a section of it. Still Chiharu threw another punch and then another.

Soon she was punching at air, breaking mirror after mirror while Deifilia laughed. She pulled a sleek, compact handgun from her side. She detested such base weapons, but she wasn't above using them.

"I don't need your eyes to hurt you, Chiharu," Deifilia said before shooting the girl in the thigh. She screamed out in shocked pain, her screams and Ashlynn's forming a shrill harmony.

"Curse you, you monster!" Ashlynn shouted. Deifilia sent another painful impulse into the girl's nerve center. She cried out in delicious agony. Deifilia laughed.

"Where did you two become so deluded?" said Deifilia. "I expected better from you at least, Ashlynn. I thought you knew that I was above you. That you would never kill me. That could never beat me. You're too weak. Too slow. Too useless."

"Fuck you!" Chiharu shouted violently as she pushed herself past her pain threshold and found her feet. Throwing another punch in the direction of Deifilia's voice. Deifilia was barely prepared for this one, but she managed a dodge. The fist broke another mirror. Chiharu's hand was bleeding. Deifilia sent a second bullet into the girl's other thigh and she was on the floor in pain again.

"Dogs really should learn when they should just stay down," Deifilia said. She gave a laugh and stepped forward. The cries had gone from amusing and were starting to become annoying. "I think it's about time I silence you. It's obvious you can't be reformed as servants."

She moved toward Ashlynn and picked her up by the collar of her jacket, so they were face to face.

"Poor Ashlynn," she said. "To think after such sweet history between us I now have to kill you..."

A gunshot sounded then. Deifilia winced. What was this? She had been grazed by a bullet. There was blood on her cheek. She looked toward the door.

"I apologize, love," a voice said. "The mirrors make this room distorted. My aim was off."

"So much for an easy win," another voice sighed. "But I suppose I wasn't expecting it to be easy."

"What's this?" Deifilia started, throwing Ashlynn to the floor, still screaming. She was shocked. There, standing with her eyes closed was Ava li Britannia, her knight standing boldly at her side. Her eyes closed too immediately when Deifilia looked toward them. "Nemesio didn't kill you? After all that, that silly man couldn't even realize his revenge when I handed it to him on a silver platter."

"Belisario Nemesio is dead," said Ava li Britannia in a low voice. "So is my mother." She paused a moment and then added. "So too will you be shortly."

"Oh?" Deifilia started. "And how can you of all people stop me? You're but a naïve, stupid princess! You're my puppet, an empty little nothing I strung along and exploited, used for my own means and fed to a rabid dog! You honestly think you can do anything, Ava li Britannia!"

"Yes," said the girl steadily. "I do."

Ava's eyes slowly opened.

A/N: End chapter. Two chapters left. Obviously a resolution and an epilogue. Should be fun stuff. There was a lot of fun dialog here. I particularly loved D.D.'s presence. She's a lot of twisted fun. Richter's breakdown and eventual fall were also fun to write there. It was kind of fun thinking up the most unpleasant things I could for him to shout at Margaret.

Anyway, I have an announcement to make, so listen up!. As there are just two chapters of this left, some of you may be asking what I have planned next. I was initially going to go off and start another long story based on the anime/visual novel Fate/Stay Night, but particulars brought that story to something of a halt for me. Instead, I've decided to do something else for now.

I will be taking a break from fanfiction (at least from any serious projects) after this work is completed. Instead, I will be writing a work of original fiction that I will publish on fictionpress (I'm CrazyNinjaPenguin over there too). This is a first ever thing for me, but it seems like it will be fun. My story is going to be a sort of fantasy/adventure type thing with definite romantic threads. It will be mostly yuri, but not exclusively so this time.

I won't go into more details here. If you are interested to learn more, go to my profile. Click the link to go to the Glorious Escapism Roleplay forum. I have made an explanatory post on that forum, discussing the project in detail. I'm even accepting character submissions to the project if you want to become involved in it. While you're there on the forum feel free to stay and hang out with us. We're pretty cool. Kinda.

Hell, even if you're not interested in my original story feel free to check us out, we could use more members.


	50. Turn 49: Goddess

A/N: More delays... But here it is. The penultimate chapter of _Code Geass: Age of the Chaotic Truth_. Just one more after this, and that will just be a shorter epilogue type thing. So, here goes nothing. Enjoy. Oh. This one also contains sexiness toward the end.

Disclaimer: Ava: "The writer of _Code Geass: Age of the Chaotic Truth _owns the characters and elements original to the story. Do not use them without permission. He however does not own the characters and elements first presented in the work on which the work is based, _Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion_. This is solely a fan work."

Kallen Kozuki had a despondent look on her face as she leaned over some railing on a Britannian battleship. She and Weinberg and the senior members of the former Absolution had effectively been imprisoned there since the end of the last battle. None of them were allowed to leave. It had clearly been deemed that they could pose a threat to the new order. Kallen was getting sick and tired of sitting around there waiting, unable to do anything.

Giving a sigh, she turned around. Gino was walking toward her with a grin on his face, flanked by his two subordinates, Mara and Arnette. She felt like rolling her eyes already. Nevertheless, she made eye contact.

"There's news to report, General Kozuki," said the Knight of One with a nod.

"Oh? What kind of news?" asked Kallen in a somewhat cynical voice.

"We've received a change of orders," said Gino. "We're no longer on standby. We're to report to the Empress at once."

"I see," Kallen sighed. "I suppose Jacquelyn mi Britannia is ready to spill out our fates then..."

"Jacquelyn mi Briannia is dead," said the gruff Vesta Arnette in a direct voice. She was smiling.

"Dead?" Kallen started, shocked. "When did this happen?"

"She was assassinated only moments ago. Not even the public knows yet," said the kind faced Llewellyn Mara.

"Assassination?" Kallen said with a nod. "So Ava li Britannia has returned to the throne, I take it?"

"That one's still M.I.A.," said Gino with a laugh. "Nope, whether it's permanent or not, seems like we saw our third passing of the crown in less than a year."

"Eilith vol Britannia is...?" Kallen spoke, it taking a moment to sink in.

"That's right. The so called 'Lost Princess' currently sits atop the throne," said Weinberg with a nod.

"That's good news," said Kallen. "If there's anyone who deserves the power it's that girl."

"She left that strong an impression on you, eh?" Gino started, smiling.

"In a short time she helped to ease Hiromi's fury while helping Xuemei regain her focus. She's bright and very fair," said Kallen.

"I was in charge of finding her when she was 'Lost'," said Gino with a smile. "I suppose I deserve the credit then."

Kallen shook her head at the man. She was smiling though. For once there was good news. "But I don't understand. How did that girl ever...?"

"She had a lot of help, from the report I received," a deep voice started. Kallen turned to see Jeremiah Gottwald walking slowly toward them. His wife Sayoko was at his side.

"You're well, Gottwald?" started Gino.

"I've recovered," said the other man. "It was a lot of pain, but the physical damage was minimal."

"I still can't believe that your Geass Canceler just failed like that out there," said Kallen. "That was truly a blow to us."

"You can't expect any piece of advanced technology to function perfectly after 20 years of not being touched," said Gottwald, his hand going to the device in his eye. "It was horrible timing, but it was bound to start failing eventually."

"But enough of that," said Sayoko, obviously excited for the news. "We received word that our Amelia was critical in the successful assassination of the Empress."

"You don't say?" said Kallen, nodding. "But that wouldn't be enough, just her..."

"Her friend Margaret helped," said Sayoko. "So did the Knight of Twelve."

"Cross, eh?" Gino smiled. "That explains how they did it."

"You get the feeling from that man it's the only sort he has, but in the area of competence for the fight, there are few men superior I've come across," said Gottwald in a steady voice.

"So those four are alright..." said Kallen. "It's a pity we've heard nothing of any of the others. I'd at least like a confirmation..."

"Your young daughters?" Gottwald spoke in a low voice. Kallen looked down.

"General Kozuki," a voice started in. Kallen turned to see Anya Alstreim moving quickly toward her.

"Yes?" she started, head tilted.

"We've regained communication channels with _Aife_," said the woman.

Kallen's eyes went wide.

"Well isn't that a fun coincidence?" Gino laughed.

"They're going to initiate contact shortly," Anya said. "I thought you'd want to know."

"Thank you," said Kallen with a faint smile. "I'm definitely coming for this."

"Come. Let's go then," said Gino. "I'm sure we're all curious as to what's happened out there."

"Yeah," said Mara, nodding. So did many others.

Anya smiled and turned around. She led them to the communications room. Kallen stepped immediately before the monitor while the others stayed back.

"Initiate contact with _Aife," _Kallen ordered the soldier working the monitors.

"Yes, ma'am," the soldier nodded. He opened the channel and a view of the knightmare's cockpit became clear. It seemed empty at first.

"Katsumi?" Kallen started. "You there?"

"Yup," a voice said. Then a girl popped up suddenly, having hidden just under the sight of the onboard camera. She was smiling. Kallen smiled too. So much weight had just been lifted off of her. Even if she hadn't seen her other girl yet, Katsumi was smiling. That meant the other was safe.

"What sort of trouble have the two of you gotten yourself into?" Kallen asked, effectively holding back waves of emotion with a low laugh. She'd save her tears for when both this girl and her sister were back in her arms.

"Trouble?" Katsumi started, smiling and tilting her head mischievously. "Oh..." she spoke and ducked down out of sight again. "This!"

Katsumi popped back up, but this time with another woman beside her. She was a woman in her thirties with black hair. Kallen did a double take. This was...!

"President Sumeragi...?" she started in disbelief.

"You're right, Katsumi. Hiding was definitely worth that look of shock," the Japanese President spoke with a cheery smile and soft laugh.

"What is going on...?" asked Kallen, stupefied.

"Your daughters are heroes, General Kozuki," said Kaguya. "Thanks to them the Tianzi, myself and the rest of the persons of importance imprisoned in the EU have been freed."

"They did all that on their own?" Gino started from nearby, impressed.

"Not alone," said Katsumi, shaking her head. "We had lots of help. Hiromi, Xuemei and Chaowei all chipped in... and..."

"We received an unexpected hand from the former Britannian Knight of Six," said Kaguya.

"The traitor? The one who defeated both me and Anya?" Sayoko spoke up, tilting her head.

"She took a bullet for the Tianzi," said Kaguya. "I suppose her betrayal wasn't as clean as the enemy would have liked."

"She's dead then?" asked Anya in a low voice.

"I'm afraid so," said Kaguya.

"I'm surprised," said Gino. "Rowena Winfield was a proud woman. Her choosing Britannia in the end is not so shocking. But the Tianzi is not Britannia." He looked down. "I always thought her a selfish woman. Perhaps I was mistaken."'

"Is everyone else in good health?" Kallen asked, suddenly concerned for her subordinates.

"Chaowei was injured pretty bad in the crossfire, but his life isn't in danger now that we've reached safety," said Katsumi. "Hiromi and Xuemei are pretty much unharmed. Sis is a little shaken up, but it could have been much worse for the two of us..."

"I see," said Kallen in a low voice. "Where are you right now?"

"Still in the EU. Lying low. We're trying to secure passage back to Japan," said Katsumi.

"I'm surprised you're safe then," said Gino. "I would think they'd be hunting you like crazy."

"Something seems amiss in the EU right now," said Kaguya in a low voice. "We're almost able to hide in plain sight without soldiers so much as noticing. I believe their chain of command may have been fractured."

"Speaking of which, there's exciting news on the Britannian side," the Knight of One spoke. "The crown has changed."

"We've received word already of Jacquelyn mi Britannia's rise," said the Japanese president.

"I meant again," said Weinberg smiling. "That girl was assassinated moments ago."

"Assassinated?" Katsumi spoke, her eyes wide. "So the old one's back then?"

"Eilith vol Britannia has taken on the mantle of Empress," said Kallen in a low voice. Her daughter's face lit up.

"That's really cool," the girl said. "I liked Eilith. Xuemei is going to love hearing that."

"This really has been an interesting and sudden turn around," said Gottwald in a low voice. "I'm most impressed."

"The only unchecked variable is that one then..." said Gino. "I wonder what that girl is up to now... what she's dragged my daughter into."

"Ava li Britannia?" Kallen started, looking upward. "I do wonder..."

* * *

"Ha! I'll kill you!" Deifilia shouted, stepping toward Ava, unafraid. The girl's eyes opened.

"F.F. just spoke to me," said Ava in a low voice her eyes now fully open. "Will you kill me and not hear her words?"

"That's a lie," said Deifilia simply.

"How interesting. Conflicted I suppose?" said Ava. "You believe it to be a lie, and yet I'm not dead ."

"Tell me then. Tell me her words," said the woman in a low voice.

"Should I really?" said Ava, tilting her head. "You are my enemy after all."

"I want to know..." said Deifilia. "How did you speak to her?"

"That machine of yours" said Ava with a steady nod. "I stepped inside of it with then intent of forcing my Geass to evolve."

"That's impossible," said Deifilia coldly. "I experimented with the idea before." She looked down. "The brain was destroyed before any noticeable change occurred."

"I've had this Geass nearly a year now. I've used it regularly," said Ava. "What's more, I had just come from having dug deeper with it than I ever had before. Your machine may have just been a catalyst for an evolution that was already going to occur."

"Even evolved, that Geass is nothing but a testament to the laughable naïvety that is you, Ava li Britannia," said the woman. "The very thing about you that disgusts me."

"There's a lot about you that disgusts me, Deifilia Amarantha," said Ava. "I can't pin it down to just one thing."

"I care not be insulted by a dog like you," said Deifilia. "You took on lies as your enemy just as I had. Just as that damned, cursed man had. But your shallow, infirm and half-hearted battle against that enemy was just laughable. You spoke of fighting lies, but you never even touched on truths. You came to symbolize everything I hate in the system. But that was intentional of course. Just as Lelouch vi Britannia deduced, the world needs a villain. There needs to be someone in the wrong for the world to accept change so great as right."

"You used me," said Ava. "But I don't see myself as the villain, even now."

"A nationalistic war built on selfishness? You fancy that as righteous, Ava li Britannia," the other woman shouted in return.

"There's no such thing as righteous war. Even when justified, good people end up dead," said Ava in a low voice. "I never said my war was righteous. Or even necessary. In truth, I was foolish. I was taken in by what I wanted to see. By what you wanted me to see, I now know. There was too much I should have questioned that I didn't. I drug the world down with me as I tried to understand it. But as misguided as I may have been, I was thinking about my people all the time. I was trying to do good for them."

"And that makes it better somehow?" Deifilia said shaking her head. "How laughable."

"Better than you," said Ava closing her eyes. "You've lost sight of everything. You decided to throw a petty little tantrum when things fell apart for you. An ugly tantrum that's gone on well longer than I've been alive. And you're taking it all out on a world you no longer have a stake in."

"Shut up! Shut up!" Deifilia screamed, her eyes focusing. "What do you know?"

Ava gave a pained scream as Deifilia's Geass started. She wasn't killed instantly. Nor was the pain what she anticipated. Compelled by her inner truth due to Ava's Geass, Deifilia couldn't bring herself to kill or even incapacitate Ava, it seemed. She just wanted to punish her. Astrid stepped between them, eyes closed.

"Out of the way!" Deifilia shouted, raising her gun, apparently too blinded my rage to find Ava's eyes on the mirrors walls. Astrid raised her own gun quicker. Opening her eyes just a sliver, the girl fired a single shot. It hit with precision upon Deifilia's gun, which went flying from the woman's hand.

"So even Deifilia Amarantha is afraid of the truth," said Astrid in a low voice.

Ava stood back up slowly. " Of course she is. Because she knows she's wrong. She knows she has been wrong. She was an idealist once. Now she's little more than a child."

"You're the child, Ava li Britannia!" Deifilia shouted. "You, not I! I will restore truth to the world, and unlike your method which is too flimsy to even support itself, and unlike that man, who would infringe upon the things that make us human, my method will work!"

"You still believe in it? You believe in a twisted vision your love never would have supported?" said Ava, steadily, beginning to smile.

"My love? You speak without knowing, insufferable child! This was my love's vision first! It is that vision I work for now!" Deifilia shouted.

"F.F. never wanted to give the world Geass. She's seen what you've done, the way you've twisted her around, the way you plan on twisting the world," said Ava shaking her head. "She told me she's very saddened by you. Disappointed. She told me to stop you."

"That's a damned lie!" Deifilia shouted. "You're wrong about her! You're wrong about everything!"

"I'm afraid that's not entirely true, Deifilia..." a worn male voice started, approaching from the door. An aged man walked toward the woman.

"Eldridge?" Deifilia snapped. "What is this? What are you doing here?"

"It's time I should confess," said the old man. "I have not always been truthful to you."

"You betray me then?" Deifilia roared. "You'd do that after so long, Eldridge?"

"I am no traitor," said the man. "In fact. I intend to stand with you until the end. I placed my life in your hands. I pledged myself to your vision. I am your seer, your sage. I will be until my death. I am your devoted servant. But I must confess that I did tell to you but one lie in the time I've known you."

"What lie?" Deifilia spoke, shaking with fear.

"The message she gave me," said Eldridge. "It was a fabricated one based on my own enraged reflections upon the loss. She never said those things."

Deifilia's eyes went wide. Then they narrowed. "You put words in the mouth of my beloved? You, Eldridge, intended to use me?"

"I had no intention. She told me to keep you looking ahead. You needed a purpose! I thought to give you one," said the man. "And yet I knew you'd sooner listen to her than me."

Deifilia closed her eyes. She opened them. Eldridge Delaney fell over. He was dead instantly.

"How convenient," said Ava. "This old man has spilled it out for us. Now, Deifilia Amarantha, do you see?"

"Nothing has changed!" Deifilia screamed. "It doesn't matter who said it! I believe in it. I believe that the world will benefit from the chaos of Geass! The truth of man will be revealed!"

"But you've just killed the last friend you had," said Ava, shaking her head. "No one stands with you anymore. Better yet, no one even knows you. You intend to change the world completely alone."

"I can do it! I have the power of a God!" said Deifilia in a roar.

"Do you honestly believe yourself a Goddess?" said Ava.

"Of course not! There's no such thing!" said Deifilia. "But I do believe I'm as close to one as can exist."

"Thoroughly conceited, are we?" Ava shook her head. "But you're no closer to God then any of us I'm afraid."

"I can still kill you!" Deifilia shouted. She found Ava's eyes and stared into them. Ava stared back.

"Can you just kill me and end this?" said Ava, her Geass engaging actively. "Have it all go away? Can you do that? Even as you know you're wrong. Apparently something's holding you back. Some chaotic truth inside you compels you to let me speak. I'd have been dead long ago were this not the case."

"I will change this world, girl. Just you wait and see," said the woman, her anger still apparent.

"Oh?" a voice started. Ava looked down. The blindfolded girl kneeling on the floor, her legs covered in blood was aware and looking up. "And why?" she asked. "Why are you changing a world you have no place in? It won't bring F.F. or anyone else you loved back."

"Exactly. Your world that you worked so hard for," said Astrid. "it holds nothing for you but loneliness. You've lost sight of this. You've become blind to the fact that in the process of building this world, you've destroyed everything you once had."

"Silence! Both of you just be quiet!" Deifilia shouted, rushing toward where her gun had been flung.

"Lucrecia, myself, Vivia... all of us," a very weak voice resonated from where Megami Subarashii was at the floor. "You had our love once. You tossed it aside for a hollow dream. You destroyed it. That's why I can never forgive you."

"I didn't..." Deifilia spoke, trembling as she backed up. "Ashlynn, I-I..."

"It comes down to a simple question, Deifilia Amarantha," said Ava, stepping gradually forward toward the woman. "What are you going to do now?"

"I'll never forgive you," said Megami quietly.

"Nor will the world you planned to change," said Astrid.

"You have no one left in this world," said Chiharu. "You're dead to it already. You're alone, whether in your world or ours."

"There's nothing left for you, Deifilia Amarantha," said Ava, her Geass blazing. Deifilia couldn't hide from her truth. She had to find it. "But a simple choice."

"I-I..." Deifilia spoke. "I..." The woman collapsed to her knees. Tears left her eyes. "I don't know... I don't know anymore."

"So your truth has settled into the hollow indecisive center of it's own chaos," said Ava, shaking her head. "My Geass can now make you act on desires. Yet now it seems you have none. You've become empty. Only now do you realize it."

"If you aren't going to decide," Astrid started, raising her gun. "Perhaps you'd allow us to decide for you?"

Deifilia looked up. She said not a word. She just looked. Her expression was empty. There was nothing there. Astrid, opened her eyes fully, no longer fearing anything. She cocked the gun.

"Hold it, Astrid," Chiharu started, she began to crawl on the floor toward the kneeling Amarantha. "Please, if I can ask one thing of you..."

"Chiharu?" Astrid started in a low voice.

"I've done a lousy job of keeping my word up until this point," said Chiharu. "I'd like to see that start to change now."

"Chiharu..." Megami spoke, struggling to sit up. "What are you...?"

"You remember, don't you, Amarantha?" said Chiharu, taking off her blindfold as she neared the woman.. "I said when I entered this room, I said I'd kill you with my own hands."

Deifilia said nothing. She just looked blankly at the girl.

"When I was given this Geass, it was on a pledge to restore peace to this world," said Chiharu in a low growl.

"My world... it had that..." said Deifilia in a hazy voice. "Peace."

"But it was not just that," said Chiharu with a ready nod. "I also said that I would use my power to right the wrongs in this world. I've decided that what is truly wrong is what you allowed yourself to become..."

"You'll kill me then?" said Deifilia, not seeming to particularly care.

"You've lived long enough," said Chiharu. "You have nothing. You're already dead."

"I see..." said Deifilia giving a half-hearted laugh. "I suppose I am..."

"So this is the end, eh?" another voice spoke suddenly. Ava looked. It was the Witch.

"You..." Deifilia spoke. "That's right... I still have you..."

"Do you now?" D.D. laughed harshly. "I'm the one thing you can claim to have? How laughable. No one has me. I belong to no one."

"But all that time... all those times..." Deifilia spoke, shaking.

"I thought I made it clear," said D.D.. "I don't love. I don't care. You were nothing to me but a fun toy. I was always going to discard you when it became convenient to me." The witch stepped toward Astrid and stroked a hand through her hair. "Besides, this pretty little thing's better with her tongue than you are..."

"You..." Deifilia spoke up, but then fell silent. "There really is nothing then... "

"It's not wrong," said Chiharu in a low voice. "It's not wrong to feel dissatisfied with this world and the people in it. It's not wrong to want to change it. But you've lost sight of it. Do you even recall what the love that was so strong in you felt like...?"

Deifilia smiled. "I do," she said. "I've just set it aside for so long... Now I..."

"Do you wish to die, Deifilia Amarantha?" asked Ava in a low voice.

"No," said the woman in a low voice. "But there is nothing... nothing to live for here..." She closed her eyes. "I fear death. I do. But at the same time... I see nothing else for me."

"Chiharu," said Ava, nodding.

"This war you orchestrated, it killed many people. Many people who were dear to me," said Chiharu in a low pained voice. "For that alone, I can't allow you life. With this fist, I end this..."

Geass blazed in the injured girl's eyes as she clenched her fist tightly. She was not angry. The anger had passed. She was left with a sort of solemn passion. This was needed. She pulled her fist back fully, feeling the strength deep in her with one full motion, her fist sped rapidly at the woman's head. Deifilia seemed to calm as it grew closer.

The Geass enhanced fist connected cleanly. In an instant, the woman's head was ripped from her neck and launched to collide in a loud bloody splatter with one of the mirrored walls. The headless body of the woman fell limply forward. Blood pooled from out of it. It was done.

"I didn't know you could do that..." Astrid spoke, a little shocked as she looked down at Chiharu.

"The extent of how my Geass enhances my strength is hard to observe just from fighting me in a knightmare, Astrid," Chiharu spoke, wincing from the pain.

"An impressive Geass," said Ava. "Certainly more direct than mine."

"I intend never to use it again," said Chiharu steadily. "It might kill me were it to evolve."

"But aren't I also an enemy to you?" Ava spoked in a low voice.

"You were," said Chiharu. "When all this started, there was no greater enemy. I still can't forgive you completely for your part in this." The girl flashed a weak smile. "But both Astrid and Megami, two friends I value and respect, always had faith in you. Now I can understand why."

"You've been shot twice, Chiharu," Astrid spoke. "You'll die of blood loss, like that..."

"I know..." said Chiharu.

"What about you, Megami?" Ava asked moving toward the other woman. "Are you alright to move..."

"I think I'm getting there..." said Megami. "Though my head really hurts..."

"Help us move Chiharu, Witch," said Ava in a low voice to D.D.

"What do I get out of that?" D.D. laughed.

"Just do it. Me and Astrid won't be able to this alone," said Ava in a low voice.

"You're being pushy all of a sudden, Empress," said the witch. "But you showed me something fun, so I'll help you this once." she laughed. "But after that, you can consider our contract fulfilled. You'll never see me again.'

"I can't say you'll be missed," said Ava with a nod.

"Heheh, you really have become amusing," said D.D., smiling. "Cute."

Ava offered a hand to Megami, helping her up.

"Thanks, Empress..." said Megami. "Fate sure has dealt the four of us. Last time we were gathered all together we were all pointing weapons at each other..."

"Four of us?" D.D. started. "So I'm not even here, panty thi-?"

Megami cut the other off before she could finish the sentence. "That's right. Sorry," she said while scratching the back of her head and blushing like she was concealing something.

"Speaking of that day," said Astrid, kneeling to help Chiharu. "Do you resent me for what I did?"

"I'd have been permanently paralyzed below the waist by that shot, if it weren't for Deifilia Amarantha," said Chiharu in a low voice. "It's because of that shot that I ended up falling into her grasp and finding myself at odds with people who matter to me." Chiharu smiled weakly at the other. "But I meant it when I called you my friend moments ago. I understand why you shot me. I understand love." She gave a nod. "Besides, if it hadn't happened like this, I never would have learned the truth like this. Ava would still be the one I wanted to decapitate..."

Astrid smiled.

"When you say you understand love, you're talking about me, right?" Megami said in a joking voice.

"Maybe," Chiharu said almost under her breath. Megami seemed surprised.

"Your fate is a truly interesting thing, Megami Subarashii," said Ava, nodding. "But I like this end it's lead us to."

"So that's all done then? We leaving yet?" said D.D. feigning boredom, though she looked ready to assist Chiharu when needed.

"I think so," said Ava in a low voice. "There's a lot that needs to be set right still. We should make haste."

Astrid nodded. Megami smiled. Ava closed her eyes. She thought of her mother. She had done it. With the help of these people, she had bested this enemy. Things could become stable once more.

* * *

Megami Subarashii gave a smile as she walked down the halls of a Japanese hospital, her Geass active, one night. A week had passed. Chiharu had received initial treatment there in the EU. She'd only been flown to Japan a couple days ago. Megami hadn't seen her since then. She was rather eager to just that.

It was the middle of the night. Only a couple nurses were still on duty and Chiharu Ohgi wasn't one of their high priority patients. Megami could move pretty effectively through the halls without worry. She didn't know where Chiharu was being held so she had to peek in each room. It was time consuming, but there was no other way. Eventually her search proved fruitful.

Spying the beautiful silver-haired girl lying on the hospital bed, she slipped inside effortlessly, making sure to shut the door tightly behind her. She moved closer and closer. Chiharu seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Megami smiled. She really did look cute. She inched closer. This was going to be fun. She got closer and closer until they were face to face. Then the rest of the distance was closed. Megami pressed her lips to the girl's.

Chiharu's eyes shot wide open in shock. She instinctively moved her hand and somehow managed to grab hold of Megami's arm. This contact brought the woman into sight. Chiharu pushed the woman back.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" she started in a half raised voice.

"Chiharu, don't shout. This is a hospital, and it's the middle of the night," said Megami. "It's rude."

"And sneaking into someone's room and kissing them while they're sleeping is perfectly acceptable?" Chiharu started, eyes narrowed, face red.

"You promised me a kiss," said Megami. "I just thought I'd claim it before you forgot."

"You idiot," Chiharu started coldly.

"What did I do?" said Megami unsteadily.

"It wasn't... it wasn't supposed to be like that," Chiharu said while looking away.

"Oh? What's that mean then?" asked Megami with a laugh.

"It was all wrong, is all..." said Chiharu timidly. "I was sleeping... and even after I wasn't, I couldn't see you..."

"So you want to kiss me while awake then?" Megami giggled excitedly.

"Shut up..." said Chiharu, looking down. Megami bent forward, toward the girl.

"I"m ready when you are," said Megami, puckering her lips.

"I can't just... not now..." said Chiharu shaking her head.

"Being coy now, are we Chiharu Ohgi? How cute," said Megami.

"You really are an idiot," Chiharu said through an irritated sigh.

"Do you hate me so much, Chiharu?" Megami asked, tilting her head.

Chiharu bent her head suddenly forward. Their lips met again. Megami was stunned. She was even further taken aback when suddenly a tongue was thrust into her mouth by the girl. It took a while before she realized she was supposed to be kissing Chiharu back. When she did realized it, she purred into the girl's mouth and started to move her tongue excitedly. Their hands joined on the bed as the kiss continued a while.

"Now that was a pleasant surprise..." said Megami as it finally broke off. "Don't tell me that's the kiss you had planned all along?"

"Quiet, you idiot," said Chiharu, shaking her head, blushing hard.

"I can see why the first one really didn't cut it now," said Megami smiling. "You impress me, Chiharu. I was right to fall for you."

"Well you sure are persistent," said Chiharu in a detached voice. "But can you please tell me why you're here anyway?"

"I came to visit you," said Megami. "Is that so unusual that one would wish to visit one's beloved when they are injured?"

"It's called visitor's hours," said Chiharu. "It ended hours ago. It's legal. I don't know what this is."

"This is more fun," said Megami with a laugh. "Besides, I only just arrived in Japan."

"I still can't believe that Empress wanted someone unreliable like you to help her sort things out," said Chiharu shaking her head.

"She has faith in me," said Megami. "See, I can't be all that bad then, right?"

"Whatever you say," Chiharu rolled her eyes.

"I'm kind of surprised," said Megami with a laugh. "Still acting so hard to get after shoving your tongue in my mouth."

"I said I'd kiss you, that's all it was..." said Chiharu.

Megami raised herself and then sat atop the bed. Chiharu looked apprehensive at this change.

"What are you doing..?" she said, looking worried.

"If kissing didn't change your attitude, I was just beginning to wonder what would..." said Megami mischievously.

"M-Megami...' Chiharu started meekly, her face red. "Stop..."

"Why?" said Megami. "I really do like you, you know?"

"I like you too," said Chiharu in a low voice.

"But not in the same way, right?" Megami asked, nodding.

"No," said Chiharu. "I knew you really were an idiot."

"What's that mean?" said Megami in a low voice.

"Would I really have put up with all your nonsense if I didn't like you?" said Chiharu quietly, her eyes averted slightly.

"Chiharu..." Megami started.

"I like you, Megami Subarashii. I really do," said Chiharu. "I have for a while now, I just couldn't admit it... "

"Do you really mean that, Chiharu?" Megami asked, her eyes wide.

"I do," said Chiharu. "It was weird to me at first... I never knew anyone like you before... I'd be surprised if there are many in the first place... I wasn't sure I wanted to be with a woman... there were so many things I didn't understand..."

"And now?" said Megami tilting her head.

"Without you, none of what happened would have. You're one of my favorite persons in the world," said Chiharu, blushing hard. "I don't care about you being one thing or another."

'Chiharu..." Megami started, smiling and moving toward the girl, ready to embrace her.

"Stop," the girl insisted.

"But why? After such a cute confession..." said Megami in a low voice.

"I don't hate the idea of exploring those sorts of things with you, Megami..." said Chiharu. "But..."

"Yeah?" Megami spoke.

"I'm not sure now is good?" said Chiharu. "I'm sort of in the hospital recovering from multiple gunshot wounds..."

Megami looked down at the girl's bandaged legs. She smiled.

"As it was, our friend Deifilia Amarantha had rather crappy aim," said Megami nodding. "Both her shots missed bone somehow. The bullets have already been removed. All those are now is deep flesh wounds. No big deal, right?"

"Says the person who doesn't have to feel the pain..." said Chiharu in a low voice.

"That's right," said Megami. "You're all jacked up on pain killers right now, aren't you?"

"It's been a while since the last," said Chiharu. "I think I'm pretty lucid right now."

"There a lot of pain?" asked Megami.

"Yeah," said Chiharu with a node. "But I think I'll manage at least until the next dose is scheduled here in about an hour."

"An hour, eh? Guess we have plenty of time then," said Megami with a devious laugh.

"You just won't let up..." said Chiharu. "I already said..."

"What's better for pain then a little pleasure?" Megami laughed. "It will balance you out."

"It will reopen my wounds," said Chiharu in a soft voice. "I shouldn't move around much."

"You can just lay back," said Megami softly. "I'll take care of everything."

"Megami..." Chiharu spoke.

"I'll be careful," said Megami. "That's a promise."

"You can really be insistent..." Chiharu sighed loudly.

"If I wasn't, I doubt I'd have gotten anywhere," said the older woman, smiling.

"That's right," said the other. "You really wouldn't have."

"But I have you now," said Megami. "And I want you."

"We can't..." said Chiharu looking down. "I haven't had a chance to wash myself since before all this happened..."

"I don't mind," said Megami, smiling. "I kind of like Chiharu's scent."

"You pervert," Chiharu started, shaking her head.

"I love you," said Megami in a high voice, moving toward the girl. Her hand joined with hers.

"Fine..." Chiharu sighed loudly in defeat. "Do what you must. But if you hurt me, I'll scream rape."

"You wouldn't," Megami spoke, shaking her head.

"Wouldn't I?" Chiharu laughed. Megami honestly wasn't sure.

"I'll just have to make sure I don't hurt you then," Megami said as she crawled over the girl on the bed until she was straddling her, looking her in the eyes. Chiharu blushed, but pressed her face up. Megami let their lips meet. It was soft and gentle at first, but then Megami went in for more. Their tongues joined as before, pressing together hotly while their mouths were united.

Megami let her hands downward to explore Chiharu's body, going to the girl's waist. She began to tug on the girl's hospital gown. As their long kiss broke, she backed up and began to pull the gown up.

"Can you sit up just a little, Chiharu?" Megami asked with a smile.

"Gah... you..." Megami shook her head and averted her eyes, but nevertheless raised herself just enough for Megami to pull the white loose fitting cloth up off of her. To Megami's immediate delight, her love was effectively nude underneath, a pair of black boy shorts being all that still clung to her well toned, well curved body.

"Mmmm..." Megami moaned as she moved in close again. A hand went immediately for one of the girl's fairly large breasts. "My Chiharu is so hot..."

"I'm not so..." Chiharu started, blushing profusely.

"Don't be so modest, Chiharu," said Megami as she began to massage the girl's breast softly. The firm yet still mostly soft flesh was enticing to play with, especially as the girl's nipples erected under her hand. Soon she was playing with both breasts. "You're perfect."

"That feels good..." Chiharu said in a low voice as she felt her breast played with. Megami teased the girl's nipples with her fingers, prompting hot moans.

"So sexy..." Megami cooed, before kissing her lover deeply once more. She was delighted when Chiharu's arms wrapped around her, embracing her fully.

After a quite long kiss, Megami pulled back. She smiled. "Now it's time for me to show off to you. You wanna see?"

Chiharu blushed and again looked away. All she could do was give a meek nod. Megami laughed. She stood up and slowly began removing her clothes, starting with the long red coat. The black shirt worn under it came next. Finally, she took down her pants. She stood before Chiharu wearing only a red thong and a barely there red bra.

"What do you think?" Megami said with a proud laugh as she displayed herself.

"You truly are shameless..." Chiharu said, shaking her head.

"I know you like it," said Megami playfully. She teasingly removed the flimsy bra, freeing her large bust. "I'm rather proud of my body."

"Come closer..." Chiharu spoke, her voice weak. Megami gave a light giggle. She did just that, crawling back on the bed and moving toward the girl. Chiharu's hands went to her soft, smooth breasts and began to play with them eagerly. Megami cooed.

"I see you like my body after all," she laughed. She then moaned as Chiharu pinched one of her perfectly hard nipples between two fingers.

"Yeah... I guess..." Chiharu admitted shyly. The look on her face was adorable. Megami giggled. Then she embraced her lover closely. Their chests pressed together. It felt nice. Warm. Megami cooed and moved to kiss the other yet again. Chiharu kissed back even more actively this time. She was excited.

Megami gave a hot moan as she broke the kiss and slid downward along her lover's body, making sure she was careful of her legs. She kissed down Chiharu's neck and then her chest. She stopped at her breasts. While her own chest pressed into Chiharu's stomach, she softly kissed Chiharu's left nipple. She then freed her tongue and licked the delicate nub hotly. Chiharu moaned loudly. Megami's hand went to pinch and squeeze the other erect nipple only adding to the moans. After a while, she switched her mouth's attention to the other breast, spending even longer there.

"That feels so nice..." Chiharu moaned in a low voice. Megami placed kisses all along her breasts, lining them with saliva.

"You taste good," Megami said, with a snicker, pulling her mouth up momentarily, before taking a full nipple deep into her mouth.

"Can I...?" Chiharu started in a low voice. Megami looked up. She instinctively knew what Chiharu wanted. She raised herself back up.

"You want to play with mine now?" she giggled as she let her soft chest come to eye level with the girl. Chiharu's hands went immediately to cup the two breasts.

"Yeah..." said Chiharu in a low voice. She brought her mouth up to meet the right breasts that was hanging over it. She took the nipple into her mouth and swirled her tongue around it. It felt really good. Megami pressed her breast into the girl's face. Chiharu continued to flicker her tongue across the nipple while her hand groped the other breast roughly but hotly.

The girl removed her mouth momentarily, only to stick her tongue out and proceed to lick circles around the nipple, across all the soft flesh around it. Megami cooed. The girl licked the entire distance from one breast to the other and then took the other nipple in her mouth and began to treat it with white hot licks.

"God, you're good at that, Chiharu..." Megami moaned.

Chiharu didn't say anything, she just kept serving the supple mounds of flesh with her warm mouth. Megami wanted to reward the girl for her work. Her hand moved across the girl's waist, down between her legs. She rubbed the front of Chiharu's shorts with three fingers. They were quite wet. Chiharu's tongue momentarily stopped at the contact. When it picked back up, it moved even quicker.

Megami, her hand still rubbing the front of the girl's undergarment, pulled her chest from the girl's face. She thrust her tongue in the girl's mouth yet again. Chiharu kissed her almost recklessly, with an incredible amount of passion. The wetness was only increasing too. It was really apparent that Chiharu wanted to feel even more.

Pulling back again, Megami moved down. "Now this is tricky. I want to get these shorts off of you, but I don't want to risk hurting your legs..."

Chiharu wordlessly sat up and began to pull the garment down her legs, stretching them so that they'd go over her bandages. She winced a bit as she did. There was likely no way to do this without a little pain. But Chiharu was clearly too excited at this point to care. Megami smiled as the girl threw the garment to the ground.

"Touch me..." she said as she spread her legs as far apart as she could without causing excessive pain to herself. Megami peered excitedly at the fleshy pink slit revealed to her. It looked beautiful. Megami moved to the floor between the girl's legs. She got in close. Her hand moved forward. She touched the girl's stomach, and then stroked downward through the girl's trimmed, silvery pubic hair, and then down across the dripping wet sex. Chiharu threw her head back and moaned.

Megami moved in even closer. She needed a taste. She got closer and closer until she was looking straight into the girl's hot sex. She let her tongue out and moved it against the moist flesh. Chiharu moaned as it slipped inside of her and began to move around. Megami was almost instantly intoxicated by Chiharu's taste and scent. She began to move her tongue up and down rapidly.

Chiharu moaned hotly. She was giving off so much fluid. It was incredible. Megami tried to lap it all up. In her passion, it was splashing all over her face, not just on her tongue. Megami then pulled up just slightly and began to lick hotly at the girl's aroused clit. Chiharu moaned even more. Megami could see her start to play with her own breasts while she enjoyed Megami's tongue. She looked to be in bliss.

Megami concentrated her efforts. She increased her passion. She moved her tongue expertly, darting it about with strength and precision. Chiharu panted and moaned erratically. She was getting close. No, she was there. Megami delivered a final series of powerful licks to the girl. She gave a long, hard moan. Her body shook. A stream of delicious fluid hit Megami's tongue. Then she fell back on the bed, her lower body still quivering.

"Mmm... delicious..." Megami cooed as she licked the moisture from around her lips.

"That was amazing..." Chiharu said between soft pants.

"I'm happy you like it, Chiharu," said Megami, smiling.

"I want to do it to you now," said Chiharu, nodding.

"I'd really love that," said Megami naughtily as she stood up. She slipped the thong off of her, bending alluringly for Chiharu as she did. "I can't wait to feel Chiharu's tongue inside of me."

"Megami..." Chiharu cooed. "It was a stupid, silly name at first, but you kind of are like a goddess to me now..."

"Aww, how cute. That line deserves a kiss," said Megami, bending over the girl. Their lips met and then their tongues. Chiharu seemed eager for the residue taste of herself on Megami's tongue and lips.

Breaking the kiss, Megami crawled onto the best. She positioned herself backwards and crawled over Chiharu, hanging her sex over the girl's face. She could feel Chiharu gazing into it.

"It's kind of pretty," said Chiharu in a soft voice. Megami was enticed just from feeling her breath. "It looks nice..."

Then Chiharu moved her head up and started to lick. Her tongue moved slightly awkwardly. Chiharu didn't know a lot about sex, obviously. But even so, just having Chiharu lick her was sending Megami spiraling toward an early orgasm. It was so exciting. Chiharu did get better too. Or at least she put so much passion into it, that it didn't matter.

"So good..." said Megami in a pant. "Taste good?"

"Yeah," said Chiharu, separating her mouth from the drooling slit momentarily. Then she returned to the act with even more vigor.

"Oh God," Megami started, her hand going to her breast, and squeezing it to add to the mind numbing pleasure. "Just like that, Chiharu..."

Chiharu licked even harder. More thoroughly. Up, down, all throughout. Megami's body jerked up. She was there. She came. Pleasure exploded out from inside of her. She moaned heavily as she shook, her orgasmic juices filling Chiharu's waiting mouth.

"You're so incredible," said Megami, recovering quickly.

"Yeah?" Chiharu spoke, tilting her head.

"Yep," said the other. "In fact, I think I'll reward you with more."

Still on top of the girl, Megami bent down over her so as her head was between the girl's legs. Chiharu seemed surprised, but didn't fight it. Megami began to lick her hotly once more, and at once she was already responsive and so very wet.

"Oh god... yeah..." said Chiharu between moans. Then she did something slightly surprising and began licking Megami again as well.

Megami stopped only for a second. Then she began licking harder. Chiharu's tongue felt great as before. It was incredible. They felt so connected like that, Chiharu's tongue in her, hers in Chiharu. They were joined. Their bodies moved and pressed together as they continually pleasured one another with their tongues. Chiharu's tongue felt like magic. Already, Megami could feel another orgasm building within her. it was so hot, she couldn't keep up her own efforts. She raised her head and replaced it with a hand, stuffing two fingers deep inside the girl's well lubricated hold.

Chiharu gave hard moan into Megami's slit. Then she started licking again. Hard and passionate as before. Megami moved her fingers in and out with the right amount of speed. All the while she rubbed her thumb against the girl's clit. It was clearly taking it's toll, as Chiharu was taking an increasing number of breaks between licks.

"Fuck me... harder..." Chiharu begged, completely lost to her pleasure. Megami obliged and began pulsing away with her hand. Chiharu greeted her with a few more hot licks. Their bodies continued to move in time with one another.

"God, yes... yes... Chiharu," Megami started, as the girl's tongue picked up. She was so close. She pounded hard at Chiharu's sex. Apparently Chiharu was closer. She gave a harsh moan as her body shook through a hard climax. Just feeling Chiharu come from her touch was enough for Megami. She found her own release, again onto her lover's tongue.

After a moment, she pulled herself off Chiharu, dropping to the floor. She looked the girl in the eyes. They kissed. Their hands joined. They stared at each other for a long time, not saying a word. Megami smiled.

"I love you," Chiharu said in a soft voice.

"Yeah. I love you too," said Megami in a low voice.

"You better leave soon..." said Chiharu. "Someone might have heard that..."

"Heh," said Megami. "Right." She gave a playful smile. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"Tonight was about your impatience," said Chiharu in a low voice. "But they should be releasing me pretty soon, whenever I'm able to walk on these legs without hurting myself. I think we should probably save any more of this for then."

"Fine," said Megami. "I actually meant I'd come tomorrow during visitor's hours. With Lucrecia."

"Ah... oh..." said Chiharu. "I'd like that then."

"I guess I'll get going then," said Megami, shaking her head.

"You better," said Chiharu. "You really wore me out just now..."

"I get the feeling you didn't mind," Megami giggled.

Chiharu laughed. "Not really..."

"And it wasn't painful?" said Megami.

"There was quite a bit of pain, but nothing so bad," said Chiharu. "Mostly I just felt good. You were pretty careful."

"I can be delicate when I want, you know," said Megami with a smile.

"Guess so," said Chiharu.

"I'm really glad fate led me to you, Chiharu," said Megami moving in for one final kiss. "I've never been happier."

"I guess I can thank fate for that too..." said Chiharu. "My wonderful goddess..."

Megami smiled. For once, everything seemed right.

A/N: So here we have the final chapter of stuff happening. The final epilogue chapter will cover what's happened with all the characters following the final events of the story. It should be fun. it probably won't be full length, so I should be able to get to it sooner. As for this chapter, it was interesting to write the final confrontation with Deifilia. With a villain like her, a formal final battle wasn't really possible, so instead I relied on a sort of war of words. I hope it wasn't too anti-climactic. The first scene was pretty inconsequential, I suppose (the only real thing of note was my blatant ret-con regarding Jeremiah's fight; ever since my error there was pointed out to me, I had felt going back to that was necessary). And of course the final scene was the point of realization for the last to be realized pairing. It was kind of awkward conceptualizing that. I really didn't want to put the scene too far away from the events of the chapter, but I had made the decision last chapter to have Chiharu get shot up. Cue steamy hospital sex. Heh. I think it's cute though. Those two are really probably my favorite pair in this. Megami is hot.

Anyway, I have exciting news. The original story I mentioned in the previous chapter's ending author's note is now underway. I've already written the first chapter. It's called _A Light Forgotten_. It's a fantasy adventure type deal. It'll be mostly yuri, but unlike this story, not all (as is proven in the first chapter). I'd appreciate any one reading it. You can find a link to my fictionpress account, where the story is, on my profile.


	51. Turn 50: Into the Future

A/N: The final chapter. I'd like to thank every single one of you for reading. I'd list the name of every single person who ever reviewed this thing (including those who didn't like it) here but with 450 reviews, that would take far too long to go through. So, I'd like to just give a few special thanks to a few specific people: Aceina, for reading and reviewing every single chapter, more often then not first; MissUzumakiHinata, for her reviews and input; daiki-kasho for creating two awesome characters and giving me a lot of useful input (Lucrecia panty shots wouldn't have been possible without you, dude); Rabukurafuto for providing the Japanese (and Chinese) translations and reviewing every chapter; and a big thanks to everyone else reading this at Glorious Escapism (and previously Henry's Cavern): Rahkshi, Selrahc, SGA, all of you guys are awesome. It wouldn't have been possible for me to keep this story up without the support of you all. Anyway, without further ado, the final chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion or any of its characters or element. I do own my own Original characters, however.

The man peered out into the cloudy blue sky. The long standing tension was gone from the air. His heart was at rest for once. Thing had settled. But he could still feel things foreign. He could feel a sense of happiness in his being that he could not understand.

"You seem meditative today, dear," the voice of the man's wife started from the door to his home.

"It's finally over," the man started, closing his eyes.

"Last time I went into the village, I did hear news of that war ending," the woman spoke, nodding as she too looked into the sky.

"I suppose the contracts are complete then," the man spoke, looking back down and smiling. "My wishes are fulfilled."

"I wonder if it's so simple," said the woman with a sigh.

"Sometimes things are alarmingly more simple then they appear," said the man with a laugh.

"I'm honestly surprised to hear you say something like that," the woman said, shaking her head. "But do you truly think this is the end?"

"It's hard to say," said the man. "But for now, the balance is restored. The people will have peace once more."

"But is it the same peace?" said the woman. "Is it truly the same as the one you fought so hard for?"

"That cannot be seen," said the man. "Maybe it's a better one."

"I often wondered if it wasn't foolish to leave this mess in the hands of children," said the woman. "It seemed somehow unlike you."

"Whether were called kings or demons, one person only has so much power," said the man. "All those years ago I took on this role. This new and different role and gave up my part on the main stage forever."

"But in the end, you were still able to protect it. The peace of this world," said the woman. "At least for the moment."

"Peace is a fragile thing. This event make that all too clear," said the man. "But it is something to be cherished. Something to be protected."

"If it hadn't been successful," said the woman. "What then? Surely there'd be regrets...?"

"It may seem like blind faith," said the man. "But looking in their eyes, I was sure they'd succeed somehow. I've seen enough to know things can work in strange, wonderful ways, and not just for me."

"You really wouldn't have said a line like that twenty years ago," said the woman giving a small laugh.

"Maybe not," said the man. "But I don't think it's ever too later for a person to take on a new perspective."

"Is that so?" the woman said. "Regardless, the pizza should be ready about now."

"You don't say?" the man started, turning around. "Now that is something to get excited for."

The woman gave a smile.

* * *

Chiharu wore a smile as she sat up in her hospital bed. Her lover stood by her bed, holding her hand. It still felt weird using a term like "lover". But there wasn't much else to call Megami Subarashii after the previous night. It was a little shocking to Chiharu that she had feelings for such a woman, but she wouldn't deny it anymore. She was happy.

"Big Sister Chiharu, you're going to be okay, right?" the soft cheery voice of Lucrecia Harrison started, from beside the woman. Chiharu smiled at the young girl.

"Yeah, don't worry, Lucrecia," she said with a nod. "I should be released tomorrow or the next day.

"Yay!" said the girl, moving up to hug the woman. Chiharu smiled. The fierce fight she had had with this girl seemed like some distant dream now.

Megami laughed. "I don't remember being this happy before. Ever," she said closing her eyes.

"Your fate never hated you," said Chiharu in a soft voice. "It was just teasing you. Making you wait for the killer pay off."

"I guess that has to be right," Megami giggled and smiled at her lover.

"I really am just glad to see every thing's finally over," said Chiharu. "Things will finally be able to settle down."

"You going to stay on with the Black Knights?" asked Megami in a low voice.

"I hadn't really decided yet..." said Chiharu. "I mean... I'm not even sure they'd take me back. I'm probably listed as a traitor."

"That's been taken care of," a strong female voice interjected suddenly. Chiharu's eyes widened as she glanced toward the door. No way. She couldn't believe it.

"Mom...? Dad...?" she started, staring at the man and woman in the doorway with a smile on her face. Megami turned a shade paler as she looked at the two of them. Lucrecia turned and smiled fully at them.

'These are Big Sister Chiharu's parent?" she started, tiling her head. She walked toward them. "Nice to meet you! I'm Lucrecia Harrison."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Harrison," Kaname Ohgi said patting the little girl on the head. He walked quickly past her toward his daughter. He looked at her.

"Dad..." Chiharu started.

"It does my heart so much good to see you again, Chiharu," said the man.

"We arrived back in Japan just yesterday. We came here as soon as we heard you were hospitalized," Villetta Nu spoke, moving in close as well.

"I'm glad to see you, really," Chiharu smiled. "I was worried when I heard you had all been captured..."

"We're safe thanks to your friends," said Kaname with a smile.

"Friends?" Chiharu started. She hadn't heard much beyond what Megami had told her of recent events.

"Hiromi and the others," said Villetta nodding. "You kids really pulled a lot off."

"Hiromi, really?" Chiharu started. "I'll have to thank her. She's a better friend then I could ask for."

"But you said something about Chiharu's record being cleared?" Megami started in.

"That's right," said Villetta. "Yasuko Tohdoh who was confirmed to be the subject of an extensive, disgusting brainwashing experiment has attested that Chiharu too was being forced to act against her will. The fact that the enemy knightmare frame _Alexander _was apprehended and found to be outfitted with deadly explosives is being taken as clear signs of blackmail. All charges are expected to be dropped without a fight."

"That's good news," said Chiharu, nodding.

"So you plan to stay on then?" Kaname started. "Even after having ended up in the hospital twice?"

"Sorry dad, I don't think I have politics to fall back on like you," Chiharu sighed. "Besides, through it all, I never did tire of flying through that sky."

"I may enlist formally myself," said Megami nodded. "I don't see why not at this point."

"That'd be nice," said Chiharu with a smile.

"Can Lucrecia join too?" asked Lucrecia with a smile.

"You might be a little young..." said Chiharu in a low voice.

"So who are these two, Chiharu?" Villetta started. "Friends?"

"Lucrecia was like Yasuko, a victim of the enemy's sick experiments," said Megami.

"She's just a child..." Kaname spoke in a low voice.

"She has nowhere to go," said Chiharu nodding. "So we just sort of took her with us."

"I'm not sure you're the right age to be caring for a child her age, Chiharu," said Villetta shaking her head.

"We can always help with that," said Kaname nodding.

"That might be good," said Chiharu. "She sort of has become like a sister."

"Happy endings really are something," said Megami with a smile.

Villetta looked at her. "We got the kid out of the way, but who is this?"

"Megami Subarashii," Megami introduced herself with a nod.

They both stared at her. "Is that supposed to be a name?" Kaname asked, stunned.

"What's your connection to this bizarre person, Chiharu?" Villetta asked, taken aback.

Chiharu suddenly turned red as anxiety set in. How could she possibly explain this. "Um... well... you see... She's my... she's..."

"I'm Chiharu Ohgi's girlfriend!" Megami declared suddenly, causing Chiharu to feel like throwing herself out the window.

The two stared at her blankly.

"Honestly, who is this person who says such strange things, Chiharu?" Kaname asked.

"Actually..." Chiharu started in a low voice. "That's... what she said... it's true..."

"Chiharu you don't mean..." Villetta started, looking troubled.

Chiharu nodded meekly and sunk into her bed. As her parents continued to stare awkwardly and the discomfort surrounded and suffocated her, she felt like dying. But even then, she was happy. She had kept her promise. She had set things right. She had Megami's love. Her parents were safe. She honestly didn't have any complaints. So even as she felt like she was about to be eaten alive, her heart felt nothing but content.

* * *

Margaret gave a sigh as she walked down the hospital corridor. She visited hospitals all too much. It was depressing. It was still hard to look at her mother. But overall, Margaret felt good. She had had an important part to play and she had played it. There was no comparing her to anyone now. She was just Margaret Enneagram, a girl who had stood up against her own weakness and crushed it.

She smiled as she found the next room she needed to visit. Unlike her mother, visiting with this girl was always easy. It always made her smile. She knocked softly at the door and entered with a smile. Amelia Gottwald greeted her with her own smile.

"Here again?" Amelia spoke. "You really don't need to come so frequently."

"I worry about you," said Margaret blushing. "I can't help it..."

"Heh. How cute," said Amelia. "But I'm fine. It's just a broken leg on top of my arm..."

"You're arm is worse then before," said Margaret in a low voice. "I heard the doctors say it."

"Yeah, but so what?" Amelia started. "Broken bones mend, Margaret. I'll be better. You shouldn't be worrying over me. You should be happy."

"Happy...?" Margaret started in a low voice. "I guess we did win..."

"It's more than that," said Amelia. "We won, and things have changed. I seriously don't think there will be a reason for us to be on opposite sides anymore."

"I suppose that is reason to celebrate..." Margaret started, giving off a sigh.

"How's your mother?" Amelia asked in a soft voice.

"She was very alert today," said Margaret. "She's looking healthier. The burns still make it a little hard for me."

"She'll heal up," said Amelia. "They'll let her out eventually."

"According to the doctors, it's doubtful she'll ever have the strength to return to active duty as a knight," said Margaret. "For her, that will be the biggest wound..."

"What about you?" started Amelia in a low voice. "Are you still the Knight of Nine?"

"I don't know," said Margaret. "I wouldn't be surprised if my rank got shuffled about a bit with all the vacancies left in the order..."

"You know that isn't what I mean..." Amelia said with a sigh.

"I want to make my mother proud," said Margaret, smiling. "For that I do honestly hope to carry out her legacy."

"I figured you'd say that," said Amelia. "Being a knight suits you."

"And what about you?" Margaret asked in a low voice.

"My parents visited not long ago," said Amelia softly. "I told them about you. About my feelings."

"Oh..." Margaret spoke, surprised. "How did they take that...?"

"They're surprisingly understanding," said Amelia. "I think the bigger note for them was that you were someone loyal to Ava li Britannia then that you were a girl. Then again, I think mother already knew just from observing our interactions."

"I see," said Margaret in a low voice. "And what did you decide with them?"

"They told me to stay with you," said Amelia in a low voice. "I'm pretty much an adult now. At least close enough. What I do is my choice. So I'll stay at your side. I may enter the knights myself."

"You'd do that?" Margaret asked, surprised.

"I'm not sure I'm good for much else," said Amelia with a sigh.

"That's simply not true," Margaret said, smiling.

Amelia giggled. "I think someone's just biased."

"And why wouldn't I be?" said Margaret with a blush. "It's proper to stick up for the one you love."

Amelia gave another giggle. "So have you told your mother yet?"

"No," said Margaret. "That seems impossible... especially when she looks like that."

"It shouldn't be such a big deal. If I recall from the first time I met her, she's already aware of your preferences," Amelia started in a low voice.

"Still... she'll surely tease me," said Margaret. "I think I want to wait until she won't be straining herself to do so."

Amelia laughed. "You say some cute things, Margaret..."

"You're always cute," Margaret replied. She bent downward and placed a kiss on the girl's lips. Amelia blushed and gave a giggle.

"You really do spend too much time here..." said Amelia. "Aren't you important? Don't they need you for something?"

"I don't..." Margaret started. She closed her eyes. "Very well, I suppose I'll take my leave for now then."

"That's right," said Amelia. "And don't come back for a while. I need my rest, after all."

"Rest well then, my love," said Margaret. She gave Amelia one last smile before turning to leave.

* * *

The girl's eyes opened. She felt like she had emerged from a dream that she could no longer see. And yet somehow she knew this dream was the very worst sort of nightmare. But none of it could be remembered, not a single detail.

In truth the girl couldn't even remember her name.

And yet here she was awake, cognizant in a world where she knew nothing. The nightmare had ended and now she was lost. Confused. She sat up in the small unknown bed in which she rested. She looked around. It was a small home. It, like everything else, was unknown to her.

"So you're awake?" a voice started. She turned her head swiftly. Her eyes found someone. He was a young man with blonde hair and a serious yet kind expression. Something about him seemed strangely familiar.

"Where am I...?" She asked in a low voice.

"My home," said the man. "I found you. I pulled you out of the ocean, washed up with some debris. I thought you were dead at first... You've been sleeping for over a week now..."

"Who am I?" the girl asked the more pressing question, as she looked down at her body.

"Amnesia?" the man started. He shook his head. "Sorry to say that I don't rightly know."

"I think I'm someone bad..." said the girl who could still sense the nightmare from which she had waken, even if she no longer understood.

"You are who you want to be," the man said. "It's a choice we make whether to do good or bad things." He smiled at her. "Maybe you did bad things in the past, but it's never to late to change. Perhaps your amnesia is God's way of helping you find your second chance at being someone good again."

"You think so...?" the girl asked.

"I'm sure of it," said the man.

"I'll become someone good then..." said the girl.

"That's right," said the man. "I'm sure you can do it."

The girl smiled. She'd do it. She'd drive the nightmares back for good.

* * *

Eilith had a smirk on her face as she faced someone she had wanted to see again for a long time now. Ava li Britannia looked tired. She looked tired, but she looked accomplished. Astrid Weinberg at her side just looked weary, if just a little relieved.

"And so the Empress finally returns to Britannia," Eilith said, walking toward the other.

"Last I checked you were the Empress, Eilith," Ava started. "Or did you not claim the title when you slew my cousin?"

"Well yeah, "said Eilith. "But now that you're back, that's all over."

"You're wrong, Eilith," said Ava, shaking her head. "You've earned that spot on the throne. It's yours to keep..."

"Cut the cheap jokes, Empress," said Eilith shaking her head. "I couldn't ever..."

"I abandoned my station in the Empire's darkest hour," said Ava, shaking her head. "You on the other hand boldly fought against all odds to overthrow a puppet Empress put in place by the enemy. The people want you, not me."

"It's only been a week," said Eilith, looking down. "Every thing's happened so fast. I doubt they know what they want."

"Are you sure about this, Ava?" Astrid interjected suddenly. "You'd give up on the throne you so sought after?"

"I lead Britannia astray, Astrid," said Ava looking down. "I still think there's nothing wrong with the ideal. With wanting Britannia to be the strongest Britannia it can be. But this war... I feel I might have been too hasty. I might have been blinded too much by what Deifilia Amarantha wanted me to see and by my own anger."

"Even if you have regrets, isn't it a little much to just suddenly pass the whole burden off to someone else?" Astrid asked. "It's not like you to run away, Ava."

"I'm not running, Astrid," said Ava, nodding. "I merely realized that my era ended with Deifilia Amarantha. I am a symbol of war. Such a symbol is best discarded in this new era of peace. Britannia needs a new symbol."

"I don't know if I can..." Eilith started meekly.

"Have faith in yourself, Eilith," Ava spoke. "You're someone strong. Someone incredible."

"I'm not sure I'm so..." Eilith spoke, looking down.

"Bullshit! If you can't do it, ain't no one can, Princess!" a loud voice burst in. Eilith didn't have to look.

"Such a boorish man," Ava started. "You eavesdrop on royalty, Mr. Cross?"

"Tch. I just happened to be passing by," Ulric Cross started, stepping forward.

"You look like you've seen better days," said Ava, looking at him. The man was covered in bandages all over.

"Heh. I finally got the fight I always longed for," the man started. "Thanks to this crazy Princess."

"You really think I can do this, Cross?" Eilith started, looking down.

"Fuck yeah," Cross started. "You got the guts for it, that's for sure. Can't think of no one better for the job."

"I guess I have no choice then," Eilith sighed and gave a weak laugh.

"You really value this ape's opinion so much, Eilith?" Ava started questioningly.

"Yeah. And why shouldn't I?" asked Eilith. "He is my knight after all..."

"Y-you don't say...?" Ava said, completely stunned; her words most tentative. "I really question your taste, Eilith..."

"What's that supposed to mean, Empress?" Cross started, looking at her.

"I kind of wonder what that might do for your image, Eilith..." Ava said under her breath. "But nonetheless I maintain that you are best suited to be Empress."

"You really think that, huh?" Eilith started. "I suppose I can't fight it." She gave a long sigh. "So what of you then?"

"I'm retreating from the spotlight," said Ava with a nod. "I think to start I'll stay with my father, help him through his rehabilitation. From there, I don't know what sort of role I'll play. Whatever it is, it will be a small one with Astrid at my side."

"I see," said Eilith nodding. "I'll still be able to call on your for advice, right?"

"Perhaps," said Ava.

"That's good then," said Eilith with a nod. "I really respect you, Ava."

"I'm grateful. I think quite highly of you myself," said Ava. "I wouldn't feel confident leaving the crown in the hands of many people. But with you, I am completely at ease."

"Well thanks," said Eilith blushing. "Things sure can change fast..." she sighed.

"It's because only months ago you were just another one of them, that I think you're perfect to lead the people of Britannia," said Ava in a soft voice.

"Right," said Eilith smiling.

"Then come with me, Eilith," said Ava. "We need to prepare to face the people."

"Alright," said the older girl with a nod.

* * *

The darkness slowly dissipated as the bright light lead the girl forward. Next thing she knew, her eyes were open. She looked around, unsure where she was. Unsure if she was alive or dead.

Her surroundings looked like a hospital room. She was bandaged and in severe pain. She could move hardly anything within her body. She felt so incredibly weak. But she was alive. Miya Ashford was still alive.

"My child!" a voice called out. "Finally you open your eyes."

Miya noticed something. She wasn't alone in the room. Figures came into focus. It was her mothers. Milly was kneeling at her bedside, holding her hand. Nina stood beside her. Milly was crying as Miya's eyes met hers.

"I guess I'm not dead then..." Miya said in a weak voice.

"Well you came awful damn close, you stupid girl..." Milly started harshly. "You don't know how worried we were."

"I'm sorry," Miya said softly.

"Don't be, Miya," Nina started. "According to Ava li Britannia, the part you played was nothing short of vital."

"Part?" Miya started. She had trouble even remembering what had happened.

She closed her eyes. She recalled it all. She had killed the foul priest. She had been injured critically, lost an incredible amount of blood. She really should be dead now. She couldn't understand it. There was no one who could have found her immediately and taken her to safety. She'd have surely bled to death by the time Ava and the others returned to her.

The only explanation she could find was the strange light she had seen. Her heart told her it was Cynthia who had saved her. She was more than satisfied with this thought.

"So what happened back there...?" Miya spoke softly. "How long has it been?"

"You've been out for a week, dear," said Nina simply. "You're still in the EU. Your condition wasn't stable until a few days ago, so they couldn't move you. There were many times when the doctors were positive they had lost you."

"They called your recovery miraculous," said Milly nodding. "People really aren't supposed to survive after losing that much blood."

"I see..." said Miya, closing her eyes and smiling. Cynthia really had looked out for her. "But if I'm being treated in the EU..."

"The battle is finally over," said Milly, nodding. "Chiharu Ohgi killed that Amarantha person. The EU are not an enemy to any of us now."

"That's great..." said Miya with a smile. "And Ava?"

"After the collapse of the EU government, she went to the interim leadership and made some appeals in regards to the peace agreement," said Nina. "I believe she just recently returned to Britannia."

"So everyone's safe then?" Miya spoke. "Astrid and the others?"

"Astrid Weinberg returned with the Empress," said Milly smiling. "As for your other friends, Margaret Enneagram and Amelia Waldstein helped reclaim the Britannia throne from Amarantha's puppet. Tohdoh and that group succeeded in rescuing the Japanese and Chinese Federation leadership from and EU prison. None of them were killed."

"That's wonderful news," said Miya, smiling. Everyone was safe. That was good enough for her.

"You're the one everyone's worried about," said Nina in a soft voice. "Apparently, Ava li Britannia tearfully begged the doctors here to do everything in their power to save you."

"Ava..." Miya spoke fondly. "She really is a good friend. I never should have doubted her..."

"I'm afraid this is going to have to be enough for now," an unfamiliar voice spoke from the door. Miya looked to see an elderly doctor standing there. "In this condition the patient really shouldn't strain herself. Visits should be kept short."

"We understand," Milly started.

"We'll be back again later, Miya," said Nina.

"Thanks," Miya started, smiling.

"We'll keep coming back until your healthy enough to return to Britannia," said Milly with a healthy nod.

"I'd like that," Miya spoke in a soft voice as he parents waved to her.

The doctor walked up to her as her parents left. He looked at her. "So the miracle child finally wakes," he said in a low voice. "To be injured so grievously... you must have impossible drive to live."

"It's love," said Miya simply.

"You have someone waiting for you then? That thought made you refuse to give up on life?" the doctor question.

'That's not quite right," said Miya. "It wasn't anything in me that kept me alive. Love protected me. It's that simple."

"I'm not sure I understand," the man said in a low voice. "But perhaps that just isn't my place."

The man looked at the girl. His questions turned to the more general about her condition. As the man left, Miya's mind stayed with the thought of Cynthia.

"I won't waste this life you protected, my love..." she said under her breath. "Thank you, Cynthia."

She smiled and thought for the first time in a long time about the future.

* * *

Kallen Kozuki had a level expression on her face as she stood before Kaguya Sumeragi. A lot had happened in a short amount of time. The war had ended. She had returned to Japan. Things for once seemed alarmingly normal.

"So, General Kozuki, do you know why you were called in today?" Kaguya started cheerfully.

"I can't say I do," said Kallen with a nod.

"As I'm sure you're aware, with the end of the war, the UFN had been reestablished," said Kaguya quietly. "And with it the Black Knights."

"That I am aware. I look forward to being a part of the organization once more," said Kallen steadily.

"You were nominated to be the top military commander of the new Black Knights in place of the fallen Tohdoh," said Kaguya quietly. "You are expected to win the vote."

"Y-you don't say...?" Kallen spoke, taken aback.

"You didn't expect this?" Kaguya asked with a laugh.

"I'm never sure what to expect anymore," said Kallen shaking her head. "Things can move in truly unexpected ways."

"But you have no complaints about assuming this position?" Kaguya asked in a low voice.

"You nominated me... didn't you?" Kallen asked.

"Maybe," the other woman said with a laugh. "Though I can't see how your name would have ever been avoided, quite honestly."

"It's fine. I'll serve proudly should I win the vote," said Kallen with a confident nod.

"Good, I have faith in you," said Kaguya with a kind smile. "Now, all I ask is that come time for the next election, you give me your full endorsement!"

Kallen stared at the woman for a moment. "You manipulative politician," she muttered.

"You'll do it, won't you?" Kaguya insisted.

"I never asked for you to submit my name," said Kallen. "And like you said, it probably would have happened anyway..."

"Still..." said Kaguya with an awkward smile. "There's no telling what the country will be feeling after all this..."

"You don't have to do me favors," said Kallen with a laugh. "You already have my support."

"I see," Kaguya started, smiling. "I'm glad for it."

"So am I dismissed then?" Kallen asked.

"Sure, why not?" Kaguya nodded. Kallen smiled at her, said her good byes and left. Halfway out the government building, two girls who had been waiting ran up to her, both wearing smiles.

"So, how did that go, Mom?" Katsue asked in a bright voice. "The president asked you to be the Black Knights military commander, right?"

"You knew, Katsue?" Kallen asked, tilting her head.

"It seemed entirely natural to me," said Katsue. "I could think of no other reason for the summons."

"Heh, I see," said Kallen smiling. "You've always been sharp, Katsue."

"So, if you're the commander, you'll give us big promotions in the Black Knights, right?" Katsumi asked cheerfully.

"I don't intend to abuse my power, Katsumi..." Kallen spoke, shaking her head.

"But we're heroes. We deserve it," said Katsumi.

"Who said anything about you joining the Black Knights anyway?" Kallen asked. "You two are quitting this life. You're going back to high school."

"What? But, Mom! We really are national heroes now... "Katsue fought. "Besides, both me and Katsumi have already decided this is what we want to do."

"So what?" Kallen said sternly. "Your both still finishing school. And if you do intend to join the Black Knights when you finish that, you'll be working your way up from the bottom!"

"That's not fair!" both girls said in unison. Kallen laughed.

"You two have been entirely too reckless throughout this whole ordeal," said Kallen. "I think it's time I enforce some order for once!"

"But Mom, aren't you proud of us?" Katsumi asked with a soft smile.

Kallen smiled back. "Of course I am. I'm nothing but proud of you, girls."

"But you're still going to force us to go to school..." Katsue said with a sigh.

"It's for your own good," said Kallen. "You two are only 15. You still have a lot of growing up to do."

"Fine..." Katsue said with reluctance. "But I intend on joining the Black Knights when I'm done."

"Me too!" said Katsumi.

"Fine by me," said Kallen, nodding. "Now come on, let's go."

"Where we going?" asked Katsue.

"I think it's about time I explain some things to the two of you," said Kallen with a nod. "About your father..."

"Oh, that's not necessary," said Katsue. "I'm pretty sure we already have all that sorted out."

"You don't say?" Kallen started.

"Yep! In face, we might have even met him!" said Katsumi.

"W-what?" Kallen exclaimed. "But that's..."

The twins giggled cheerfully as Kallen stared at them confused.

"I guess we're the ones who need to explain things," said Katsue.

"Come on, Mom, let's go!" said Katsumi, grabbing the woman's hand.

A confused Kallen Kozuki allowed her twin daughters to pull her forward. She shook her head and gave a soft smile. She was grateful to have things like this again. There was nothing for her to regret.

* * *

Hu Xuemei nodded politely as she greeted her comrade. Wu Chaowei had just returned to the Federation after having received medical attention. His arm was quite damaged apparently. It was doubtful it'd ever be quite the same. Xuemei felt a little sorry for the man. He was a somewhat annoying person, but he had gained her respect as an ally.

"Hey," he started. "Read the stories. Guess it's 'Princess' now."

"I see. In truth I care not how I'm addressed," said Xuemei in a low voice. Her mother had decided to release the circumstances of her birth to the public upon their return. It had been a shocking story, but the people did not have so negative a response to it. Most seemed to have embraced the idea of there suddenly being a young princess who was also the Federation's greatest hero of the war. Xuemei was actually embarrassed to see how far her image spread. In less than a week, she had come to be regarded as something of an idol.

"Must be different to suddenly be so famous," said Chaowei, shaking his head.

"Do you resent that I acquired the fame you coveted?" Xuemei asked directly, looking at the man.

"That's not right, look at this," the man started, thrusting a newspaper before Xuemei. The headlining article read "The Heroism of the Secret Warrior Princess." A massive picture of Xuemei's face was centered under the head line.

"I've seen this many times..." Xuemei sighed, not wanting to look at the paper.

"No, look at this part," said Chaowei. He pointed to a single line in the body of the text. It read "Assisting the Princess in the rescue of the Tianzi were Japanese soldiers Hiromi Tohdoh, Katsumi and Katsue Kozuki and Federation ace, Wu Chaowei, who was injured during the fight."

"You're content with such a supporting role?" Xuemei asked, surprised.

"I don't see it like that," said Chaowei. "Not anymore at least. I'm happy with just this."

"I see," said Xuemei nodding. "So, have you decided where you'll go from here?"

"I'm signing back up with the Black Knights," said Chaowei readily. "I think I'm going to try and get a job teaching at the military academy."

"Really? You an instructor?" Xuemei started, somewhat taken aback. "I'm surprised."

"What can I say, my instructor made a big impact on me," said Chaowei. "And she entrusted the future to me. This really seems like my best answer."

"Then I wish you luck, Ace of the Federation," said Xuemei with a nod.

"You too. Good luck with the secret warrior princess thing," said the man with a laugh.

Xuemei blushed. "Please do shut up..." she said after a long sigh.

* * *

Yasuko felt deep pangs of anxiety as she stepped off the plane. Hildegarde seemed to notice this and immediately took her hand into her own. This eased Yasuko's heart instantly and allowed her to move forward.

"Come on you two, let's go!" Katsuo called as he ran in front of them. Yasuko smiled and picked up her pace. Stepping out of the corridor and into the airport terminal. The tears began to flow instantaneously.

"Yasuko..." Nagisa Tohdoh started, almost choking on her words as her eyes met with those of the daughter she had thought she had lost forever.

"Mother," Yasuko tearfully muttered. Next thing she knew she was being embraced by her mother. She wasn't sure who closed the gap between them. It just happened.

"My Yasuko..." Yasuko's mother broke down into tears of her own as she cradled her child.

"I'm here too!" Katsuo called, walking up to his mother.

"Katsuo...!" the women wept and pulled the boy into the embrace. Yasuko smiled. It felt so warm.

"Yasuko..." another voice started. Yasuko twisted her head. Her whole body shook as her eyes met those of her older sister. Her mother's grip on her lessened. She escaped it.

"Hiromi!" Yasuko started tearfully as she ran to her sister and embraced her deeply. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"Yasuko... don't..." Hiromi spoke in a low voice, holding the girl tightly. "Nothing is your fault."

"I still have to live with it all," said Yasuko, backing up just a little. "It's still hard you know..."

"Yasuko," Nagisa started. "We love you. You are an important part of this family. We will always be here for you..."

"But still..." Yasuko cried. It felt incomplete. Someone was missing. And it was because of her. "I-I..."

"Don't dwell on it," the reassuring voice of Hildegarde Waldstein. "Remember what I told you back then, Yasuko."

"R-right..." Yasuko said in a low voice. It was still hard for her. It was only for Hildegarde that she could force herself to stay looking forward.

"Waldstein..." Hiromi acknowledged the other with a nod.

"I heard about what you did on your end, Tohdoh," said Hildegarde in a strong voice. "Quite the act of heroism."

"You saved my sister, and somehow my brother too it seems," said Hiromi closing her eyes. "For that, in my eyes at least, you are the hero of the day."

"So you are Hildegarde Waldstein?" Nagisa started, approaching the other.

"It's an incredible pleasure to make your acquaintance, General Tohdoh," Hildegarde started somewhat awkwardly.

"I owe you a lot," said Nagisa. "Thank you for fighting so hard for my daughter."

"I would go to any lengths for your daughter," Hildegarde started, blushing.

"So what Hiromi told me about the two of you is true...?" Nagisa started in a serious voice.

"Yes, Mother," Yasuko started proudly. "Hildegarde is the person I've chosen to be with."

Nagisa sighed. "I won't pretend to understand it. Nor will I deny any sort of disappointment. A Britannian knight, a woman, and someone ten years your senior." The woman paused and shook her head. "But you, Hildegarde Walstein, have proven yourself. You are the only reason my daughter is here safe before me once more. For that, I find myself no longer able to argue the point. So I will force myself to accept this. I'm sure it's beyond where I could fight it anyway."

"Thank you, Mother!" Yasuko started cheerfully.

"But what now?" Hiromi asked, perhaps already knowing the answer. "Yasuko, where are you going now?"

"I'm moving to Britannia," said Yasuko readily. "It'll be hard for me to be away from the three of you... but Britannia needs Hildegarde. I wouldn't feel right taking her away from them..."

"Yasuko... are you sure?" Hildegarde asked, perhaps the most surprised of anyone. Somehow, this subject had been entirely avoided between them.

"I've decided," said Yasuko.

"I suppose that's to be expected," said Nagisa. "You must promise to keep in touch with us, Yasuko."

"Of course, mother," Yasuko replied with a smile. "But you'll be okay without me?"

"I'm going to return to active duty for the Black Knights. I'm sure the job will keep me busy, dear. You shouldn't worry," said Nagisa with a nod.

"I'm staying on too. I'll take care of mother, Yasuko. Don't worry," said Hiromi with a nod.

"Thanks, sis," said Yasuko, smiling.

"And you better take care of my sister, Waldstein, or you will have me to answer to," Hiromi started in a stern voice, glaring at the woman.

"Of course," said Hildegarde. "You have my word."

"Then all that's settled," said Yasuko. "Now come on. I want to enjoy what might be my last time with my family for a while."

"Alright Yasuko, in that case, I'll go and..." Hildegarde started with a nod. Yasuko grabbed her by the write.

"That includes you, Hildegarde! You're part of the family now too!" Yasuko started with a giggle.

"R-right..." Hildegarde spoke in a shy voice as her lover pulled her forward with a smile.

Yasuko had a big smile on her face. The ghost of Marcella Belita and all she had done still haunted her memories. It probably always would. Even then, part of Yasuko wondered whether she deserved this time with Hildegarde and her family. But she would step forward. Hand in hand with Hildegarde, she felt she could.

* * *

A woman sat at a table to herself in a certain café in a certain EU city on a certain day. She sat there alone, sipping her drink through a straw, a bored look on her face. She glanced up at the small TV hanging in the corner of the establishment. A small smile appeared on her face.

It was a young girl, tall, with long, black hair. At her right was a kind looking woman in a wheelchair. At her left was a girl with shorter auburn hair. The black haired one was standing at a microphone. She was speaking.

"...I told you Britannia, when I first spoke before you, that I would not lie to you," the speech read. "But in my time as your Empress I could not keep this simple promise. I shamed the name of this woman at my side who was my predecessor, labeling her an accessory to lies. Now I wonder if lies themselves are our enemy at all. Sure, none of us like to be lied to. Sometimes however, they protect us; they keep us safe from a truth which is so often crueler than any lie.

"That is not to say I regret my actions. Britannia deserved to know the lies of Suzaku Kururugi and Lelouch vi Britannia; I feel that even now. Nor is it a lie that this war I started, I started out of love for Britannia. I just didn't completely understand what the war would entail. I know that excuse is no solace to those many of you who have seen suffering due to my actions.

"But this war is over now. The grabs for world dominance the EU made both here and in the East have been narrowly thwarted. My cousin Jacquelyn who was selected as their puppet is dead. The former leadership of the Chinese Federation and the United States of Japan have been freed and restored to their places in power before similar puppets could be placed in power there. A true peace is once more possible instead of the false peace promised by my cousin.

"This peace should not be denied. I know many of you supported me in this war; many support it even now. But we must learn, Britannia. We can be strong, we can be proud, and we can do it without being violent. We can work together at making this Britannia a better place, and we can do it without spitting on the rest of the world in the process. So I plead with you, Britannia, allow this war to become just a memory.

"That is all I have to say to you, Britannia. My name is marred. I abandoned you when things were darkest. I cannot ask you to follow me further. So, I won't, Britannia. I hereby renounce all claim to the Britannian throne. I am not running Britannia, I merely feel in my heart that I am no longer the right person to lead you. For that reason, I say good bye and present to you the one who deserves to guide you into the future. Eilith vol Britannia, the one who stood and fought for you all while I ran to safety."

The black haired girl stepped back as the auburn haired girl stepped tentatively forward. Her nervousness was apparent at once as she found her way to the microphone while the sounds of a clamoring audience sounded all around.

The girl gave a cough to collect her nerves. She stared into the camera for a moment then opened her mouth. She looked down, then forward again. Then she nodded. She began to speak.

"Excuse my awkwardness, Britannia. You're probably sick of my story from hearing it so much, but just months ago I was living a simple life among you. That I address you now as Empress... you can likely imagine. I often feel like slapping myself in the face to insure this isn't some bizarre dream I can't wake from.

"But I know it isn't. I never knew my father, Charles zi Britannia. He was dead before I was born. I stand before you now just as he did once. I, Eilith vol Britannia intend to serve proudly as the one hundred and third Britannian Empress! I ask only for your love and support, Britannia. With it I will lead Britannia into a new era, an era where Britannia will be cooperative, yet unafraid.

"As one who once lived among you, I intend never to turn my back on your plight. I can't say I won't make mistakes. I may be of royal blood, but I'm just as human as any of you. But I promise you, Britannia, I'll do my best for your sake. That's all I have to say today. Thank you."

The girl gave a soft bow of her head to the people. Then she turned around. A reporter began to speak about the speech. The woman tuned it out and looked back down. She gave a low laugh, and then finished the rest of her drink. It done, she left the money for it on the table and stood, walking out onto a busy street.

Flipping her hair blonde hair back, she continued to smile as she walked.

"So this is what it feels like to see a happy ending, eh?" she said under her breath. "It's been fun to watch this one unfold, Ava li Britannia, I suppose, but even the greatest stories have to have endings..."

She gave another laugh as she continued her walk, curious as to what stories the future may hold.

A/N: And there we have the end. Turned out this chapter wasn't any shorted than usual despite my speculation; scenes were short, but there were a lot of them. Writing this, I think I might have made things a touch too happy. But meh, whatever. I'm still satisfied. I can't believe this is the end. I've been writing this well over a year now. I feel accomplished, but I'm sure to miss this one. Thank you so much for reading it.

Anyway, I suppose this isn't exactly the end for AotCT. I am still planning on releasing some more Extras at some point in the near future. A few loose ends like Vivia Clairmond's fate, Lucrecia's back story, and maybe a few other things need to be covered before I can fully close the book on this story. I also have made one final update to the info page (though I kind of didn't go very detailed with the last few knightmare frames; couldn't bring myself to care.).

But still, I really do feel accomplished. I set out to do a 50 chapter epic and I kept it up until completion. it feels good, but I've already set my focus on a new project. I've already written two chapters of _A Light Forgotten. _It's an original work; a dark fantasy story about three troubled characters living in a land embroiled in religious war, each with their own unique tale to tell. It will be another epic, but it will not be fifty chapters again... Check it out if you will; you'll find the link on my fanfiction profile page. I'd appreciated anyone who would read and review.

But for now, all I can say is thanks again for reading this. I hope you enjoyed it.


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